Chapter Text
Note: When you encounter the sentences or names, nicknames written with the italic, they are there to inform you that the past is referred, or the character from the past is speaking. I used it for one purpose only – not to bring you too much confusion during the reading experience.
Akali’s POV:
Within mere seconds, the world around her started to spin, marking the beginning of her journey to Morpheus’s realm. The surroundings seemed to be in constant motion. The elements creating it were mixing together at once second, only to decompose a moment later. The mass of numerous items was creating shapes that were difficult to describe. With every single passing second, the spinning effect was just speeding up, making Akali dizzy in a matter of moments. She wanted to throw up. Her stomach’s content was already flipped at least a couple of times, worsening the sensation a thousandfold. Still, the race to only partially known destination continued.
Millions of images, flashbacks, memories were passing right before Rogue’s eyes. She tried so desperately to catch even the slightest glimpse of theme, tried to catch one with her hands, but it was a futile effort. As soon as even a fingernail of hers was about to collide with the mist-like images, they vanished. The cloud-like object would shatter into millions of small pieces. Even though the girl knew that it was a sign of madness, she tried desperately repeatedly. Time after time, the number of tries did not matter. The outcome was always the same, the oh-so-precious memories vanishing into a mist.
After an unknown time, the speed began to decrease steadily. The twisted creations that not so long ago were filling every inch of her sight began to take shape. Within moments, the teenager ended up falling onto the soft bed located in a relatively small room. Even though the main light was off, it was the very first thing Akali noticed. Still, a few candles could be spotted all around what looked like the child room. The so-called ‘ninja’ allowed herself to spectate her surroundings for a couple of moments. After all, it seemed that no one was at home. The air was filled with the sweet scent of vanilla. The girl inhaled the smell with pleasure, it was one of her favourites. Another moment was sparred to admire the aroma before her faze was focused on the walls. They were painted in a mix of light green and grey colours. More than a couple of dozens of sheets of paper were pinned to them. They looked like anyone would picture the child’s drawings. Dozens of dozens of lines seemed to be somehow connected, but still, not taking any shape known to humanity. It is awe-inspiring how the brains of the children work. In their minds, these doodles have a meaning, some kind of depth. Still, it is hidden behind what seemed to be a solid wall of misunderstanding to most of the adults.
Somehow, something in these scrawls intrigued Akali. She seemed to notice a piece that should not be there, but she could not be sure of her judgment from a distance. Without a moment to spare, she moved to the very edge of the bed and jumped out of it. Something was wrong. The realisation of that minor detail hit her within a few moments. As if she was a little kid, Rogue tipped over, falling onto the ground with a loud thud.
“What is going on?” was the very first thought that crossed her mind.
The footsteps appeared just a moment later. Someone was certainly coming her way, cause the sounds of it was growing louder and louder with every passing second. Akali was confused, to some extent, the girl did not know what to do. Frankly, she was not entirely sure why she was not able to roll out of bed. There was no time for her train of thoughts to finished, cause the door opened. A slim ray of dimmed light entered the room through the gapped door. In a doorway, a woman of average height stood, searching the room.
“Akali!” a little concerned voice of the woman sounded. “What’s going on, baby?” she asked in Japanese.
“Nothing,” the low, childish voice escaped Akali’s throat. “I tried to look at one of my drawings,” she explained in Japanese as well.
“Oh, honey,” the older woman sighed. “I’ve told you that more than a thousand times already, don’t try to rush out of bed, you’re too little, you’ll fall.”
“Sorry, mummy,” Rogue replied with a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Don’t worry, hon,” Akali’s mother said cheerfully. “The mummy is here to fix the booboo,” she added, laughing tenderly.
“What is going on?” Akali asked, deep inside her mind.
“I do not have booboo,” the smaller version of the girl replied with a broad smile. “Look, mummy, no booboo!” she exclaimed loudly.
“Oh… I see,” the woman faked the gasp of surprise. “Baby, come back to bed. Must I remind you that you promised your father to be sleeping like a good girl that you’re when he comes back from work?” she asked with a voice littler sterner than before.
“Where is daddy?” the kid version of Akali asked, ignoring the majority of her mother’s statement. “Why is he working so long?” she pouted. “He promised to play with me,” the little girl added in a crying tone.
