"Daniella!"
My body rocked back and forth. I felt a hard pressing force on my chest and my lungs tightened.
"Daniella!" the voice shouts again.
Something covers my mouth and air is pushed into my lungs. This time, I'm able to cough up the water. For a moment I layed there and then, my eyes opened. I saw nothing but a gray haze. Tiny smudges of color are also in the picture. I blinked away the smudges and saw Warren's face.
"Warren?" I asked confused. My throat felt constricted and my entire body was menacingly cold.
He nodded and pushed my hair away from my face. His hand was like fire against my ice cold skin. He was sopping wet and we both smelled like the sea.
"Warren how did we get here?" I asked and looked around. We were on a rocky beach somewhere. The air was chilly and and I shivered in response.
"You fell. I saw you falling and I tried catching you but you fell straight into the water."
"And you got me out." It wasn't a question.
He nodded again. "Are you okay?"
My head was throbbing and it hurt to breath. Other than that I was fine.
"Can you get up?" He shifted onto his knees.
I furrowed my eyebrows together but I shifted myself onto my elbows. Immediately a searing pain in my head triggered and I collapsed back down on the rough sand.
Warren grabbed me by my legs and my upper back and hoisted me in the air so he could carry me. Feeling embarrassed, I hid my head in his shoulder.
"We're not far off from the school. How do you feel now?"
"Nauseous," I said and tried not to note the swinging motion of him walking.
"Just breathe slowly."
I slowed my breathing to a calm tempo. As we walked, I couldn't help noticing how warm he was. Kitty was right, he was very handsome. I mentally shook my head. What was I thinking? He was a friend. Still, the way his hair fell into his eyes in a curly fashion was kind of cute. I was surprised by how he could carry my weight too.
He saw my expression and smirked. "What?"
"Nothing." I blushed deeply and looked away.
He shook his head. "You can tell me."
"No, it's okay." I straightened my gaze forward.
My nausea disappeared and I concentrated on the beating of his heart. It wasn't strained, it was a slow rhythm. Suddenly, a mix of pounding and his heartbeat sounded. Footsteps were emerging from a distance and I turned my head to see people running towards us. I recognized the faces of Ororo and Kitty.
"What happened?" Ororo asked as she walked beside Warren.
"Let's talk later. I've got to get her inside."
Ororo nodded.
Kitty looked at me disdainfully. "Are you alright Daniella?"
I nodded my head meekly. We soon arrived at the building and strangley my nausea came back. I felt like throwing up all of the contents of my stomach when Warren set me down on a couch. The air was still and warm and that was only making my nausea worse.
"I need a bucket," I said.
I heard a clattering noise and something was shoved into my hands. My stomach convulsed and I threw up.
My throat stung as I stopped and the dizziness feeling went away. The bucket was taken from my hands and set somewhere else.
I shut my eyes tight and breathed slowly. Now that I was laying down, I felt extremely tired.
"What happened Daniella?" Ororo asked.
"I don't really remember. All I can recall is flying and then nothing after that. Oh, and it was really cold too."
Warren spoke this time. "The blizzard outside was really bad. I found Daniella because Amara had called the mansion and I went out to find her just to make sure she was safe. Then the storm came and we got hounded. I tried staying with her but I just couldn't see anything. I lost her and I started to look around. I thought I heard my name once or twice but I still couldn't see her. Then when the storm let up I saw her falling towards the water. I tired catching her but she was too fast. I had to fish her out."
"Why were you flying out by yourself anyway?" Ororo asked.
"When we were at the planetarium, I was feeling sick to my stomach so I thought I could fly home," I lied. Man I needed to stop doing that.
"You know, it would have been smarter if you called a taxi or something," Warren said.
I shot him a glare. "Personally, I thought I was tough enough to do it by myself."
He grimaced. "Obviously, you weren't. That scared the crap out of me Dani."
"Dani?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Daniella's too much a mouthful," he suggested.
I heaved a sigh. "Thank you. For saving me."
He smiled. "Your welcome." His smile disappeared and he stared sheepishly at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck. I almost heard a quick spasm of his heart, but it disappeared.
Getting up, he squeezed my hand tightly. "Excuse me." He nodded his head and left.
"Oh, so he saves my life and decides to go somewhere else," I scoffed.
Ororo kneeled down beside me. "How are you feeling now?" She was trying to fight a smile.
"I don't feel sick anymore. But I could use a blanket or two."
