Touch of Winter

Chapter 12: Dream, Nightmare or Something Else

Northern didn't move from where she landed. For a moment I feared I had hurt her, but she still trembled and sobbed. The now frosted over knife was limp in her grasp, taking the chance I snagged it and slid it across the floor, away from us. Wasting no time, I grabbed another blanket and cradled her in a tighter hold. Bringing her head to my chest. I remember Angel doing this when Northern had been a baby. The sound of her mother's heartbeat had always quieted her. Thankfully this hadn't changed over the years I had missed. After a moment or two she began to quiet. The tears and trembles stayed, but the thrashing and screaming stopped.

Then I saw her eyes. Oh my Ma would've had a heart attack, and maybe have called a priest for an exorcism, if she had seen them. They were glowing a blinding white. Not her irises and pupils; they had practically vanished. Her whole eyes were alit with white fire. This wasn't a normal nightmare. 

"Shush, baby doll you're alright. You're alright. I'm here. I'm right here and I'm not leaving," I didn't know how to pull her out of this, so I just kept talking. 

Eventually, the white glow faded. Those mixed-matched eyes look up at me, with a tired confusion, before she passed out. I wasn't shocked by her reaction. Her powers had been in overdrive, it was bound to make any mutant exhausted. 

I don't know how long I remained their, cradling my sleeping baby girl, but it must have been long enough for J.A.R.V.I.S to send someone after me. Steve came running in, a concerned look on his face.

"What happened?" He asked, quietly.

"Nightmare," I lied. I knew that wasn't a nightmare. I wasn't sure what that was. I had an idea but I couldn't be sure. 

I needed to make a call. 

...

"Hello?"

"Mr. River," I said.

"Barnes? Why are you calling? Do you know what time it is?"

"What are Northern's powers? And don't just say the cryopathy, I know there's more to it."

"What happened?" There was a sense of urgency in his voice. 

"Nightmare. At least I thought it was until I saw her eyes."

"What did they look like?"

"Whited out. Completely. Not like when she uses her powers."

"Did she hurt anyone?"

"No, but she got close. Did you know she hides a knife underneath her pillow? I managed to get to her before anything bad happened, but her room looks like the roof caved in during a snow storm."

I heard him sigh, "I was afraid of this."

"Christin what are you talking about?"

"Listen Barnes, you can't tell anyone about this, but Northy isn't just a cryopath. She was born with a secondary ability. Mind Sight."

 Alright, this was new, but not unexpected. Northern was private, and by the sound of my father-in-law voice this wasn't something to be talked about. Which was odd in itself as powers in Angel's family at least had always been a source of pride. What was such an issue with this ability that it made someone who had 20 plus years of experience with mutant powers. 

"Mind Sight?"

"It's a rare power, Barnes. Only three kids every generation are born with it. It allows the user to see beyond the normal eyes."

"So it's a mind out of body experience?" I raised a brow. 

"You could say it's like that, but that would be simplifying it. It's a different way to interpreted reality, sometime even beyond what one could call time and space. I-I can't even explain it in a way you'd understand. It's a true gift, but it can be a double edged sword."

"Are you saying this 'mind sight' is hurting her?"

"Mind sight, while allowing someone to see in a completely different way, also effect the memories and dreams. Making them far more vivid then one could imagine. Sometimes they see things athat aren't even there. Pair that up with a nightmare..."

"And you're saying that this is what happened to Northern tonight."

"From what your describing to me, yes. I believe she experienced a mind sight attack."

"And you knew this could happen?"

"I thought she had it under control. Northy hasn't had an attack in three years."

"This has happened before?"

"A few times, the last bad one was right after her mom's funeral."  

"Any idea what triggered it? Or does this just happen?"

"Right now? Could be any number of things Barnes. She's in a new environment. New faces, new rules, new threats." 

"I thought we were making progress. We can actually hold a conversation now."

"You might have been. Powers are unpredictable Barnes. This might have had nothing to do with you."

"Is there any chance she'll grow out of this?"

"It's life long thing, Barnes. Just like any power. We can help her learn how to curb the nightmares. But we can't remove them, and they won't leave."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Honestly, Barnes, little is known about this ability. The closest thing you could compare it too is schizophrenic attack. But there's no drugs to fix it. Stable and supportive home life can help when it strikes. However, it still can just happen."

"Is that really all?" I looked towards Northern, now sleeping peacefully on her bed.

"You need to be her rock, Barnes. Something she can steady herself on. These attacks are nothing but instinct and reaction. She needs something to bring her back. Before it's too late."