A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.
-George Moore
°°°°°°
DANIEL WAS AN AMAZING COOK, Edith swore anything he made tasted like art. She wasn't very good with that subject but if art had a flavour, it would've been Daniel's food.
"Angel!" he called out to Edith "Set the table."
The blonde put her UNO cards down, making her way towards the kitchen and finding her foster parents working in harmony side by side.
"Hungry for pizza?" Joanna's voice was sweet as Edith nodded happily.
The teen grabbed the utensils quickly, already starving and skilfully settling them down and watching as Daniel took their dinner out of the oven.
"I'd make a joke about pizza," he said, looking at Edith with a glint in his eyes "but it's a little cheesy."
The blonde groaned. Ignoring her father, she called out to Emily and told her to come and eat.
"You thought about the Stanford thing, dear?" Joanna asked a few minutes later while they ate.
"Not really." she said honestly "I also like Twin Cities. It's also good and I'd stay here." Edith munched thoughtfully "I still have a really long time to decide."
"You think that and by the time you realise it, you're already packing your bags. Time flies, angel." Edith nodded, knowing Daniel was right.
"Is it because of Chance that you don't want to leave?" Joanna asked worriedly.
"No! No, it's not because of him." Edith didn't want to admit she'd miss her family a lot. She wasn't used to being without them "I'll think about it."
Emily noticed the awkward mood and chirped in "Mum, you're taking us to the cinema later right?"
"What did you want to watch?"
"Flashdance!" the sisters said happily, the younger adding weird hand movements for added effect.
Both Emily and Edith enjoyed immensely that kind of movies and made sure to always watch them together. West Side Story, Grease, The Sound Of Music. Edith's favourite would always be Rebel Without a Cause. Judging by the various posters of James Dean hanging on Edith's walls she really loved him.
Chance didn't like movies. He just liked sports.
"I'll take you." Joanna chuckled "Remember to call your father when the movie is over. We've got a reservation for that fancy Italian."
Daniel used a mock Italian accent "Ciao Bella. As Zelo didn't meet our little Emily's standards."
The teen rolled her eyes playfully.
"Ciao Bella is the best. Sue celebrated her birthday there last year." the brunette sighed. Edith laughed quietly, wondering how her little sister could be already a snob when she was so young.
Looking around, Edith wondered how she could be away from them. How could she say goodbye to the family that had been by her side since the day they met. Imagining it was sad, it was scary. Edith often felt anxious when she was alone.
°°°°°°
Edith watched with guilty eyes as her friends were attended by Hank. The tall man insisted on checking on the blonde first but quickly gave up when the agitated teen started freaking out and insisting her team should go before her. Edith was hurt all over but she held the pain in as she trailed after Hank, apologising to her friends one by one over and over again.
All of them dismissed her, saying it wasn't her fault. But to Edith, it felt as though that event alone probed her worst fears.
Warren was the closest to the blast and had a dislocated arm which was quickly put in place but other than that everyone was okay. Edith released the breath she had been holding with a sigh as Hank pointed towards the metallic bed where she quickly laid down.
"What happened?" he asked quietly.
Raven looked ready to answer in her place but realising it was something only Edith could explain, she kept her mouth shut.
The blonde didn't leave any details as all the mutants in the room listened intently. Hank sighed a relieved breath as he adjusted his glasses, "You must've overpowered yourself. It seems you can absorb energy, be careful and you'll be fine."
Edith nodded shakily as Hank handed her a few painkillers and told her to return if she still felt hurt.
"It wasn't your fault." Jean tried. The redhead hadn't left her side ever since she helped her calm down. She was probably feeling her grief, her worry, her guilt "I told you we'd help you remind yourself who you are if you ever forgot."
Edith didn't answer, jumping to her feet and walking past everyone. The blonde needed to lie down. She needed to sleep the pain away, to forget that even happen. She was embarrassed, the day after discovering her powers she loses control. She forgets who she was.
Edith didn't even open the door, walking right through it and scaring Jubilee.
"Wow, you look like a zombie." the teen threw a bottle of water at her. The blonde caught it luckily, seeming distracted and worried "Are you nervous?"
Edith downed the bottle quickly and swallowed one of the painkillers, turning towards her clothes and putting on her nightgown. Looking at herself in the bedroom, she looked like a mess. Edith grimaced and brushed her hair quietly.
"About what?" she asked absentmindedly, wiping her stained makeup.
"Oh my god, you don't know?" Jubilee laughed. It wasn't mean, she sounded too friendly to ever offend "We're graduating soon, silly. Finals are coming up!"
Edith's eyes widened as she realised she wasn't ready. Time had gone by way too quickly and she had barely read half of the things she needed to know to have the grades she'd like to get. The blonde sighed and threw herself on top of her bed, wondering if Charles would be upset if she asked him for extracurricular lessons. Edith picked up her many books, realising she wouldn't be sleeping much.
°°°°°°
Edith spent the next week between guilty feelings and compulsive studying. Her mind was filled with all kind of thoughts. From quantum physics to Shakespeare to just how she could apologise again. The Professor seemed to sense her anxiety and made tea and answered any questions she had every afternoon.
