John was watching Bobby, his face especially, the pretty tanned face and ice blue gaze looked normal but it hadn’t last night, the cold stone visage had haunted his dreams turning them into nightmares. The one where he’d been chased by Bobby down a dark passage that seemed to slide under his feet at every step, the reflection of the cold blue of Bobby’s eyes everywhere as he struggled to get away. Knowing that his powers were useless against him but trying anyway, as Bobby’s mouth had unhinged like an anaconda’s to swallow him whole, the diamond teeth glinting as he fell into the dark maw awakening to the calm quiet room they both shared.
He’d avoided Bobby all morning letting him deal out the tickets they had left, when they met at the dinner table Bobby looked like a thundercloud. Rogue, Kitty and Jubilee were there already when he walked over with his tray, seating himself next to Kitty and Jubilee. “I can’t believe it, Mr Summers just told me that he’s taken a ticket! We’re not going to be able to do anything with him around!” John watched as the rest of the gang just grimaced, Kitty was the first to speak after that announcement.
“So who’s going?” Bobby sighted her through the forkfuls of food he was shovelling in and answered her with a half filled mouth.
“Well, there’s me and John, you and Jubilee,” Jubilee interrupted him there.
“I’m not going.” Silence erupted around the table, eyes stared at her and Jubilee felt herself shrink down into herself. Bobby came on the attack, “Why not?”
She fixed him with a stare that was usually reserved for the idiots at the mall who called them ‘mutoid’s’. “Because Bobby, it’s not a good idea for the one person who got attacked to go back to the same place. Besides I’m looking after the rugrats tonight to earn some extra cash, the winter sales are coming and I need more buying power.” She stabbed at her food aggressively as if daring him to question her reasons, some of which were true but the rest weren’t. If truth be known she was terrified of the whole thing to be honest but she’d never admit it.
“Oookay….we now know where the spare ticket came from. But the rest are Logan, Ms Munroe, Mr Summers, Rogue and Pieter. That’s all we have, there are some who want to come and see if they can get in anyway but I doubt they’ll get off grounds with both the Prof and Ms Grey watching. Probably have them doing something wholesome and team building no doubt while we go eat popcorn and shoot the breeze.” Every one kept eating as they wondered what would be waiting for them tonight, their voices carrying over the hall to the teachers table where three sets of eyes were watching the table with three different points of view.
Ororo had slept fitfully last night, a storm front was coming and the tension was evident in her neck and shoulders, she didn’t always feel them this badly but this one was building fast making her snappy and irritable. Jean had already asked her if she wanted to swap with her for the evening but she’d said no, she was going out with the kids. She was their second in command and as such she needed to bond with the new members of the X-Men, some were going to join after graduation and as such they needed such events to bond as group. Now that Scott was coming along they’d be more than covered what with him and Logan watching out for trouble.
Jubilee had decided not to go back after the trouble she’d caused in the first place, she still hadn’t found out exactly what had happened but Logan had assured her it had been dealt with so she couldn’t see the point of going back over the same ground. Besides Logan was useful when it came to discipline, the students seemed to sense that it wasn’t going to get them anywhere if they argued with him. He only made the punishments harder if they did, a few of the older students had been on the wrong end of Logan once or twice and the legends had begun. Now all she had to do was threaten the younger students with the Wolverine and they were quiet, in his own way he was quite useful as a guard dog.
Turning to look at the man to her left his face locked onto the table with the kids they were taking out later. His gaze was locked onto Rogue, not even paying attention to the food he was eating which was something she’d never seen in the few months he’d been here. He always paid attention to his food, taking his time over it, chewing everything and savouring each bite, today though he was just chewing and swallowing like he was a starving man. Thing was it wasn’t the food he was hungry for if she read his gaze correctly, it was the auburn haired beauty that was finally looking their way. Seeing Rogue lock eyes with Logan made her blush and go back to her own food, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Logan had stopped eating mid-flow. A capricious streak in her made for the piece of steak that was speared on the end of the fork, she deftly snagged the meat and was chewing before Logan even noticed. Rogue was laughing and Logan finally turned to see the weather witch eating his food, his eyebrow cocked up and the snarl was about to be voiced when Rogue was there at their table. Her soft voice drifting over the entire table as she passed with her friends, “You snooze, you lose honey. Them’s the rules at the lunch table sugar, ah thought you knew that by now.” With a wink she left them all, the Professor, Jean and Ororo trying to hide smiles that were obvious to everyone. Logan just snorted and ploughed his way through lunch at top speed, finishing everything and stealing Ororo’s muffin as he left. His voice carrying over the rest of the diners, “For the steak.”
