Fading Echoes . • . X-Men Fanfic . • . BOOK 1

Fading Screams

Fading Echoes won with the Halloween-chapter contest! 🎉! Thanks to all that entered and here you go!

Enjoy~!

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Ekka sat on the sill of the window, watching the wind howl outside. It was early in the morning, and it had been very cold. Of course, that was expected for a October morning, but she hadn't known it could get this cold. Flutter sat perched in her lap, snuggling into Ekka's warmth. Ekka had wrapped herself up tight in a blanket, making her a bit warmer, but that didn't stop coldness from penetrating her window. Ekka tried not to mind. She had experienced colder nights back at the Circus, but she supposed Flutter hadn't.

"Ekka!" Someone shouted as the door swung open. Ekka jumped, barely catching Flutter before she slipped off her lap. Vera stood at her door with a wide smile on her face.

"Wh–What is it?" Ekka asked, rather startled by the girl's sudden entry. Ever since her enrollment into Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, she and Vera had become rather good friends. Vera had entitled herself as Ekka's 'Unofficial Big Sister', and enjoyed talking with her. Vera herself loved speaking French, and since Ekka was still learning the English language, it made her a great study partner.

"Professor is going have one of the teachers buy a lot of candy!" Vera exclaimed, but Ekka was confused.

"Candy? For what?"

"For Halloween, of course!" Vera was smiling from ear to ear. "They're going to divide it evenly among all the students so everyone can dress up and we can go trick-or-treating here! And after that, they're going to throw a huge Halloween party!"

"'Trick-or-treating'?" Ekka repeated. She had heard of the holiday 'Halloween', it wasn't uncommon in France or in the traveling Circus. Children and adults roamed the streets when it was dark at night, getting candy from strangers. The Circus set up a haunted house for people to come and enjoy. Father used to love that, especially when little kids began to wander around unchaperoned, because he got to scare them back to their parents.

Ekka herself didn't quite enjoy the holiday simply because she hadn't quite understood it. That, and she along with the rest of the children, were never allowed to go trick-or-treating. Now that she had the chance, Ekka didn't really know how to feel, but since Vera looked rather excited, she decided that she should be too.

Ekka smiled, it was small, yet genuine, "That sounds fun, Vera."

"I know right!" Vera grinned. "Now, we gotta make costumes, and we only have five days!" Vera grabbed Ekka's hand, pulling her out of the room, "How good are you with a sewing machine?"

That was an odd question. Ekka was required to make all her costumes back in the Circus, so making another one shouldn't be so hard. Ekka recalled telling Vera that she could sew, now that she thought of it. Maybe that was the cause of the odd question. "I can use a sewing machine," she answered. Vera led her down the hall and to her own room, where there was a white machine and a lot of material beside it.

"Great because I told Jess that I could sew, since she had a old sewing machine that her mom gave her before she came here. She said I could use it, if I made her a costume too. I don't know how to sew, but I just remembered that you told me that you could! So, will you please help me make a costume?!" Vera inhaled at the end of her explanation, then looked at Ekka expectantly.

"Y–Yes, of course," Ekka said, not really knowing how else answer.

Vera squealed in excitement, "Thank you!" She led Ekka to the table, and handed her the cloth, some old patterns, and other accessories. "Tell me what else you need and I'll get it. Buttons? Zippers? Uh, polka dots!?"