Chapter Four : Leaving

The second I saw her, I knew something was off.

She was wearing the clothes she had worn when we first met. That was the first sign that something was wrong. I had never seen her wear anything but the shirts she had borrowed as pajamas after eight. She was sitting at the kitchen table, picking nervously at her nails and chewing her bottom lip.

“Is something wrong, Katya?” I asked softly.

I shouldn’t have been able to guess so easily that something was bothering her after knowing her for only two weeks. I should not have so easily picked up on her nervous habits- picking at her nails and chewing her lip- nor noticed the strange choice in clothing.

It was a good thing that I had.

“Yes.” She looked at me. Her beautiful face was contorted in sadness. “I… Peter, you’ve been so… so nice to me. And you don’t even know me.”

I raised an eyebrow. I had no idea where this was leading.

“You’ve been nicer to me than anyone- well, anyone but my parents. And I…” She looked down now, staring at her picked-over nails. “I’ve been lying to you this whole time. Two whole weeks. And I’ve used your stuff, worn your clothes, eaten your food. And I’ve… I’ve been lying!”

She looked at me, and suddenly I realized there was more than sadness etched into her expression. There was fear, too, as if she expected me to be angry.

“This is what upset you?” I asked. She nodded. “Katya, I do not expect you to reveal all your secrets to me.”

“But this is something I should have told you.” She sighed softly. “I didn’t ever tell you why I ran away. It’s kinda important… Something some people wouldn’t necessarily think was… right…”

I was utterly lost. I think it showed on my face, because she gave a sad little giggle. When she looked at me, I realized this was incredibly difficult for her. I couldn’t fathom why.

“Oh, Peter…” She shook her head slowly, as if she didn’t know if my confusion was good or bad. “You’re so innocent.” I had never heard myself described quite that way, particularly by one so innocent herself.

“When I left, I didn’t tell my parents where I was going.” She admitted softly. “I didn’t even tell them I was going. I just… took off.” She looked up to gauge my reaction. “You have to understand… I was scared. I didn’t know what was happening, who I could trust, what anything meant.”

It was the longest I had heard her speak without the soft valley girl lilt invading her speech. It was surprising to me that I almost preferred her natural way of talking, almost preferred to hear “like” or “totally” every other word.

“I was supposed to be at school. Instead, I walked to the bus station, bought a ticket for as far away as I could get, and tried not to look back.” She sniffed. “I miss them. My mom and dad.”

“I… am sorry, Katya.” I suddenly understood. She was leaving. Going back to wherever she came from. I didn’t know why, but the thought sent a pang of sadness through my chest. I had grown accustomed to having her cheerful persona in the apartment. I had grown to enjoy the soft sounds of the radio floating through the previously silent house, or the sound of her laughter over the dull noise of the televisions.

“Peter…” She sighed softly. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then shut it. She looked helplessly at me. I stared back. I should not have been so sad at the thought of her leaving. It should have made my life easier. It should have relieved my stress. I should have encouraged it.

“I… I was heading to school, walking actually.” She bit her lip. “I didn’t wanna buy gas for the car, and I lived right by the school. I knew I shouldn’t have gone at all. I had woken up… in the basement. Like I had been sleepwalking or something.”

I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t exactly see how this pertained to her story, which didn’t matter all that much. Because she was leaving. There was that strange pang again, tearing through my chest.

“On my way, some totally weird guy was following me. It was way creepy, and I thought about just going home. But I thought I was just being silly, that it didn’t matter.” She grinned at me. “I was wrong. He grabbed my arm, spouted some crap about how I was, like… an abomination. He told me I was scum, a lousy stain in the gene pool.”

I looked down and saw the skin over my knuckles was white. My fists were clenched. I was furious that someone would treat someone so kind and young in such a way. I could recall a healing bruise on her arm, the one she had laughed off and told me to mind my own business. Once more, I was beyond angry with this anonymous man. So angry that I almost missed the implications of her words.

“I… I was scared.” She sighed softly. “I just wanted to get away. I tried… And he was stronger than me. It was like the only way to get away would be to go through him…” She stared at me with imploring eyes.