“Akali, you know that the daddy is working to provide you with everything you’d ever wanted,” the older woman tried to explain. Still, even she could not hide the hint of disappointment that could be heard in her voice. “Don’t worry my little kitten, he’ll be here soon. How about we play just two of us before he comes?” she made a proposition.
“Yay,” the childish version of Akali replied cheerfully.
“What do you want to play, then?” the mother asked, hugging her daughter tightly, and placing a sweet kiss on top of her head.
“Robbery!” the kid exclaimed loudly.
“Oh…,” the older woman chuckled. “You still want to play with your guns, don’t you, kitten?” she asked.
“Yay, I will arrest daddy as soon as he comes back!” Akali’s younger version announced.
“Hmmm,” mother hummed, creasing her jaw. “I think you’ll need a plan to arrest such a tall and strong man like your daddy, honey,” she pointed out.
“Plan? Who needs a plan?” the surprised child asked. “I will arrest him!” she pouted, crossing her tiny arms over her chest.
“How about asking your partner in crime?” the raven-haired woman asked. “How about you ask Mister Tiger how to deal with the situation? I heard that he succeeded in such actions before,” she added playfully.
“That is an idea!” the small one agreed, beginning to jump. “We need to find Mister Tiger!”
“Isn’t he on your shelf as other toys?” the surprised woman asked.
“Of course, not, mommy!” the tiny raven-haired girl pouted loudly. “You took him away from me yesterday!” she accused the older woman.
“Ahhh… I remember now, he needed to take a long bath,” mother gasped, facepalming. “I know exactly where to seek him. Are you ready, partner?” she asked, winking at the little girl.
“Go, go, go!” the happy kid shouted.
“Akali turned down your voice!” the older woman called her out.
To say that Akali was shocked, would be an utter understatement. She simply did not know what to do. It was unknown to her where was she, when these events took place, and what was the most important, whether they were the truth. The woman whom the younger version of the girl addressed as ‘mother’ resembled Rogue. She had the same hair, eyes, physique. It would not be a lie if someone called the older woman Akali’s clone. If all of this was not just a stupid imagination of her mind, the raven-haired girl would want to know more.
Without wasting even a fraction of a second, the teenager followed her younger self. As soon as all of them left the kid room, Akali gasped loudly. The corridor that linked the child room with the rest was longer than the one Evelynn had. In a blink of the eye, at least 3 mirrors were spotted by the girl. With a closer look, she got surprised even more. The frames were made off of diamonds, or at least out of material that tried to mimic diamonds. They were beautiful, breathtaking. With her mouth agape, Akali kept starring at everything that she came close to. It was ridiculous, it felt as if Deja Vue. The brown-eyed beauty could swear that her reaction was identical to when she entered Evelynn’s house for the first time.
“Akali, get your shit together!” Rogue uttered with a hint of rage, inside her mind.
At least a couple of moment past before the so-called ‘ninja’ noticed that she was in the corridor alone. With a silent curse under her nose, she averted her gaze off the beautiful mirrors that somehow did not show her reflection. Thankfully, it did not take the teenager more than a minute to find them.
The older woman was carrying a smaller version of Akali. By the look of things, the kid was sleepy but tried to pretend otherwise. The child once again had her tiny arms crossed all over her small chest and was pouting.
“Where is Mister Tiger?” Rogue’s smaller version demanded to know. “We have plans to fulfil, we need to prepare for daddy’s return,” she added, still pouting.
“But, of course, honey,” the mother replied with a smile, but her eyes could no longer hide exhaustion. “I put your precious plushy on the balcony,” she added. “He was all wet after his bath, so he needed to take his time, drying up.”
“Mommy! I hope he is there, you perfectly know that he dislikes bathing!” the kid replied.
“Oh,” the woman chuckled. “I can assure you that he’s more willing to take a bath than you, dear,” she laughed lightly. “Or, at least when I’m trying to get you to the bathtub. Somehow when your father’s asking you to go there, you’re obedient little girl, out of a sudden.”
“It is not true!” the rebellious little child started to argue. “Daddy is home so rarely,” she added in a low tone.
“Ahh,” Akali’s mother hummed. “So you think that if you started to give him troubles, he wouldn’t want to play with you later?” she asked.
The answer was not provided for a couple of seconds. It looked like, the small girl was thinking extensively what to say. In the very end, she did not say anything, just nodded with her little head, lowering her gaze.
