JUST PRETEND ↠ ALEX SUMMERS ✔️ [EDITING]

Chapter 13

Devin drew herself a bath, waiting for the water to heat up before adding the bubbles and one of the bath bombs that had been left on the side. Jubilee had gone through a phase and got annoyed about cleaning up the bath after each wash so she gave them out to some of the other mutants, Devin included.

She had been cleaning up all the clothes on her floor and put them into a washing basket before stacking the trays of food, planning to bring them all down later to wash and to do some laundry. Maybe when everyone else was asleep or busy in the common room or training, at least then she wouldn't have to talk to them or see their faces.

She sat and watched as the bath bomb hissed and changed the water to a deep red, her hand swishing the water about to play with the—now red—bubbles. Devin made sure to lock her room door before getting out of her old clothes and stepping into the boiling hot water, relaxing until only her head and the tops of her knees were out of the water.

Devin stared at the wall ahead of her. It had been almost a week and a half since she came back.

A week and a half of ignoring the ones she cared about the most.

A week and a half of not eating, barely sleeping, crying herself to sleep.

A week and a half of just staring at his lifeless body on the table underneath the once crisp white sheet that was now stained in left over blood.

It had been a week and a half of not talking to Alex.

The one person she needed the most. But she pushed him away before she left for the mission, and she didn't bother to make an effort to talk to him or see how he was. Devin ran from him for crying-out-loud. She knew it probably hurt him as well, but she desperately needed him to be happy without her.

Because she was now just a shell of the person she once used to be.

Devin closed her eyes and focused her mind on the sound of the bubbles as they popped quietly. But that was a bad idea. As the haunting images of that one moment fizzled back into her mind. But this time she couldn't force herself to wake up or look away, it was playing on repeat. Over and over again.

The sun was beaming down on the warm sand, her skin was hot to the touch. Devin walked through the small village markets. The wooden stalls with coloured tapestries and clothes hung around with small fruit stalls sounding them. She couldn't help but take in how alive everything felt.

People were weaving in and out of one another, people were holding money and talking far too quickly for her to understand—not that she could anyway. Devin quickly took a swig of water before adjusting the strap of the smaller bag she brought as she continued walking.

She knew Charles was probably watching somehow, he was always one to worry about everyone, mutant or not, he always cared.

Some of the buildings were sand coloured, close together with dust flying around the air, which would have been hard to breathe in if she didn't have the ability to heal, her body was adjusting to the surroundings already.

She knew her skin wouldn't burn, but she put sun cream on anyway, it was better safe than sorry. Devin quickly walked down one of the side alley-ways before making her way towards one of the larger abandoned buildings that had been destroyed partly. The rubble was quite hard to get over, but it was the last seen destination of the mutant she was meant to be looking for.

The building inside was a lot cooler, although there was still rubble and dust all around and parts of the wall collapsed to the outside. Devin made her way in deeper, she wasn't exactly sure where in the building the mutant was going to be so she made quick work of it before finding him.