BORN TO DIE. Wade Wilson

04. Burning Pile

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BURNING PILE - CHAPTER FOUR

A COUPLE months had passed since Katya had made a run for it- since she had left the hell hole behind.

And so much had changed.

When she had first gotten out, she had no where to go. The apartment she had been renting was taken by people she didn't know and the money she had stolen from her parents before she left and had hid under the floor board was now for the new owners to find.

But eventually, the girl was found.

While Katya hadn't used her abilities for much other than to see the exact time an avocado ripens, or using her ability to see the top shelf, she still managed to gain the attention of The X-men themselves.

They soon recruited her, forcing her to wear a yellow trainee shirt for some time and keeping her under their wing.

For the first time, she felt wanted. While she wouldn't yet consider them family, it was already better than the one she was born in to.

So now the girl leaned against the counter of the island that laid in the kitchen. She was finally no longer considered a trainee and could ditch the shirt as Colossus sat on a bar stool beside her. The man was eating the cereal he had poured into the bowl and Katya was completing the maze on the back of the box.

Silence had filled the room, the occasional crunch of the man's breakfast or the background noise of the news being the only sound that broke the quiet. Her marker would squeak occasionally, but otherwise the kitchen was hushed.

Once the woman had finished making the line to the exit of the maze, she stuck the lid back on the marker. The box she clutched onto was set back down where Colossus originally had it, and the marker joined it.

The blonde watched the marker as it rolled off the counter, an unamused expression across her lips. She sighed and left it where it had fallen, pulling out the stool beside her and claiming a seat on it.

Katya then focused her vision in the television, watching the screen. Not much of what the reporter said reaching her ear, the sound of the TV too quiet to be audible.

Yet she still watched intently, straining her ears the best she could to listen to the report.

However, suddenly an image appeared upon the screen. A building that had caught fire, the bright flames dancing in the screen. Despite the orange that painted the view, the building was immediately recognized by the blonde.

She quickly slid out of the stool she had claimed, rushing over to the remote that laid beside the television. She backed up slowly once it was in her hands, fumbling the remote as she tried desperately to turn up the volume.

Colossus watched her curiously as her fingers mashed the button, the volume on the tv jumping up.

She then set the remote roughly down on the counter and returned to her seat. "I pray to god Ajax burned." She muttered under her breath, watching intently as the reporter continued.

"A building outside of the city caught fire last night, the flames growing rapidly..." Slowly, as the reporter continued to speak, the words grew muffled. Each word the woman on the tv spoke slowly became less and less clear as they reached Katya's ears.

The blonde was too focused on the image across the screen to care about what was being said.

An image of a building was shown on the screen, the remains of the frame and walls being nothing but a gray pile of ash.

A smile formed on the girls lips and relief filled her chest as she confirmed it was the very building she had escaped from. Someone had finally taken it down.

Her chest relaxed and a weight that had been on her shoulders for a while now had finally felt as though it was lifted.

The thought of the man who brought her hell finally falling to the fiery depths himself brought a smile to her lips. But it faded.

She had to see for herself. She had to feel the hot ash in her hands for herself.

Had to tell if it was real.

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AND NOW Katya stood before it- stood before the fallen building, a feeling of triumph washing over her. The fire department had already cleared out, the area quiet. The surroundings seemed dead, the only sound being an occasional sound of a bird overhead.

With her hands in her pockets, the girl slowly walked forward, crouching down to the ash. Slowly, she took her right hand out, running her fingers along the gray remains of the building.

It was true, it was gone- burned, but god did it feel unreal.

A smile returned to her lips as she took a hand full, watching as she tilted her palm and the material slowly fell back into the pile below.

She lets out a soft sigh, then takes in a deep breath.

The smell that made its way to her nose smelled just like how you'd think the aftermath of a fire would smell. Burnt, hot scents rushed to her, the smell giving her a headache, yet giving her peace of mind.

The feeling of relief that filled her was unlike any other feeling she'd ever experienced before. The quiet surrounds and the feeling of being free from the clutch of Ajax made her feel at ease.

Like there was nothing to run from.

At least there wasn't for now.

The thought of Ajax possibly escaping the fire, or the thought of her parents finding her still filled her mind like a posion, but she shoved it down.

Just for once she wanted to have a small victory. She wanted to feel the slightest of relief, and didnt want to feel as though she had to always be on the look out for someone who was possibly looking for her.

Even if she shouldn't, she shoved her worries down where they would be forgotten.

She just, for once, wanted to relax.

And as she looked at what remained of the burning pile, she realized that might finally be an option.

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