Chapter Eleven:

"No," Hank said, arms crossed. "We can't."

"It's been more than a year since she's been here," Xavier argued. "She's been down there for almost six months now."

"The last time you let her out, she killed a man."

"He cut off her finger," Charles argued.

"That doesn't bring him back to life, Charles."

"It doesn't bring back her finger either!" Charles snapped. Then, he inhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Hank... She's only a child. Not only that, but her mutation requires her to at least be outside and around other animals and people."

"She's around her bear enough," Hank replied, crossing his arms. "I'm not risking the student's lives again, Charles. Last time she threw a fit—"

"I know, I know," Charles sighed. "But, Hank, listen, if she's allowed to go outside, maybe it'll help her learn to control it."

"How?" Hank scoffed. "You heard Lwazi, he suppressed her power by severely abusing her. Charles, he cut off her fingers in order to keep her in check! Coddling her and allowing her to go outside isn't going to help her."

"You don't know that," Charles said.

"I do," Hank replied. "And we are not letting her out — you aren't letting her out."

He picked up his papers and stood from his desk to disappear into a back room. "What if they locked you up?" Charles demanded to Hank's back. He stopped, but didn't look at him. "Hank, you, of all people should understand how it feels to be treated like a beast." Hank inhaled, but Charles continued talking. "Let her out, at night like we did last time. We can both be there, if it'll make you feel better."

Hank sighed, pulling off his glasses, cleaning it with his shirt. "Charles..."

"I don't want her to grow up and feel like a monster, Hank," Charles said. "She already hates me, but... Maybe this'll make her hate a little less."

Hank looked up at the ceiling, then back at his glasses. He exhaled, putting them back on. "Once every other day for an hour," Hank said. "And, she'll be monitored by either you or me, no one else. Nobody can know she's out there."

"Alright," Charles smirked, turning around in his wheelchair.

"You realize that you are the professor of this school, right?" Hank said, looking back down at papers on his desk, a pen in his hand. "You don't have to ask me."

"Yes, but I value your opinion," Charles said with a small smile. "Thank you, Hank. For giving her a chance."

"As long as she's happy," Hank said, almost sarcastically.

~.•*•.~

Ekka sat on the grass, watching as Brownie jumped around and playing. His big dark eyes were filled with happiness and Ekka almost smiled at him. "Don't you want to play too?" Xavier asked from behind her. Ekka tensed, hunching her shoulders, as if to shield herself from the man. Slowly, she shook her head, no, but Brownie wasn't having it.

He bounded over to Ekka, nudging his head under her arm, what he usually did when he wanted her to stand up.

Slowly, Ekka did. Her knees were weaker than they used to be, due to her lack of action in the recent months. He pushed behind Ekka from behind. Ekka sighed, grabbing a stick off the ground.

Excitment filled Brownie's eyes as he stared a her hand with anticipation. Ekka threw it as far as she could and Brownie ran, nearly tripping over his feet, as he slobbered up the stick before finally running back to her.

Xavier watched quietly as Ekka played with Brownie. He could see it, although it was small and not quite a big change yet, Xavier could see it.

He could see that she was happy.

~.•*•.~

Brownie moaned beside her as Ekka stared at the sky. She pushed him away, playfully, not taking her eyes off the sky.

Ekka closed her eyes and breathed she felt all the students in the school, if she just focused. They were fast asleep, or in their bedrooms, or something along those lines. With much precision, she picked one.

At first, it was uneasy. Like, trying to swim through a lake of rocks. It made her nauseous and Ekka she inhaled, shuddering.

"Is everything alright, Ekka?"

"Yes," she said quickly, sitting up. She waited a few minutes before trying again.

There was one boy that was still awake in his room, Ekka could feel him. She focused her power on him and immediately. She felt him lurch, shuddering in his bed, a growl rising in his throat.

Ekka pulled away before she could do any serious damage. Her eyes snapped open and she glanced over. Xavier looked tired, and he rolled his shoulders, ready to go back inside to sleep.