“And… And I did. I fell right through him, proving his point. And then I ran.” She looked at me now, and caught my shocked expression before I could rearrange my face into a more neutral look. She frowned.

“I… should have told you, I guess.” She sighed. “I hoped it was a fluke. A one or two time deal, you know? But… It just happens sometimes.”

“Katya… You were ashamed?” I looked at her.

“Wouldn’t you be?” She shot back. “I’ve always been the geeky smart girl. Always been different. And now, on top of it all, I’m a lousy freak.”

“You are not a freak.” I looked at her. “A genetic difference does not make you a freak, or a bad person, or- as your friend put it- an abomination.” She looked at me, an undeniable hope shining in her eyes. “You are still a very kind, very smart, and obviously brave young woman.”

“Th-Thanks, Peter.” She smiled weakly. “I… I was so afraid you would hate me. I mean… Most people would… That’s part of why I haven’t called my parents yet. What will they say?”

“They will continue to love you, as any parent would.” I replied.

“What if they don’t?”

I had no answer. She looked me.

“Doesn’t it, like, bother you a little?” She asked softly.

“Of course not.” I stared at her.

We sat in silence for a short while. She just looked at me.

“Why?”

I couldn’t help but smile a little as I allowed the metal to shift over my skin. Her eyes widened and she let out a small gasp as I stood before her, fully armored up.

“As I said, Katya, there is no shame in being a mutant.”

“You’re- You’re a mu- But- And I was so-” She spluttered. “I was scared to tell you I was a mutant and… And you were a mutant all along?”

“Well, this certainly didn’t just appear.” I couldn’t help a laugh.

She stared at me for a moment, and then hesitantly joined in on my laughter. After a moment, we were both in hysterics. Over nothing, over everything, over this silly little situation in which we had both been so blind.

“So you simply left, without a plan? Without any hope for anything? No way to even get home?” I asked her when the laughter had died away. She nodded sheepishly.

“Peter, he obviously knew who I was and where I lived.” She pointed out quietly. “I couldn’t, like, just run home and be like “Hey Mom, some creeper is totally following me”. What was I supposed to do?”

“Call the police and tell them he was harassing you, considering he was.” I replied softly. “Saved some of your money.”

“But it all worked out for, like, the better.” She shrugged. “I mean, I met you, right? That’s a great thing! It’s so worth, like, anything I had to go through.”

“Katya, you have known me for two weeks.” I pointed out. “You cannot know that yet.”

“Says who?” She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been such an amazing friend to me. Nicer than any other person outside of my family has ever been. So, technically, it so is. Because now I have a friend.”

I stared at her.

“You are very insightful for one so young.”

“It comes with the honors programs.” She shrugged.

I felt myself relaxing as I realized she had no plans to leave. The little beam of sunshine would continue to float through my usually dark world. It was a warming thought. I felt a smile turning up the corners of my mouth.

“Well… At least I’m not trying to hide things from you anymore.” She sighed. “And I can try to figure out how to use this stupid power.”

“It is not too difficult to learn if you can already control it somewhat.” I told her with a grin. She smiled back, and shrugged.

“Well, I’ve been trying to stop it, not use it. So I wouldn’t know.”

With that thought in mind, she gave me an impish grin, and rushed at me through the table. I leapt back in surprise, certain she would run into me. It was a strange feeling as she passed harmlessly through me. I spun around to stare at her as she met my eyes.

“Whoa!” She spun around. “That was kinda fun. I could, like, get used to this whole mutant thing.”

I couldn’t help a good natured smile. Her enthusiasm was endearing. I was surprised when she threw her arms around my waist (as she couldn’t reach my neck) in a tight hug.

“Thank you, Peter.”

“Piotr.” I corrected her absent-mindedly as I wrapped my arms around her in return.

“Whatever. I like Peter better.” She rolled her eyes, and pulled out of the hug by going straight through my arms. I couldn’t stifle a laugh at the delight in her eyes. “Hey, Mister, you may have known how to use your powers for awhile, but mine are new! This is exciting stuff!”

“I was not making fun of you.” I smiled.

“Oh.” She giggled. “My bad.”

I could have easily let that moment last forever. An easy conversation flowing between us, secrets out in the open, a cozy night.

But time moves. Time will always move.