"Here." She grabbed something off the arm of the sofa and handed a blanket to me. I wrapped it around myself and started to feel a bit warmer.
"Do you want something to eat?" Ororo suggested.
"No," I said. If I thought about food I knew I'd throw up again.
"Do you want me to stay here?"
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"Okay. If you need anything just yell."
I nodded my head and she left. I sighed and snuggled up in the blanket. Why did Warren leave? He couldn't stay for a minute or two? I felt like I owed him big time since he saved me. Maybe he had something important to do. Then again, this is Warren we're talking about. Handsome, rich and as Kitty had said, a sucker for pretty girls. So maybe he didn't. I glanced around the room and noticed my reflection in the window. My dark brown hair was in a ratty, tangled mess and my skin looked clammy and wet. My pale green eyes however, looked bright and alive.
I sighed. So this is what I looked like after fourteen years. To be honest, I looked more like I was eighteen then twenty two. I don't think I remember what I looked like before I was captured. I felt anger bubble up in my chest. What were my captors doing now? I hoped they faced a storm and were thrown overboard the ship and drown. In fact, I wanted them to rot in the soil. Was that man at the planetarium going to find me and tell them? I knew I would have to stay out of sight for a while. But what on earth was going to happen when they came here? Would they find me? And the plan they were hatching, was everyone seriously going to meet the same fate that befell me because of my decision to come here?
Biting my lip, I glanced outside the window. The storm had stopped and the clouds were brightening. I could almost see the blue sky peaking out through them.
"Dani?"
I turned my head to find Warren standing in the doorway.
"Yeah?"
"Here." Walking over, he pulled out something from his back and handed it to me. It was a small wooden box with an inscription on the front. I didn't recognize the words but they looked foreign. Opening it up, I found a small blue-silver feather inside. It had a tiny chain around it so I was guessing it was a necklace.
I frowned a tiny bit and gave Warren a look.
"It's supposed to be a good luck charm. It was from my mother a few years ago. I figured I didn't need it since you know...it's a necklace. But I wanted to give it to you. You could use some good luck. And it's also supposed to ward off bad luck," he spoke, small hints of red slipping into his cheeks.
I fingered it a bit in the box and took it out. It glinted in the light. To be honest, I felt really touched by his simple gesture. I unclasped the back and looped it around my neck. Fastening it tightly, it nestled itself against my chest.
"Thank you," I said, admiring the feel of it against my palm.
He rocked back and forth on his heels a bit. "Your welcome."
As I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, his face was still slightly pink. He saw my amused look and asked, "What?"
I smirked. "Oh, it's nothing."
He squinted a bit but let it drop. Changing the subject he asked, "So, do you know who might be honing that signal towards us?"
I paused at fiddling with the necklace in my hand. "Um...No I don't."
He sighed. "Whoever these people are it must not be good. Ororo was saying she might have heard of these people before but she didn't know. I'm just wondering why they suddenly appear out of nowhere and they start heading here. Do you know anything about this?"
Yes. "No," I lied.
He nodded. "Well whoever they are, it can't be good. If the machine that their housing is for a bad cause, I'm not sure what we're going to do."
I wanted desperatly to scream and yell that it was my fault and that I knew exactly what they were coming here for, but I couldn't. Not if I wanted to get handed over to Healer and Trainer again.
"Um...I'm going to get something to drink," I said and started walking past him noting the dryness in my throat. I figured I was well enough I could sip on something.
"I'll come with you, I havn't eaten in a while." He fell in step beside me and we walked over to the kitchen. I found a young man sitting eating a bowl of cereal at the counter. He had light brown hair and sharp blue eyes.
"Warren," The young man said.
"Bobby," Warren nodded.
I shrugged and opened up the fridge and looked over the liquids. Juice, soda, milk and water. I took out the carton of juice and poured a glass. Taking a sip, I was disappointed to find that it wasn't that cold.
"It's still warm. When was this put in here?" I asked.
"I put it in there since it got left out. It still isn't cold yet?" Bobby asked.
I shook my head.
He walked over to the glass and tapped it once. Immediatly the juice turned icy cold against my skin. My jaw dropped and I gently set it down on the counter so I could warm my hand up.
"Sorry," he muttered and sat back down on the chair.
I shrugged and took a sip. It felt nice against my stinging throat. I sat down next to Bobby and kept sipping it slowly.
Warren was digging through the fridge while pulling out a random assortment of food. Cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, meat and a yellow bottle of something. Reading the label, it read mustard.