“That’s what I thought,” the raven-haired adult admitted. “Cheer up! Your father loves you more than you’d ever think. I wouldn’t lie if I said that you’re an eye in his head,” she added tenderly. “We both love you, Akali. Remember that.”
“I know, mammy,” the smaller version of Rogue replied. “I love you too!”
“Oh! Look,” the woman pointed out at something through the windows. “Your plushy is there, he’s waiting for you.”
“Let’s go!”
Akali smiled a little. All of this looked heartwarming. She allowed herself to linger in the same place for a couple of moments longer. Just to keep peeking a look at her smaller her and her mother. However, when the two figures opened the door leading to an enormously large balcony, it was high time for her to look around. To be frank, she was too occupied with what was taking place before her eyes to even notice where she was currently. Once she got some time to turn around a couple of times, she could tell without hesitation that the family was wealthy. No, it would be a lie. If her current vision was true, the memories were taking place nearly 13 years ago. It was easy to notice the difference in technology used in the room. The walls were not enhanced with sound systems, additional lightings. Still, everything that was presented here was the top end of its category. If Akali was to admit, she would say that this house made even more impression on her than Evelynn’s. To make the matter worse, by now, the teenager was somehow used to wealth. And yet, the imaginary scenery set a couple of years back in time, won over everything. Unintentionally, her mouth opened again, leaving her with agape, shocked expression.
“That can not be true,” Rogue spoke to herself. “It could not be my past,” she added as if she wanted to convince someone. Sadly, the only one she needed to convince was her. And… in doing so, she failed miserably.
After some time, she heard the loud click of the door’s lock. It brought back to reality, in an instant. With her senses still somehow on high alert, she wasted no time to turn around and faced the source of the sound. As it was to be expected, little Akali and her mother returned from their quick journey for the plushy. Based on the broad smile that was probably glued to the kid’s face, the mission was successful. A moment later, as if to prove that statement, the fluffy snowy-white tiger was lifter by the kid.
“That is it, Mister Tiger!” the child exclaimed on top of her lungs. “We are going to need a plan. We are setting a trap for daddy.”
“Akali,” the little kid tried to sound like an adult man. “It is not going to be easy. Your daddy is clever, he might discover our trap.”
“You are right, Mister Tiger!” the smaller version of the raven-haired girl agreed. “There is a lot to do, then!” she shouted on top of her tiny lungs.
“Akali Elizabeth Winter!” the risen voice of the mother could be heard clearly. “If you don’t stop shouting at once, there will be consequences!”
“Mister Tiger, we need to run!” the little Akali shouted then started to run while giggling.
The older woman only hanged her head low for a couple of seconds, sighed, and then pursued after her young daughter.
In a span of a few moments, the world around her started to spin. Many items that were filling the room created a mixture of unknown colour. The Deja Vue effect returned with double strength, making her dizzy in no time. The pain was unbearable, it felt as if someone was hitting her with a smith hammer. Her skull seemed to be shattered into millions of tiny pieces. It was evident for the young woman that her journey through what appeared to be memories only began. Proving her speculation did not take long. Mere seconds later, the spinning slowed down, making it possible for the teenager to catch a glimpse of flying frames. Sadly, the brown-eyed beauty could not make a lot of sense from them. Even though they were slowed, it was too difficult for Akali to put them into one whole entity. It could be described as if she could see the images, but could not remember them.
Soon enough, the whirling ended, leaving the raven-haired girl inside a spacious room filled with a dimmed light. As soon as the teenager managed to regain her composure, she began looking around. Many computers could be found in the room. Some of them were attached to somehow complicated structure of wires and switches. In contrast, the others were left connected to various displays. These ones intrigued Rogue. Without hesitation, she came closer. It must have been a security room. The screens showed the manor from all sides, including a garden, parking lot, and the main entrance. With curiosity oh-so-common to small children, Akali began inspecting every inch of the monitors, seeking something that she could not name properly. Even though the technology used in these screens and cameras was far inferior to what she was used to, the sight still took her breath away. One of the displays caught her attention, especially. With her lips slightly agape, the young woman was looking straight at the monitor displaying the garden. The sight was breathtaking, Rogue could not find other words to describe it. It appeared that the garden was enormous. It could easily take more ground than a common city park, if not more. In the central part, the maze made of hedges could be found. One of the cameras displayed a fountain that appeared to be located in the labyrinth’s very centre. It was formed in the shape of an angel-like figure holding a vase. Out of the vase, the water was pouring down, washing up the two marble figures, sitting at the feet of the angel. The statues presented the majestic pair of lions with angel wings attached to their backs. The sculpture holding the vase was very detailed. The bright face with royal facial features, tiny nose, slightly parted kissable lips, elf-like pointed ears. The presented woman was beautiful beyond the comprehension of the mere words.