It was possible that Edith wasn't spending a lot of time with her friends but, if she was honest, that wasn't her fault. Although they made sure to insist that everything was okay, Edith could easily notice how weird everyone was behaving towards her. How they avoided her. How they acted suspiciously towards her.
It started off with Scott (oddly enough, the day right after the incident). Edith walked up to him in the hallway between classes, waving cheerfully and trying her best to pretend nothing had happened. The brunette frowned but didn't make an effort to move as Edith approached. His expression seemed nervous, though he tried his best to hide it from the blonde.
"Hey, you've seen the others? Raven told me I still had to train with you." Edith informed, not really happy with the fact herself "I promise I'll follow orders from now on. Do the thing that blue sadist told me about..." Edith hummed, trying to remember "Discipline and responsibility. That bullshit, y know."
Scott nodded. Edith waited for his retort, his scoff, though it never came. The blonde tilted her head in confusion, looking at him like he was crazy, or sick. Probably both. A quiet and Scott was a weird Scott and Edith didn't like it. Her friend was mean on the outside and really nice on the inside.
The Scott in front of her looked like a puppy ready to escape.
"W-Was that all?" he stuttered and ran off once Edith nodded.
The blonde kept her eyes glued to his back, confused but she chose not to think too much into it.
°°°°°°
Edith started getting worried when it came to Jean and Ororo being odd around her.
The blonde carried a mountain of various biology books, trying her best to balance them with her still slightly strained arms. She walked right through the doors of the library (Edith wouldn't lie, she quickly grew used to that lazy feeling of not having to open them. Going through walls is the best thing Edith could've discovered about herself) quietly making her way towards the right section. Thanks to her hard work and many hours spent there, Edith knew her way around perfectly fine. Hank seemed proud of someone showing interest in the library.
The blonde hummed a catchy Bruce Springsteen song as she moved each book with her mind carefully, setting them in their right place. Edith had been really worried and asked Charles if she should use her mutation or if she should just repress it. The Professor told her that the more she denied her abilities, the worse she'd feel. Edith guessed he was right and tried to tell herself that she needed to find her power natural. It was part of her after all.
"If she finds out, this whole thing is ruined." Ororo's voice filled her ears and Edith stopped dead in her tracks.
Jean hushed her white-haired friend as she caught on Edith's thoughts. Both of them turned quickly to look at the blonde. Edith tilted her head, smiling awkwardly and walking towards them.
"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked, her gaze finding some weird objects in front of them (a bunch of colourful papers). Just as she was about to curiously question them, Jean's eyes widened as she pushed the contents out of Edith's view with her mind.
"Nothing!" she said, looking extremely suspicious. Ororo nudged her side.
"What Jean is trying to say" she gave the redhead a pointed look "is that we're studying! For finals."
Edith nodded slowly, remembering about their many exams scheduled along the whole week. The blonde shrugged and left her friends, noticing they didn't really want her there.
°°°°°°
If Scott weirded her out and Ororo and Jean worried her, Peter being suspicious hurt her.
Their training sessions were now more lighthearted, Raven seemed to have a conscience after all and didn't push Edith as much anymore. The blonde felt extremely grateful as she didn't want another incident that made her question everything and everyone. Raven was still the blue sadist in Edith's eyes but realising the woman had a soul was nice after all.
She couldn't help but blame herself for whatever was going on with her friends.
Edith asked Hank to let her hang out in the Danger Room to practice out by herself without endangering anyone. Raven found out, scolded her endlessly and ended up allowing her. The blonde was determined to control herself and settled on a level six as she found herself improving.
The blue woman insisted then to teach her hand to hand combat. Although Edith was terrified, she accepted. A week getting her ass kicked ruthlessly seemed like something she deserved after hurting her friends. Raven was ruthless and didn't cut her any slack. Edith tried her best to keep up and failed miserably.
The blonde was sweating profusely and complaining about her bruising limbs when she found Peter waiting outside of the Danger Room, arms crossed over his chest m. Her silver-haired friend widened his eyes in surprise.
"Whatcha doing here, Fake Flash?" she asked playfully.
Peter blinked slowly, stammering an excuse about being there. His eyes looked behind her quickly but he didn't seem to find what he was looking for.
Edith didn't have time to say anything before Peter ran off.
°°°°°°
Warren too disappointed her deeply during a casual meeting. He shouted at her and hid something behind his back. Edith ended up flipping him off and walking away, tired of her friends, tired of her powers, of exams, of not sleeping.
The blonde started thinking about leaving then. The thought crossed her mind many times.
Kurt seemed to be the only person who wanted to be around Edith. The teen didn't doubt him once. They still talked and hung out in each other's rooms like nothing really happened. It was nice and comfortable. They kissed and talked and joked around. She even taught him how to play UNO.