Ekka tried again, this time more gently. If she could just get one person to notice her, then... Maybe she could escape.

The boy growled, and Ekka felt his fingers form into crudely shaped claws, his eyes narrowing.

Ekka stopped, turning away from Xavier so she could breathe. Focusing like that made her lightheaded.

"Are you ready to go back inside?" Xavier asked, and Ekka nodded. That was enough practice for tonight. She would be back in a few days.

Ekka was, and she continued to practice quietly, pretending to enjoy the fresh air as Brownie danced around her and Xavier slowly nodded to sleep, physically exhausted. Ekka trained herself, she refused to stay cooped up in this school like a caged bird.

~.•*•.~

It took Ekka a few weeks and serious practice, but she finally managed to make the boy she practiced on get up and look out the window. It was only a glance and it was only for a minute, but Ekka did it. She did it.

Ekka laughed, it was half-hearted and it was a bit out of pure shock, but she did. Her small laugh was loud enough — and rare enough — to wake Xavier up. He glanced at her, still a bit drowsy. "Did... You just laugh?"

Ekka swallowed and looked away, frowning again. "Brownie did something funny," she said softly, covering it up.

Xavier was silent, "I think it's time to go inside," he said, but Ekka heard his relief and pride. He believed that this time was helping her — rehabilitating her, if you will — but Ekka knew he wasn't. This time outside wasn't making her weaker or surpressing her power. It was making her stronger, and soon, Ekka would finally be away.

~.•*•.~

Ekka sat on her bed quietly, Brownie at her feet. Just on time, Hank came, carrying a plate of food, like he usually did. This time, he looked a little bit in a rush. Ekka raised an eyebrow at him, but he didn't waste time. He quickly put the plate in the drawer and then turned.

"Is today important?" Ekka asked before he could leave. If Hank could help it, he never talked to her. This meant that Ekka could probably count on her remaining fingers how many conversations they have had together. Their relationship was mutually beneficial though. Ekka didn't like to talk, usually, and Hank never tried to strike up a conversation.

But, this time, Hank stopped. He didn't look at her, but he did say, "Today's Halloween. Char... The Professor is busy today."

Ekka didn't say anything else, and Hank didn't give her the chance. He left as fast as he came, leaving Ekka reeling on the bed.

Today was Halloween, Ekka should have known --- she had forgotten all about the holiday! If it got too cold, Xavier wouldn't want to take her outside.

Ekka panicked, covering her face and Brownie moaned, standing on his hind legs to rest his head on her lap. Ekka absentmindely ran her fingers through his fur, calming herself.

If Ekka was going to leave, she was going to have to do it today. Her control wasn't great --- it wasn't even good. She could only hold onto them for about three minutes, if that. To get someone down here long enough to press in the code... Ekka would really be pushing herself.

Ekka pressed her face in her hands, hoping Xavier wasn't watching her through the cameras. This would be her only good chance. If it got too cold, she'd never survive, and if she couldn't practice, her mutation would get weak and she would be back at square one in the spring.

Ekka inhaled, rubbing her face. She had only been practicing for two months, and she would have maybe three minutes to get this right before she would be too exhausted to control the person anymore.

Brownie moaned at her and Ekka smiled sadly at him. "It is okay," she whispered, quiet enough so no one else could hear. "We will be free tonight."

~.•*•.~

Winnifred walked through the halls, smiling. One of the older students had a sewing machine and made her a costume for Halloween. She wore a blue dress and the student, Jessica, made her attachments to go on her arms so that it looked like wings.

Winnifred thanked the girl, but she didn't say anything. Jessica just sat there, staring at the seeing machine sadly.

"Why are you sad?" Winnifred asked innocently. "It's pretty!"

Jessica smiled, "I know, it is," she agreed. "But, whenever I use this thing, it makes me think that I lost someone. Someone important."

"Who?" Winnifred asked curiously. She didn't quite understand. How would she lose someone? Why didn't she just go find them again?