The brown-eyed girl was so occupied with the admiring screens that she nearly did not hear the click of the door’s lock. The sound brought her back to reality within fractions of a second. Without a moment to wast, the teenager turned around, taking a defensive stance. When the tall man entered the room, not even sparing a glance toward her, the realisation struck her. Of course, she forgot that no one in these visions could see her. Akali facepalmed herself hard. How can a girl that many considered intelligent be such a dumb sometimes?
“Who is he?” was the first question she asked, deep inside her mind.
With a newfound curiosity, she took a step in the direction of the newcomer. The jet-black silk shirt was cladding his broad, muscular chest, highlighting every inch of it. The top button was undone, revealing the fading red line most likely left by a too-tight tie. On the solid man’s jawline, there were whitened lines, possibly the remnants of scars. Lips of the newcomer were tightened into a tight line, emphasising the upset. He was cleanly shaved, the smell of an expensive cologne hit her nostrils a moment later. She must admit, she liked that smell. The small, slightly broken nose was covered with stitches. Slightly above, the cold cunning eyes of a predator could be found. They were of grey with a pinch of silver colour. Short still wet black hair crowned his head. He was slightly tanned as if his work required him to be outside, at least partially. He was handsome, there was no point in denying it. Even though Rogue was not into men, this one might have a chance on her.
“What is going on in this head of yours?” the man suddenly asked in a whisper-like manner.
For a few moments, the teenager held her breath, thinking that the stranger referred to her. It was a stupid thought, but Akali could not help but believe in it for a fraction of second. As it was to be expected, the silence fell upon the room. The man’s gaze was fixed on the screens behind the raven-haired girl. Slowly as if not wanting to disturb the moment, the so-called ‘ninja’ turned around seeking the detail that intrigued the man. All of the air stored inside her lunges was exhaled loudly. She would picture herself like a balloon in the given moment. All of her air supplies have gone out of her. With her lips parted, she kept staring at the screen she missed previously. The camera was located in a kid’s room that she visited before, focused on the tiny frame of a sleeping child and her plushy held dear against her chest. The faint squeak of the chair reached her ears from behind. The black-haired man decided to take a seat, still watching the display. After a couple of moments, he reached out to his left pocket, retrieving a leather wallet. Once again, all of Akali’s attention was caught by the handsome stranger. As quietly as she could, she took a couple of steps in the direction of the man, walking on her toes. The item was discarded a moment later, threw like a piece of trash onto the nearest table. The black-haired stranger was holding a piece of paper, maybe photography. Another step was taken by the brow-eyed beauty, she walked to the side to have a chance to see what exactly the man was holding. As she expected, the slim sheet was a photo. It displayed the woman with a tiny, cheerful child on her hands. Fueled by curiosity, she came even closer with eyes fixed on the paper. At least a couple of prolonged moments were spent by the teenager to stare at the tiny frame. As nearly always, the realisation was only about to strike her. She knew who the people on the image were. In an instant, her left hand rose, covering her lips and muffing the gasp. Of course, the photo presented her smaller version with her mother. Both of them had broad smiles glued to their faces, taking a delight of a moment. Akali could feel her eyes getting moist, tears gathering. Oh, how much would she want for all of this to be true? The teenager allowed herself to close the eyes for a moment. The lone tear that rolled out of beneath the eyelids was immediately wiped out. Still, the trail of wetness that was left behind stayed.
“I would love for you to live in other times,” the whisper of the man could be heard as if from a distance.