The kids were quite excited when they finally pulled out of the mansion, Logan’s eyes were on the road but his mind was on Marie, she wasn’t wearing underwear and she’d been crossing and uncrossing her legs behind him. Letting him know exactly what was on her mind for later; Scott was being the leader but it was ‘Ro who finally brought his mind back to earth when they pulled into the now full car park. Her voice sounding old; dry like the wind that blows over the dunes just before a storm, “Goddess preserve us.” The look that was in her eyes was one that Logan had never seen before, something that belonged a world away from New England.
What met their eyes was something that tickled Logan’s mind, back when he’d been young, a memory resurfacing. Pain, loss, hatred, things so bitter his stomach twitched as he walked toward the sea of lights and tents. Nervous he scanned for the figure that had shown a face he still didn’t believe in and found him standing at the gates.
Mr Dark was stood arms raised to the darkening sky, his top hat rakishly perched on his skull, the dark locks curling out from the bottom of the faded grey felt running like a dark tide over his thin shoulders. “Welcome One, Welcome All to Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival! Ride the Wheel, enter the Hall Of Mirrors, Face the future with the Spider Lady, see the wonders of the Orient with the Ladies of The Perfumed Garden, open to all to enjoy!” The eyes that were scanning the crowds that were eagerly pushing their way forward into the small cluster of tents rested on their group for a second. Coldness crept into Logan’s bones; reaching out to Marie just before they passed through the carnival arch, it’s gaudy flags fluttering in the breeze that had picked up. Sending dust flying over the heads of the gathered masses
Lights were bright, sparkling almost against the darkness of the night sky, each point of light almost too bright to be looked at directly. Each tent and booth were old, the worn canvas showing faded pictures of beauties and oddities from around the world. The wooden booth's held up by will alone rather than nails and screws, all the people around were laughing and enjoying the shows. A large carnie took their tickets from their hands, dropping them into a covered wooden chest. The design on the lid something like a snake with it's tail in it's mouth, as Logan handed his and Marie's over to the mans large fist a spark of recognition passed between the two of them. Of a place up in the mountains, lonely, a mining town, somewhere he'd been, somewhere where he'd fought this man. The large pudgy face just smiled at him as they passed by him, the piggy eyes re-opening something inside his mind. Aware Logan scanned their surroundings, watching who else had been given tickets to come tonight.
What he saw made his mind whirl, people he'd seen in the town, the great and the good; all of them listening to the barker drumming up business for the tent shows, the coochie tent showing a little of the wares on display inside. The women who'd rescued Jubilee were sinuously shifting their bodies against each other, the look of
undisguised lust easy to see in their gazes as they passed their heated gaze over the crowd. Resting on their own group for a second Logan smelt the reaction from the boys, instantly they were ready to go. Even Pete with his hand wrapped up in Kitty's smaller one, she noticed and pulled his attention back to her with no small difficulty. Marie just touched his neck with her gloved hand and he was staring into her eyes, she looked nervous and that cleared his head immediately. "You feeling okay?" She nodded quickly, her clothes covering most of her skin, wearing trousers that hugged her figure, a sweater with long sleeves and small leather gloves. Scott had his attention firmly riveted to the display in front of him, the two women were still scanning the crowd with their feral gaze. Nudging the man he watched as Scott finally tore his gaze away from the nearly naked women.
"We'd better get away from this part of the place we don't want to lose the boys in there." It took a moment for Scott to recover, the colour finally calming in his face as he realised what he was being asked by Logan.
"Good idea, we'll go to the far end, work our way back over slowly and leave when we get to the entrance again." Scott tried to straighten himself back up, shaking off the thoughts that had been playing through his mind. Of soft flesh against his own, of touch that had been covering his entire skin, of whispered pleasures and caresses that lit nerves throughout his body. Of letting go, of being free, no responsibility just freedom to do as he pleased, to take as much as he needed when he needed, to never hear 'No'.
John was looking for the thing that he'd been interested in the first time he'd come here, the freak tent. The entire group was moving off down the broadway, everyone distracted by the sounds and sights around them. Bobby was talking to Kitty and Pete, he still didn't trust the dreams he'd had, something about them felt too real and he wanted to avoid Bobby if he could. Seeing everyone walking away he slid into the crowd and lost himself in the flow of humanity around him; the cold snake eyed gaze of Mr Dark following his movements with a smirk.
