Wild Things - The Gifted

rX [part 3]

Feelings of panic rushed through Eira as she saw the look that John was giving Sonia, as if the two of them were having a mental conversation. "No, you don't get to do this to me. Not anymore. It was fine when I was human, but now that I can fight back, now that my friend is the one in danger, you don't get to make decisions without me!" Eira's voice was rising, tears filling her eyes, nearly brimming over as her vision started to get blurry.

"Eira... if a SWAT team comes through," Sonia began, giving the teen a look of pity while placing an arm around her.

"We need to be ready to evacuate if necessary," it was John who finished the sentence, causing both Sonia and Eira to shake their heads.

Sonia looked between the Proudstar siblings, one strong like an unmovable mountain, and one falling apart at the seams like an old dress, "No, we have to get her away from here. We can't evacuate everyone!"

Eira, wanting no more of the conversation, shook her head, a few tears spilling out over her bottom lashes, "When you two decide something, I'll be down there with Clarice, making sure nothing actually happens while you two argue it out." With that, Eira squirmed out of Sonia's grip, not making eye contact with either of the two adults as she turned and headed down the stairs, tears leaving trails down her cheeks.

...

Neither of the Strucker siblings seemed to know what to do with a prison escapee who was on the verge on a mental breakdown, so they just watched Eira warily as she paced back and forth by Clarice.

After a few minutes of pacing, Eira sat down, offering a small smile at the Strucker siblings, "I promise I'm not crazy, it's just been a long couple of days." She told them, pulling her hair back into a pony tail.

Lauren and Andy glanced at each other, as if they didn't know what to say, "She saved your life, she saved ours. I don't know the extent of the pain you're going through, but I want her to make it out of this alive, and safe, as much as you do." Lauren offered from across the table, keeping a wary eye on Clarice as John and Sonia came down from the top of the stairs.

John moved to stand by Eira, but was stopped when she glared at him, knowing he would only make things more tense between them. With a small sigh and a shake of his head, he began to talk, "She's burning up, she's getting worse."

His words were interrupted by the occasional words from Clarice herself, murmuring about how it hurt and how she had to get away from where she was.

"We need to start getting everyone out of here." John told them, gripping the table tightly, his knuckles turning white as the metal groaned underneath his grip.

The red head stepped forward next, "We are not gonna abandon this place!" Sonia argued, not wanting to give up the one safe place that she had, that so many mutants who relied on them had.

John shook his head, feeling his sister's eyes on him as she stayed silent, "I don't see what choice we have, all right? She's opening portals every few minutes now, and Lauren can't keep this up."

All the eyes in the room turned their attention to Lauren, and Eira noticed how much paler than usual Lauren looked and just how wiped out she appeared. John was right, Lauren couldn't keep this up forever and they didn't know how long it would be until Marcos and Caitlin got back with what Clarice needed.

Lauren shook her head a little, "I can keep trying but..."

"Mom has to be back soon, right?" Andy asked from his spot, he had moved over to stand between Eira and Lauren, feeling more comfortable around those two rather than John and Sonia.