He made a sandwhich and sat on the other side of Bobby. I finished off my juice and put it in the sink. Excusing myself, I walked out of the kitchen and turned right. I had nothing better to do so I decided to explore. There was a staircase leading up somewhere, so I made my way towards another floor. I smelled fresh air as I appeared at the top and followed the smell. It lead me to a door and I opened it quietly.
A balcony rested in front of my eyes which revealed a stretching landscape before me. I left the door slightly open and walked towards the edge. The breeze was warmer due to the later afternoon. The snow was slightly sticking to the trees and ground. Resting my elbows on the edge, I lifted my head towards the sky.
At times like this, it was good to be by myself for a minute. I never got to do anything like this in Germany. All the things I had been missing were running through my head like a fast moving ocean current. Friends, the outside world, so many things I hadn't seen and had yet to find, it was almost impossible I could cover it all in a lifetime.
And yet a feeling krept up on me. I thought of Warren and immediatly my heart lept in my throat and my pulse quickened. I shook my head. Why was I feeling like this? He was just a friend. Yet a totally attractive amazing friend. His blonde hair seemed so soft and his face was probably carved by angels.
Time stopped. I almost felt my heart stop beating. The person in my dreams also had blonde hair. They were the same height as Warren and the voice...
They were only just dreams right? It's not like a person can predict the future in dreams. But somehow they made sense, the machine, the blue light. But what about Warren? Why was he always in my dreams?
Oh no, now I sounded like a love struck teenager. I didn't think of Warren in a romantic way right? It was like my heart and mind were trying to tell me otherwise. My brain said no, and my heart said yes. I had known him for who knows how long. And I was already feeling like this for him?
I lowered my head onto the cold cement of the balcony. I'm such an idiot. I would have no chance with him anyway. So why in the world was I having mixed feelings for him?
"Dani? Oh there you are. I'd figure you'd be in a place like this."
I turned my head to find Warren crossing over and he stood beside me. How many times would we be in a place like this? I wanted to smack my head now that he was here and I was still thinking about him in two different ways.
"Are you okay? You look troubled."
Yes I'm troubled! I can't decide how I feel about you and you pop your gorgeous face in at times like this and make it worse! "No, I'm not troubled. I was just....thinking."
He shrugged. "What about."
I mentally kicked myself in the butt for not saying something else. "Um...about a lot of things actually."
"Like what?" he pressed.
That I might be having feelings for you but I wasn't sure yet. "Um...things."
"You can't tell me?"
I wish. "No. It's kind of personal."
"So that would explain why you were up here. You know I come out here a lot too. It's a good thinking place."
No kidding. "Yeah I guess."
"You know, when I first came to the mansion I came up here and thought about if I wanted to stay here or live hiding from the rest of the world. When I was a kid I went to a boarding school. One day it caught fire and I had to save the other kids. So, I dressed up like an angel and saved them. I didn't want them to know that my wings were real, I was embarrassed. A few years after that, my father was wanting to cure me of the mutation. I guess I did too, so I went to my father and wanted to be cured. But at the last minute I changed my mind and declined his offer.
"After I escaped, Charles Xavier found me and let me stay here at the mansion. With my abillities, he let me become an X-Men. I've been helping out ever since then. But even if the world knows who I am and that I'm a mutant, I don't care anymore. I decided this is who I am and I'm not going to let man tell me who I can or can't be.
"The world is different, and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm different and there's nothing wrong with that." He smiled lightly to himself.
For once, I understood Warren. His father wanted to cure him of something that he was. But really, being different isn't all that bad. You shouldn't just change yourself just because someone told you they didn't like who you were.
"When I was a little girl, I hated who I was. I wanted to be normal like all the people around me. But from where I was, I couldn't change. I felt like the whole world was rejecting me just because I was different. But when I think about it now, I'm glad I didn't change. You've taught me a lot about being who we are. I think everyone should go by their heart, not their mind."
Warren smiled warmly down at me. "I'm glad you think that way. I wouldn't want you to change either."
My face flushed and I looked away from his gaze. "Me neither Warren, me neither."
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A/N: So what do you guys think? Should Daniella go with her heart or her mind? I'm hoping you guys like the next few chapters I post up! Trust me, the story's only just begun ;D Also, do you think Daniella will tell Warren how she's feeling? Or should she just stay friends with him? Let me know what you think!! :D
Peace, Love, Happiness
-AudreyAuthor
P.S. Comment, Vote por favor!!! :D If you guys would like me to read your books just let me know!! :D