Ororo was feeling quite happy, the lights were cheerful and bright, the people around her were some of the people she knew and shopped with in Salem Centre. She'd been stopped twice to talk along the broadway, everyone had stopped with her the first time but the next they'd just carried on without her. Looking at the group she belonged to slowly break up, people going in their own directions. Scott, Bobby, Pete and Kitty walking into a gaming booth, the sign displaying a man with an old style rifle shooting a clay pigeon. Logan and Rogue were heading into a fortune tellers booth, the smile on Rogues face mirrored the grimace that was on Logan's. The only one she couldn't see was John, a moment of panic surged through her but was quashed when she saw the tousled hair of his head pop out from behind a crowd.
Smiling she carried on talking to the people who'd stopped her, their words calming her like a balm on her nerves. Complimenting her on her clothes and dress, how she always managed to look so well even if she did have to cope with so many responsibilities. The words soothing her own grievances against the ones she lived with, how children really should give their teachers and betters more respect. She found herself nodding to along to their words, slowly moving her toward the mirror maze. Their smiles and soft gazes fed the part of her that had missed being adored by her people; she was a goddess, not a teacher. She didn't notice when the man who owned the maze just opened the door for them without taking any money from anyone. The smile he gave her warmed her but it was his words that sealed her heart "My goddess, may you find what you seek in the mirrors. Ask and it can be yours." Straightening herself she walked into the small entrance, the sounds of her friends ahead of her giving her a clue of where they were. Smiling she walked deeper into the maze, a sense of fullness settling in her body as walked along.
**************************************
This was a bad idea, he hated things like this but if Marie wanted to listen to someone spouting rubbish at her then he'd be prepared to pay for it. Anything to keep her happy and at the moment she was. she was smiling, warm and safe in his company and he'd keep her that way forever if he could. Passing through the faded canvas to the interior the ground beneath their feet covered by carpets woven with patterns that were faded
and old. A shape huddled behind a wooden table spread with a light silk cloth, hands old and gnarled by arthritis shuffled a deck of pasteboard cards. Moving into the light hung above the table Logan felt Marie stiffen slightly as the face came into view.
Wizened skin hung from the bones of the face that looked at them with milk white eyes, no pupils to be seen, just pure white orbs. The pink lips broke open into a smile, the voice that came from the tiny form bigger than the body that uttered it. "Please sit, make yourself comfortable. Whatever is said here never leaves here. Please sit." Marie was the first to move, her body a little clumsy but her manners quickly overcame her nerves. Seating himself next to her his hand resting on her thigh, giving her strength even though the milk eyed gaze hadn't left him in all the time they'd been addressed. Hands more knuckle than finger offered the cards to Marie, "Shuffle them my dear, think of your situation and hand them back to me." Taking the pasteboard in hand she almost dropped them as the surfaces felt odd, not like normal card, more like dry skin, like a lizards would be. Squashing her nerves she shuffled them, the surfaces rasping as she did it, the calm white gaze never leaving her own as she did it. About to hand them back when the deep voice echoed out again, "Now you sir, you shuffle them too. That is if you want to know what course you'll be taking as well?"
This was beginning to get to him, he had the sensation of being watched from behind ever since they'd gone in here but he couldn't smell anyone else in here apart from the three of them but he knew there was someone else here. Taking the cards from Marie he shuffled the deck quickly and held them out to the old woman. Her hand shifted like lightning, grabbing his wrist and holding firm, her grip strong and he had difficulty moving the joint with her fingers wrapped tight around it. "What I'm going to tell you isn't a guess, it isn't lies for stupid people James or should I say Logan?" Anger rippled through him, wanting to stand to walk out of here, to take Marie away to get her safe from these people; from this place. The smile dropped from her face as she pulled herself closer to them both, "Listen and you'll live, run and you'll lose her forever."
Cold ran through his veins, he knew she was telling the truth, Marie was just sat in shock, her face pale and her hands wrapped around themselves. Her old face turned to Marie as she placed the cards on the table, her hand still gripping Logan's wrist. "Are you staying or leaving?" Marie felt the world spin for a moment, that this decision could change everything, destroy everything or complete it.
"Ah'm stayin."
Logan looked at her as if she'd just said she loved Scooter more than him, only then did the grip of iron on his wrist let go. Marie grabbed his hand and sent him a watery smile, she needed him here and he'd stay here where he was needed. Little did either of them know that there were others that needed them both just as badly.
