Unspoken Fears

Chapter 9~ More Than You Bargained For

Well. I try to update Friday afternoons, but I missed last week. It was a LLOONNGG week. All in all, could have been a lot worse. I'm tired though. XD But here's a chapter. XD

I don't know what happened. I don't know how much time passed. The sun had started to rise, and we were sitting outside on a bench among the rubble. Government agents ran by every now and then, ignoring us. Maybe pretending we weren't there. Maybe scared we would hurt them.

I killed Darwin.

A car pulled up and doors slammed.

I killed Darwin.

"Natalia," Erik called out. He ran to me and knelt in front of me, holding my hands in his. "Natalia. You're safe." He looked up at me, trying to make eye contact.

I wish I had been the one to die. I didn't acknowledge Erik. I didn't lift my gaze from the ground. Barely even felt him rubbing my arm.

Charles gave Raven a hug and then addressed the group. "We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately."

At that, I lifted my gaze. Home? What home? I wondered numbly.

"We're not going home." Havock crossed his arms.

"What?" Charles frowned.

Banshee looked to Havock and then back at Charles. "He's not going back to prison."

Havock looked to Charles like he was an idiot. "He killed Darwin."

I looked to Charles. That's a lie. I killed Darwin.

Charles glanced to me, his gaze confused but soft, but then addressed the group. "That's all the more reason for you to leave. It isn't safe. Shaw isn't safe. This is over."

"You knew Shaw wasn't safe from the beginning. Why now?" My voice still didn't carry any emotion. "All the more reason to stop him- he has Angel. What's to keep him from taking other mutants? Mutants we don't get to try to help first." My lungs seized and I hugged myself. If we could keep another child from going through what Erik and I went through... we had to. It was the only decent thing.

"Darwin's dead, Charles. And we can't even bury him," Raven whispered and squeezed his arm. "We have to do something."

Erik stood and faced the group. "We can avenge him."

Everyone looked to Erik. Charles started walking towards us. "Erik, a word, please." He walked a few feet away and I followed, uninvited. Charles noticed me but didn't send me back to the group. Maybe he knew it wouldn't do any good. I was in deeper than anyone else; I deserved to be privy to all the conversations. "They're just kids."

"No." Erik shook his head, "They were kids. You stop being a child the moment someone a holds a gun to your head. Shaw has his army, we need ours."