The raven-haired girl opened her eyes instantaneously. Her gaze was quickly fixed on the frame of the stranger. His thick thumb was smoothing all over the surface of the photo. To be precise, he was rubbing the space where the tiny girl’s figure was framed. In the act, Rogue could sense the tenderness, the care, the love. With a heavy sigh, the man stood up, coming toward the console. Even though it was evident that he was exhausted, his moved seemed so smooth, so clean. As if someone put a dancer or some kind of an artist in a soldier’s shell. The sounds of the keys being pressed rapidly soon filled the room. By the looks of things, the man was typing something inside the system’s command console. The eternally black background of the command-line began to be filled with glowing text, flooding with it, in fact. The brown-eyed girl got interested. She followed the stranger toward the computer. Without hesitation, her gaze was focused on the glowing lines of text. Rogue tried to make some sense from the pieces of information that she managed to witness. Sadly, her effort was in vain. The blocks of text were scrolling to fast for her to understand what was going on. The only meaningful piece of information that she was able to obtain was a date. The command-line was displaying the date of 31th of May 2007. Out of a sudden, the console shut down with the system as well. The man nodded simply as if the effect was expected, then turned around, heading toward the exit.
Quite frankly, the raven-haired girl was confused. The man’s action did not make any sense, or at least based on what she knew. Before the stranger was able to cross the middle of the room, the beeping sound of rebooting reached Akali’s ears. Within moments, the screens once again shined brightly.
“Oh, so he just rebooted the system? It is hard to believe in it,” Rogue hummed under her breath even though she knew nobody there could hear her.
The stranger froze visibly when the door’s lock clicked. His muscular frame tensed up within fractions of a second as if he was making himself ready for a fight. Through the slim gap in the doorway, the woman slipped in. It was the woman Akali saw previously, the supposed mother of hers. Her long raven-black hair was down, spraying all over her elegant silver dress. The thin silk-like fabric was wrapped around the neck of the woman. Most of her makeup was already wiped out, leaving the visible signs of exhaustion on top of her skin. There were dark bags under the mother’s eyes. The flames inside of these orbs seemed to be dimmed.
“What are you doing here, dear?” the man tenderly asked, visibly relaxing.
“Do I need a reason to meet my husband? To kiss him, hmm?” the woman simply asked, rolling her eyes playfully. “Come here, hold me, it was a long evening,” she uttered, letting her exhaustion sound through her voice.
“I swear that sometimes you act like a big cat,” the dark-haired man allowed himself to chuckle a little. “Come then, try not to purr too much though,” he added playfully. “Akali is sleeping already.”
“Oh,” Akali’s presumed mother giggled. “I wouldn’t worry about our little princess.”
“If you think so,” the father simply uttered.
“Hush,” the raven-haired woman said, clicking with her tongue slightly.
In a matter of mere milliseconds, the classy woman closed the gap between them, placing her head on top of the broad chest of her partner. The exhale sound that escaped her lips emphasised relief.
“I told you not to purr,” the tall man said, giggling.
The older version of Akali did not say anything, she simply waited for the firm, strong arms of her husband to be wrapped around her. The hug was tight, those arms were pulling her ever closer toward the source of pleasant warmth. Just like a small kitten, the woman began to nuzzle up again the man’s chest, purring quietly. She was rewarded by the echoing, warm chuckle that escaped Rogue’s father’s throat. Not wasting a moment, Akali’s mother stood at her toes to reach her partner’s face. She took her time, caressing the jawline, noble facial features, outlining his lips with the tip of her nails. The presumed father stood still, watching the woman’s actions. It might have taken a couple of seconds, or it could last at least a few minutes. It was difficult for Akali to admit with certainty. In the end, the playfulness of her mother faded, replaced with desire, sensuality. The very first kiss she placed was nothing more than just a soft as feather brush against the corner of man’s lips. The woman focused on the bottom lip, pleasing it for a brief moment with the next one. She was confident, taking her sweet time, knowing that her partner allowed her to tease him for a couple of seconds more. However, soon enough, she got fed up with the foreplay. With a mischievous smirk playing on her kissable lips, she decided to finish the farce called the foreplay. Within the blink of an eye, she descended upon her husband’s lips, taking full control over them, or at least she thought so. The kiss could be without a doubt called fierce, the raw passion and hunger between both of the adults were undeniable. Even though the older version of Akali looked in control, in fact, the roles were reversed. The loud moan escaped the woman’s throat only a moment after the pleasure began. At the same time, the man remained stoic, entirely in control over the situation.
“God,” Rogue’s mother breathed out after their lips parted, slightly breathless. “I love you so much,” she added with an affection.
