Flickers (Charles Xavier)

Chapter 37

A/N -

Hello everyone - hope you guys are doing okay :)

Just a note to say that after this chapter there are only two more chapters left to upload. I'm going to be so sad to finish uploading this, I've enjoyed it so much! I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it :)

Either way, there's two parts left to look forward to after this chapter, so I hope you enjoy!

Stay safe :)

Iris was dreaming.

In the dream, she was a child. She was in a room with Shaw and Emma, and she was crying.

"I didn't want to hurt that man," She managed to say between sobs, "I didn't think I would hurt him."

Shaw's expression mocked sympathy, as he reached out and patted Iris' shoulder.

"He was... collateral damage. Don't let this deter you, Miracle. You were doing so well, before."

"Will he be okay?" She asked quietly, as the memory of fire flowing out of her fingertips towards a young man who worked with Shaw flashed up in her mind.

Emma smiled gently, "He'll be alright. They were only mild burns."

Iris shook her head slowly, "I refuse to use my powers if I can't control them. I could hurt people by accident, people I don't mean to hurt."

Shaw started to shake his head, "You don't mean that."

"I do." Her voice was firm, "I'm hardly any use to you if I can't control my powers, am I?"

Emma and Shaw shared a hesitant glance.

"She's not lying," Emma murmured quietly after reading Iris' thoughts.

Shaw sighed deeply, "Jesus... the things I do for you, Miracle. Emma, be a darling and teach her how to control them. She's the most powerful mutant I've ever met. The power to create... I don't want to lose that. So teach her control. Come to me when you're done."

With a grumble he stormed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him. Emma sat herself down opposite Iris and told her conjure the image of a coin. Iris concentrated for a moment, and the coin flickered into existence above her palm. She reached out and touched it, and it fell down into her hand.

"Now," Emma's voice was low, "Can you make it disappear again? You can will it into existence. Try doing the opposite."

Iris frowned at her in confusion.

"When you first learnt how to create things, you had to concentrate on making it exist. Slowly you've learnt how to do it without even thinking about it. You should be able to do it the other way around. The things that you've created, you should be able to erase."

Iris reached out and touched the coin with her finger, concentrating on the idea that it should just be an image, it shouldn't be real...

He finger passed right through the coin and touched her palm. She moved her hands away, and allowed the image to fade away.

Emma smiled at her – the smile she usually reserved for Shaw only.

"That's control. The things you create, if you're losing control of them, can quickly become telepathic images again."

Iris nodded. She was tired, and her mind felt foggy. She didn't know how long she'd been in this facility, with Emma and Shaw training her. She struggled to remember life before – it was a haze.