"That's the funny thing," Jessica laughed, but it sounded as sad as she looked. "I don't know either."

Winnifred thanked Jessica again for the help and left. She was on her way to go to the multi-purpose room, or the gym, but since she lived on the other side of the school, and since the main halls were crowded with over excited students, Winnifred decided to go around. It would be easier anyway, she told herself.

But, she began to quickly regret that decision when she noticed how dark the halls were. Since nobody was using these halls, nobody thought to decorate them. They were left empty and desolate, which added to the spooky sense of the passway.

Winnifred ignored it. Generally, she liked spooky things and thrilled, which wasn't common with other girls her age. Other six-grade girls liked make-up and boys, but Winnifred liked scary stories and books instead.

Winnifred walked the silent hall, her footsteps echoing against the hardwood. She regretted deciding to wear her dress shoes as well --- they were so loud!

Winnifred walked past a tall bookcase, and immediately felt something --- or someone tug her, but no one was there. Winnifred only felt this once before when the Professor advised everyone to stay inside as there was a dangerous person on the school grounds last school year.

When Winnifred recognized it, she stopped moving. Maybe, she thought, it worked like a radio and she had to stay still in order for it to work properly.

The tugging quickly changed from that to a yank and suddenly, Winnifred's eyes rolled back into her head, unconcious.

~.•*•.~

Ekka focused on the girl. She had to act quickly. Ekka always saw the Professor pull a book down and then the staircase moved. It was something low, which was good because the girl she took over was short.

The girl crudely pulled a book and then the door slowly creaked open. Ekka didn't have time for her to stay there.

The girl ran down the hall, as is were an animal. By the time she had half a minute left, the girl had gotten to her hall. Ekka saw her. She was a plump black girl with two big black afro-puffs in her hair.

Ekka could feel her control slipping because the girl was fierce. She growled and stumbled as Ekka shakily brought her to the wall. "Come on," she urged. The girl pressed the code in to open the door slowly, hee fingers slightly dragging on the buttons.

Finally, she pressed enter and the door unlocked. Ekka let to and the girl fell to the ground like a rag doll.

Ekka fell back, breathing through clenched teeth. Brownie came to her side and nudged her face. Ekka laughed, kissing his cheek and he moaned delightfully.

"Come," she said, pushing the door open, and Brownie followed.

Ekka walked down the familiar hallway. The door at the end was already slightly cracked open. Ekka pushed it a little more and suddeny, she was in the halls at the school. It was empty and quiet, which was all the better for Ekka.

She hurried down the hall and out of the school, Brownie running behind her. She pushed through the double doors of the exit until she was finally free.

Ekka stepped outside. It was cold and chilly, and Ekka was certainly underdressed. She shivered, but continued to run. She didn't know how much time she'd have, but she did know that she had to make use of every second.

~.•*•.~

Xavier came down the hall. He wanted to give Ekka some candy, since it had been Halloween, after all. She probably wouldn't accept it, but he believed that it was the thought that mattered more.

He cane to the bookshelf to find it... Opened.  Xavier paled and went as fast as he could down the unlocked hallway. In seconds, he made it to her room to find a child on the ground, unconcious, and her cell door completely opened.

Xavier went to the wall, pressing several buttons very quickly. It was the code to speak directly to Hank's office. "Hank! Hank!" Xavier said, sounding frantic.

"What is it?" He asked. "Is everything alright?"

"She's gone," Xavier said, and Hank's side went silent. "Hank, she escaped."

"... Shit," he hissed. "I'm coming now, Charles."

"No," he said quickly. "Bring the teachers to my office. We cannot cause a panic with the children."

"Alright," Hank replied and Charles ended the conversation.

Charles came down and nudged the girl, who inhaled. She blinked, slowly opening her eyes. She looked confused and frowned. "Pro... Professor? Where am I?" Winnifred asked.

"It's alright," he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the room. "You're safe now. Do you remember anything that happened?"

