STEEL-MINDED | erik lehnsherr

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"I wanted to do this together Grace, I really did but you're giving me no choice," Adrian whispered.

Grace pressed her hands to her ears as tightly as possible. She didn't want to hear him, not anymore.

She was trapped in a box with her worst nightmare. She couldn't get out. She needed to get out but she couldn't.

"Are you sure we can't do anything to help her," Erik asked from the door to the training room.

He stared helplessly at Grace as she sat in the glass box Charles was using to contain her. He touched a hand to his bloody lips, a bruise growing from where Grace had hit him as he'd tried to help her up.

"Whoever she told you about is in her head and they're dangerous," Charles said, "I want to help her as much as you do, my friend. But we don't know if she's dangerous or not."

"She's in pain, Charles," Erik protested, "She's the one in danger."

"There are still students around. I can't take that chance," the professor said resigned.

"Please," Grace whispered, "I don't want a part of this game anymore."

"You told me you'd embrace the monster and so far you're still due to do that."

"I can't do this anyone, Adrian."

"You're just going to have to suck it up Grace."

"Don't make me do it."

"Can't you hear her, Charles," Erik said a tear falling from his eye as she watched her beg, "It's breaking her."

Charles didn't reply.

"Help her, Charles," Erik said, "Help. Her!"

"I don't know how!" Charles exclaimed, "I don't know how. I'm sorry."

"Please," Grace cried hitting the back of her head on the glass behind her, "Please. Someone help me! Please!"

"Help her, Charles!"

"Stop fighting me Grace."

Her eyes opened slowly. The tears stopped falling. She let out a breath, her body relaxing.

"Why has she stopped?" Erik asked.

Charles moved up to the box.

"Grace?" he called, "Are you alright?"

She didn't answer. Her hand turned into a fist and cracks began to spread around the box. Erik stepped forward uncertain of what was happening.

"Grace?" he asked.

"Grace?" she repeated.

"What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" she sneered.

"Charles?"

"Charles?"

Her eyes glinted with malice and a shard of glass hit the floor as Erik's feet. He looked down at it.

"I think it's time to see what these hands can really do," Grace said slowly, "see what Charles has been keeping from us." She said his name like a curse.

"Grace," Charles said sternly, "Whatever you're doing stop now."

The professor gripped the arms of his chair firmly, his knuckles whitening. Her lips split into a grin.

"I don't like it when people I trust lie to me," she hissed, "It breaks my heart." Erik could hear the sorrow in her voice.

Whatever she thought Charles had done it wasn't good. Something in her had shifted.

"What happened to the person in your head?" Erik asked. He reached out to the metal in the room with his will by instinct. The hairs on the back of his neck standing up. His body was telling him to do the only sane things when in danger and he wasn't going to choose 'flight'.

"He's still here," she said, "But I'm not scared anymore. I figured the only way to block him out is by giving him what he wants, right?"

She was terrifying as she sat there smiling down at them with her emotionless eyes. She looked dead.

"How's that working for you?" Erik asked clenching his fists.

"Good! He's not yelling at me anymore which is a start."

"That is good." Erik didn't like how unpredictable she was becoming. People had a pattern and she was betraying everything he knew about hers. "Are you going to be OK-"

"Do I scare you, Erik?" She asked getting up on her knees pressing her hand to the cracked glass. It was so close to breaking, Erik wondered how it hadn't.

"Should I be scared?"

She considered it for a second.

"Yes," she said nodding, "Yes, you should. So should you, Professor. You should be terrified."

She sighed.

"This is boring," she said glumly, "I think I've had enough of this box." Reaching out she gently tapped the glass in front of her face. It shattered without a second glance hitting the floor. Grace too hit the floor.

On her hands and knees, she carefully got to her feet. She brushed the glass off her pants and shoulders. Looking down at her hands she saw them bloody. She stared at them for a second, eyelids fluttering shut.

As Erik watched, the cuts sealed themselves, much to his amazement.

"Now then," Grace said looking up, "Where was I?"

Erik didn't need telling twice and the second the words were out of her mouth the metal plates on the walls and ceiling clamped themselves onto her body.

She clenched her jaw and they turned to dust.

"Ouch," she pouted, "You thought that was gonna stop me?"

Her eyes rolled back into her head the floor beneath Erik turned to liquid and he fell into it before he could utter a reaction. The floor solidified leaving him shoulder-deep into the floor.

Grace waved her hand in Charles's direction and his wheelchair dissolved into nothingness leaving him on the floor, unable to run. She towered over him. She clenched her fist and his face went red as he let out a gut-wrenching scream. His hands moved to his back where he clutched the spot the bullet had hit him that day on a Cuban beach.

"How does it feel to be betrayed?" She asked, "It hurts, doesn't it. Or maybe that's just me, twisting your spine inside your body. Oops."

"Why are you doing this?" Erik asked, the metal around him breaking as he freed himself. He lifted himself out of the hole in the floor coming face to face with her.

"Because I can," she said simply.

"You could do anything with your gift and this is what you choose?"

"I always liked a little chaos."

"I loved you."

Her smile faltered and she looked taken aback.

"Loved," she whispered, "Past tense."

"Stop this, please."

"You choose the wrong day to get all emotional, Erik."

She reached out, grabbing him by the cheeks. He tried to pull out of her grip but the energy, willpower was gone. Drained from him. He dropped to his knees. He opened his mouth to cry out but found he couldn't.

"What's the matter?" she hissed, "Ain't got no pretty words left?"

He tried again. Nothing.

"I guess it was all just a game to you," she snapped dropping him to the floor, "And you told me you were real,"

"Liar."