The teens practically met up every day at the same hour. That one day he was late, though. Raven had asked to see him, she apparently had something important to tell Kurt. Edith tried not to grow paranoid, but he was taking too long. Maybe he got tired of her as well. Maybe he didn't want to see her. But that didn't seem like Kurt. Edith bit her lips and waited patiently, finding a slight comfort in the emptiness of her room. Jubilee was studying and Jean and Ororo were out doing god knows what. They didn't even give an excuse.
Edith swore no sound was as calming and as pleasant as Kurt's bamf. She jumped up from her bed, obviously impatient, a happy smile lighting up her features, tough it quickly died away when she saw the look on Kurt's face. Edith walked towards him quickly, taking one of his hands between hers worriedly.
"What happened?" she asked, anxiety making her body feel weird. Even her ears felt like they were ringing.
He didn't answer at first. Kurt avoided Edith's eyes, fixing his gaze on the floor.
"Raven..." Edith swore she would murder the woman for hurting Kurt "she told me she's my mother."
Okay, she wasn't expecting that.
"What?!" Edith's eyes widened but got over her own shock as she saw the blue male tear up slightly. The blonde panicked quietly, pulling him into a hug he quickly melted in "Are you okay? What do you... think about that?"
"I don't know." he said after a few seconds of silence "I feel like she lied to me. But she told me the truth. I just don't know, I can't see her as mein Mutter."
Edith couldn't either. Besides the blue skin, there was no resemblance between mother and son. Kurt was sweet and nice, Raven was a sadistic asshole.
"What should I do?" he asked helplessly.
Edith didn't know how to answer because she honestly didn't really know what she'd do if she magically met her real parents. The blonde would probably freak out. At first, maybe. Then she'd ask a lot of questions and have a mental breakdown. Kurt seemed as calm as he could be too.
"You should talk it out with her. Maybe you can find a maternal figure on her. You can't possibly know." she said, her voice gentle as she guided him to bed. The teens sat side by side quietly as Edith still stroked his hand comfortingly "Wanna hear a story? I know many. Think of it as a metaphor."
Edith knew she usually did a poor job at cheering people up. When she was nervous, she often relied on jokes that weren't funny and failed miserably to take many situations seriously. If someone told her she had just a month to live, she'd spent every day laughing madly as if it was a joke. Then she'd panic the whole last day.
Kurt didn't seem to mind, probably already used to her being like that. He nodded, his eyes looking at Edith intensely.
"There's a constellation I really like, Carina. Its name is Latin for the keel of a ship, and it was formerly part of the larger constellation of Argo Navis until that constellation was divided into three pieces, the other two being Puppis and Vela." Edith explained the facts she knew with a soft voice. She continued by making a story up, Emily loved Edith's made up stories. The blonde began stroking Kurt's soft hair absentmindedly, lost in her own thoughts "Argo Navis was a huge beautiful ship that swam through the skies, guiding travellers during their trips. But Carina wanted more. To settle down among the other stars, to meet her lover again, but letting down her parents terrified her. Carina's sadness only grew when her lover abandoned her once he noticed she was never returning to him."
Edith met Kurt's eyes and felt her heart hammering inside her chest.
"Vela noticed her daughter being upset. Many times she asked but she received no answer. Carina's sadness grew until you could barely see her stars flickering in the night sky. Travellers got lost and Argo Navis lost its purpose, becoming just another few lights that were fading away." Edith didn't really know where any of this was going but Kurt looked really into it and she could just stop "By now Vela was desperate. She worried about her daughter and asked one more time. 'I'm lonely mother', said Carina. Wanna know what Vela answered?"
Kurt nodded, a small smile making its way into his features.
"She said: 'Dear, you were given the opportunity many times to find your place. And never once you took it. But as long as there's a tiny light within you, there's always going to be a chance.'"
Edith felt satisfied with her metaphor, waiting for Kurt to give it the meaning he needed to give it. She worried he'd ask because she honestly didn't know.
"You just made all of that up." Kurt chuckled, bringing his lips to kiss her cheek warmly.
"What? No!" her voice was high pitched as she waved him off "What I'm trying to say is... Don't take too long, you might regret it. But do whatever makes you happy."
Edith smiled when she felt it made a little more sense than she previously thought. Kurt hugged her quickly.
"Does this mean I have to get along with Raven now?" she finally asked jokingly.
Kurt snorted, "Nein, she treated you bad and that's not right."
Edith smiled as someone took her side with the whole Raven thing.
"You know the constellations?" Kurt asked curiously then.
"Yep. Every single one of them. Should we have a date in a balcony while I point towards the bewitching stars and their meaning?"
Kurt laughed as he blushed, "What does bewitching mean?"
The word sounded cute when he was the one saying it.
"Not as good as delightful," Edith answered without breaking eye contact.
"Not as bad as?"
Edith kissed Kurt quickly. It felt like a right moment and if she could distract him from his worries, she'd happily comply. It seemed to work as he hummed quietly, returning it and biting her bottom lip gently.
Kurt was a fast learner. Edith blushed at her own thoughts.
The blue teen pulled away, looking as if he was just remembering something, "I have to take you somewhere."
Edith nodded and felt Kurt hug her tightly as they both bamfed away.