"... No," she frowned, scrunching her face up, trying to remember. "I... I remember going to the side halls so I could get to the gym—Oh!" Winnifred turned to him suddenly, "Is the party over!?" Xavier gave a small frown, trying to seem sympathetic. Tears filled the girl's eyes and she sniffed, turning away.

"It's alright, Winnifred," Xavier coaxed — he didn't like seeing children cry over trivial matters. "Here," he reached into the side of his chair, pulling out a bag of candy — the one he was going to give to Ekka — and handed it to her.

Winnifred stared and then smiled wide, wiping her tears. They reached the end of the hall, were several teachers had already been waiting.

Winnifred stared for a moment, not used to seeing so many faculty members coagulated in one place. "Doctor Wilson, could you escort Miss Winnifred back to her room?" The man nodded, and led the way. Winnifred followed, asking many questions for the man, but none of them answered.

"Follow me," Xavier said, rolling back down the hall. The teachers followed silently, until one teacher, a newer and younger one, spoke up.

"What is going on, Professor?" He asked, crossing his arms.

Xavier stopped at Ekka's hall. "For the last six months, Hank McCoy and I have been keeping one student down here, separated from the rest of the school," Xavier explained, motioning to Ekka's room. The teachers went silent, but the shock and horror on all of their faces were evident.

"Her mutation was powerful, too powerful for even myself to control," Xavier continued.

"What was it?" Another teacher asked.

"She... Had a strange case of thiriokineticy," he explained. "But, her power was strong enough to be potentially an S-Class mutant's."

A round of gasps and whispered went through the group of teachers. Hank came down the hall, with the other half of teachers, explaining to them as well. Charles moved to the front of the crowd so they could all see him. "This girl's mutation is to control and communicate with mammals."

"What does that even mean?" Logan said gruffly.

"It means," Hank spoke up. "Anything living that isn't a plant, she could control." The crowd went silent, letting this sink in.

"She harnassed someone's 'primal instinct'," Xavier continued. "And used it to turn them into monster-like animals. Her mutation also allows anyone she is control to adapt to their 'situatuon' usually meaning the victim grew claws and sharper canines."

"How do you know so much?" A high school teacher asked. "Was she a student here?"

"Yes," Ms. Nighthall spoke, and everyone turned to her. "I remember her..."

"Not completely, however," Xavier said. "In order to protect the integrity of the school, I erased the memory of Ekka from everyone's minds."

This caused an uproar, but Xavier rose a hand to silence them. "It might not have been the best decision, but I certainly stand by it." Xavier inhaled, this next part would be harder to say. "Ekka, the girl, had a mental breakdown. I didn't know at the time, but one of the teachers had been verbally abusing Ekka."

"Ekka already came from a very violent background," Hank continued. "Her 'Father' ran a circus in southern Europe and was extremely abusive. He'd often whip the children under his care, and — to Ekka especially — when he deemed they did something wrong, he'd cut off their fingers." The group reacted with wide eyes and hands covering their mouths. "Her 'Father' name was Lwazi, and he was also a mutant. He had the power to manipulate the mind into thinking that the he was an entirely different person."

"He was also the brother to a terrorist in southern Africa who goes by the name 'Mandla'," Xavier said. "He's notorious for killing men, taking women and children and raping them. His mutation involves controlling animals, which is how he gained such infamousity in his region."

"Wait, you said this girl, Ekka, was from southern France," a teacher, Mr. Walker asked. "How did she live so far from that?"

"Five years ago, Mandla was supposedly M.I.A, but people were still warned to keep an eye out. Then, ten years ago, he was spotted in Italy with a woman, but fled before authorities could find him."

"Where is he now?" Mr. Walker asked, but Xavier shook his head.

"He hasn't been seen since. We believe that Mandla put Ekka in Lwazi's care, however, there is no evidence." He replied, "A few months ago, Lwazi appeared at the school. He revealed himself as a younger student who frequently tormented Ekka. We thought it was just bullying and tried to do something about it. But, after the incident—"

"What incident?" Doctor Wilson asked, at Hank's side. Hank started, and Wilson had a ghost of a smirk on his face.