Silver light filled John’s eyes as he wandered through the doorway of the freak house like many others around him he rubbed his eyes as he went through the small foyer. Several families were in his group, children were grabbing at each other trying to scare each other before they actually went into the freak show. Inside John expected it to be a show of mutants, mutants who’d been persuaded to join the carnival or had been sold to the fair. When he saw the barker who was leading the show turn into the silver light his breath almost left him. It was the image of Professor Xavier, even down to his smile as he overlooked the crowd that was stood in front of him. “Welcome! Come to see the wonders of the world have you? Come to see the things that have been created before man set foot on the soil we stand on have you? Well what you see tonight is all 100% real, there’s no glue or gum here, no flimflam, no tricks, every single creature here is real, living and breathing as you are now. Any questions ask them while we stand in front of the creature, they can answer you believe it or not. You‘ll be seeing them as nature intended.” His voice suddenly soft and silky running over heated ears, the blushes starting on faces and collars being tugged. “As the day they were born, ladies and gentlemen and if you don’t want your little ones to get an education about how the birds and bees got started I suggest you take em somewhere else in the carnival. Because ladies and gentlemen what you’ll see will make your hair stand on end and your wife to remind herself how lucky she is to have you.”
The final flourish given a small woman who herself was almost white from head to foot dressed only in a small thin gauzy material took the cane from the man who looked like Xavier. As she did so the mans hands caressed her body in an over familiar way and the leer he saw cover the man’s face reminded him of the times when he’d seen a new student come into the school. “This here is Wintergreen; she’ll be our guide through the lions den, when she’s here the freaks don’t see you all they see is her they’ll answer her questions but they’re yours. They don’t get disturbed by her presence, ours well you know how some creatures are.” The look that hit Johns own eyes made him wince. The dart was just for him, the words making him remember every harsh and sad toned word that had come from Professor Xavier about his behaviour. “So we get to see them as they really are in all their natural glory.” A wink was directed at the crowd and John’s mind reeled at the possibilities that were being hinted at in that cold smile and knowing wink. Directing his gaze to the rest of the people around him he noticed that they were ready to follow the man to hell if he’d asked them, even the kids were quiet, expectant.
John followed the crowd hoping to be lost within it but his eyes were dragged to the front and the barker who led them through the first curtain, the voice that rang out across them all made him wince as the light in the small enclosed space finally rose. “I give you Rosalla the Sylph!”
The seat that supported the freak on the small wooden stage was something of a miracle itself, the arms and legs that were laid out here were almost stick thin. Rosalla was naked as the day she was born, her skin glowed in the harsh white light that hid nothing from the eye. Her skin was taught over her bones, muscle that was actually there was strips alone, hanging her frame together, the seat she was on began to turn on it’s own accord. Showing her in her glory, her back was covered in small gossamer threads that blew in the wind that moved through the heavy canvas, even the breath of the people seemed to move the silver threads. As she moved around the breath that filled the small room began to gather over her, filling her skin. As John watched the body in front of him fill out, the bones cover themselves with pink flesh again, the eyes once haunted and sunken now glowed with intelligence. Languid she stretched herself on the chair that shifted her form around the small stage, her tendrils floating out toward the crowd. Touching some, wreathing around others; the look on her face on one sorrow and need mingled with pain. Those she touched stayed still, the tendrils shifting through them as substantial as smoke.
John felt one pass by his face and he moved back instinctually, knowing that her touch was poison without having to be told. Only when Rosalla was fully pink and naked to the gaze of the crowd that the true horror of what was happening reached him. Looking at the now empty eyed people she’d touched and the darkness that seemed to fill their gazes, as if she’d taken something so important, so vital that they’d never even understood it had been there until it had been stolen.
Making his way through the crowd John no longer wanted to be here, he wanted to leave. Just as he reached where the flap of the tent had been Mr Dark was stood there, his features smiling and his hands behind his back. Just the way he stood there in perfect silence made John’s heart stutter in his chest, “Not leaving us so soon are you Mr Allerdyce?” The darkness in the corners of the canvas tent began to gather blotting out the exit until there was nothing but darkness behind him and the scent of earth. The smell of cellars, of earth walls and nights spent in the dark huddled away from the scary monsters that lived just a hands width away. “We have an appointment later you and I, I do hope your not going to go back on it are you?” The darkness behind him shifted and the bulk of a creature turned in the darkness, two blue chips of light glowed out toward him and the stink of stone freshly broken. The glint of diamond in darkness met his eyes and he felt his bowels loosen, it was real and it was here. Patting his pocket he searched for his lighter but he didn’t find it, Mr Dark twirled his fingers in front of him, the lighter held secure in his hand, the smile turned nasty as his words wound around John’s ever tightening throat.
“You really should be more careful John, you never know what could be stolen from you at the carnival, didn’t your mother ever tell you that?” For a second John saw the corpse in front of him, saw Mr Dark for what he was and it sent him scurrying back to the crowd who were moving into the next booth. The Sylph gone back to sleep on her chair, looking healthy and full, her stomach distended. Smiling sweetly Mr Dark blew a kiss to his exhibit and faded away, there were others to collect tonight.