Wild (Cherik Book One)

Mother

This is sort of a bonus chapter that I wrote. It's a more intimate look into Sharon Xavier and her life. I wanted to show the parallels between Raven and Charles and their mother. There is several mentions of alcoholism and a mild implication of abuse. Nothing extreme but I still wanted to put a little warning. :) Enjoy!

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"They say, "You're a little much for me

You're a liability."

    __________SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO____________

On October 23rd, 2002 Sharon Xavier could be found in her bedroom on a beautiful Autumn afternoon reading through a stacks of books her sister had sent her. While this wasn't particularly out of character for the woman, the day would come to take a momentous turn. Beside her, fast asleep in a heap of untamed curls and mischief, was Charles Xavier. His small body curled instinctively towards her, making her smile. Sharon hadn't particularly planned to have two children, much less within a year and a half of one another, but she supposed what was meant to be was meant to be. As a young girl her mother, often in a drunken state of madness, would tell her the best way to lock down a wealthy man was children. And maybe, throughout her life she carried that advice however awful it seems now. She admits she had originally seen Charles as a sort of lock and key for her loveless marriage to the young and handsome Brian Xavier. A considerably wealthy man she'd met during her college years in what felt like ages ago. A marriage that saw her plans to move far away trashed and replaced to a much more permanent location to the Xavier Mansion. A hollow estate stretching for what felt like miles filled with images of the Xavier legacy, occupied by several generations of wealth. But looking at her son. Her little angel in all this mess, all she sees beside her is a miracle. A beautiful boy with no faults and no pain and no ability to lie. All she felt was love, something lacking in other parts of her life.

Under her novel was a substantial stomach that housed her second miracle. A little girl, bound to be as fearless and cunning as all the women in Sharon's family. Dreams of pink dresses and flower crown afternoons swam in Sharon's brain for the majority of the nine months. Mornings spent with Charles and her daughter filled with laughter and smiles that would chase away her own creeping depression. With precision, Sharon wrote down potential names for the little girl to be. Brian had chosen Charles' name leaving this time around to Sharon. She was due any day now and the days were creeping by slower than usual but she didn't mind. These silent afternoons in the empty mansion were coming to be her favorite. Any break from the momentous laughter of military men that had little consideration for her condition. Yes, a quiet morning was just what she needed, but it certainly was not what she was going to get.

It all went by quite quickly. A blur of doctors and nurses and Brian who regarded the situation with a nervous energy. It wasn't a difficult birth but that didn't make it any easier on the small woman. And finally eight hours later a delicate baby girl with a head full of fiery red hair was sleeping soundly on Sharon's chest. Soft blue eyes and smooth pale skin made her look hauntingly beautiful. But, out of everything that day Sharon recalls something in particular. And when she finds herself on the wavering line between drunk and sober, she remembers. She remembers the look on Brian's face as he held Raven. It was the kindest she had ever seen him. There was a delicate aura around his usually rough exterior as he looked at her. That look was one of pure adoration and love. A look promising he would move mountains for this little firecracker. But that's not what stands out in her brain, no, what stands out most is the fact that he had never looked at Charles that way. He had always looked at Charles like he was one of his cadets. Bright eyed and innocent but completely useless until given proper training. And that terrified her, because if he could love his own children in such contrasting manners, what did the future hold for them?