"The reason we... Isolated Ekka becsuse she had a... Mental break down when she accidentally caused a close friend to her's death. She was so emotionally overwhelmed that half of the entirety of the school was under Ekka's power. This, incidentally caused seven more deaths."

The teachers seemed furious, but it was more because of the fact that they couldn't remember than because the children and teachers were dead. "If you knew she was dangerous from the start, why didn't you bring her down here sooner?"

Charles steeled himself, "No child should be locked in a cage. Ekka was no exception. When I brought her here, she had just returned from a violent and dangerous background. One or her closest friends were killed by Lwazi before her eyes. To lock her up after promising to keep her safe would go against everything that I stand for."

"But, you did, though," another teacher spoke, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "Eventually, you did lock her away."

Xavier turned, glancing at her cell. "Hank was already trying to get me to lock her away, but I wanted to give her a chance. But after the incident, I decided that that was the last straw. Ekka became depressed and stopped eating after a while. I tried to teach her, but she wouldn't respond. Ekka grew up living in a cage, I didn't want to put her back in one, but I had no choice."

"A few months after Ekka was put away, Lwazi came to the school," Hank said, taking the attention from Xavier. "Xavier had been allowing her to go outside for an hour or so under the condition that she completed her school work and ate her meals. Ekka did, wanting to go outside eagerly. I was unaware, so one night I noticed a tall man walking down the corridors and I knew that it was Lwazi."

"Hank found us outside and tried to warn us, but when I tried to bring Ekka back, she panicked and ran into the woods. It took us a while to find her, but when she did, she was on the ground, missing another finger and one of the girls who bullied her, Delilah, standing above her."

"As it turned out, Delilah was Lwazi. He admitted to tormenting Ekka because he believed that it was the only way to surpress her power," Bank explained. "And, he was right. Usually, when around Ekka, her power is suffocating and it's a lot easier to get agitated. But, when I was with her then, her power was surpressed significantly."

"Before we could get any information out of him, Ekka killed him. Then, she tried to kill herself, but I stopped her."

"We kept Ekka here over the summer, but it was clear how much worse she was getting," Hank said. "She hardly ever ate, she never got out of her bed. She didn't even talk to Brownie, her pet bear."

This caused a reaction from several teachers. "She has a bear?!"

"She needed a way to outlet her powers," Hank explained. "And she bonded with the bear before we locked her up. Anyways, she was getting significantly worse. But Xavier thought it would be good for her to go outside again. This time with complete monitoring."

"That was last month," Xavier said. "Which brings us to today and she is gone. I need you to find her. If she is put in a tight situation, people could die. I am aware that this request it a lot to ask, and I will not hold any animosity towards the school of you decide to back out. A few of you, I believe won't be fit for this job. She is able to control primal instinct, so anyone with animal attributions or a hot temper cannot join us." Xavier turned to Ms. Nighthall, "If you don't want to come, Ms. Nighthall, I will understand, however your ability of neutralization will be crucial in a situation like this."

"There's no need to worry," the woman assured. "I'm coming."

Xavier smiled and Hank spoke again. "Those who can't or do not want to stay may go. Please keep this information to yourselves, the last thing we need is panic." The teachers nodded as they left the room, wishing good luck on the remaining ones.

When they all had left, Xavier sat straight. "Our main concern would be to keep her calm. She'll be really scared, especially in a situation like this. Do not make any sudden moves, speak softly and slowly. It will be getting cold soon, so it's most likely she'll be heading south. Ekka does have basic survival instincts from her time in the circus. She would be able to last a few days before hiding somewhere. And, if you find her somewhere public, handle it civilly. I suggest sending Ms. Nighthall in first in order to neutralize her mutation."

The teachers nodded solmenly. "Pack whatever you need," Xavier said, "You'll be leaving as soon as possible."

~.•*•.~•~.•*•.~•~.•*•.~•~.•*•.~•~.•*•.~•~.•*•.~

Edited: 5/25/18