“Mayym, you know that I am not a man of many words?” the dark-haired man whispered quietly. When the woman he still held firm in his arms nodded, he added, “I love you, I will always.”
“It’s funny how these simple words you just spoke would man a world for any woman lucky enough to have you,” the raven-haired mother replied playfully. “There’re men that need millions of words to show what they mean. This can’t be said about you, you – my dear - just show your affection through your actions. You’re a complicated thing, but deep inside, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted,” she added, looking directly into her husband’s grey eyes.
“Thanks for having me, my dear wife,” the man uttered in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Don’t you dare to use this tone on me while our kid’s around!” Mayym threatened playfully with her pointing finger. “You know all too well how does that voice affect me,” she whispered into his ear.
“Oh,” the dark-haired man chuckled. “You are referring to this tone,” he slightly lowered his already hoarse tone, whispering the words, extending their duration.
“Yhmm,” Akali’s mother replied in a purr-like manner. “Your voice can be as smooth as intriguing as velvet if you want to,” she added playfully. “I might have asked you about that already, but how many women did you seduce using it?”
“Only one,” the grey-eyed man replied with honest. “But… let us back a little, shall we?” he asked, waiting for the node from his wife. “Akali is soundly sleeping in her room, she can not see us,” he stated.
“Oh, it seems that today’s evening was more exhausting to you than you’d want to admit,” the raven-haired woman began to chuckle openly.
“What do you mean?” Rogue’s father asked with a confused look all over his handsome face.
“You’re sometimes clueless adorable dork, you know?” Mayym asked flirtatiously. “Your surrounding awareness that you’re oh so proud of seems to be off today,” she added, covering her lips to muffle the laughter.
“She is here, is she not?” the husband asked, trying to turn around to seek his child.
“No, no, no, our little princess isn’t the only one who needs your attention,” the woman uttered playfully, preventing the man’s action. “Hold me for a little more, then you’re free to seek her out. I wouldn’t say that it’ll take you more than a mere couple of seconds,” she added, winking, then burying her face in her partner’s broad chest. “I love this cologne,” the purr-like statement was provided.
“I bet you do, after all, it was you who convinced me to buy it,” the dark-haired man allowed himself to chuckle. “I must admit, you looked utterly adorable when you were convincing me.”
“Pfff,” Mayym scoffed. “It shouldn’t have taken that much of my time to do so,” she added in a low tone. “You’re sometimes stubborn as a donkey,” the woman exclaimed.
“It is true, what can I say,” the man admitted. He began scratching his nape, smiling slightly.
“Fine, fine, fine, go, seek Akali. I bet she’s having too much fun out of it already,” the raven-haired woman stated.
“She is in the wardrobe, is she not?” the man asked in a whisper-like manner, letting go of his wife. “I see the door is slightly abrogated,” he pointed out.
“How do you think?” the woman asked with a smirk on her face.
Without uttering a single word more, the man came to the wardrobe, gently opening it. As he predicted, the tiny girl was sitting there clothed with her pyjamas, with her plushy resting beside her. As soon as her not-so-invisible hideout was revealed, she smiled broadly, took her best friend under her small arm, and jumped off of the cabinet.
“Daddy!” she exclaimed loudly.
“Why are you not in your bed, young lady?” the man asked in a stern voice. “It is way past your usual bedtime. Hmmm, do you want to say something?” he hummed.
“I miss you, daddy!” the tiny creature cried out, pouting. “You are so rarely here. It is not fair, I wanted to play with you!”
“Akali, Akali, Akali, come here,” the man sighed, opening his arms, and waiting for his offspring to come closer. “Darling, I know that I spent a lot less time with you than I should, but it is how life goes,” he tried to explain in a soft voice.
“It is not fair!” the little girl whined, pouting. “I just want to spend some more time with you,” she added, crossing her arms, tears started to gather in her eyes.
“My little princess,” the father started, pulling the kid closer, hugging her gently. “One day you will understand that in life, not always we get all we want. Still, I am sorry that I am usually away from you, my sweet little princess,” he said, brushing the strands of raven colour.
“Can you stay tonight?” Akali asked in a weeping tone. “Can you read me some fairy tales before I go to sleep?”
“Of course, princess,” the dark-haired man promised. “Would you like to hear them now?” he asked.
“Yes,” the tiny Akali uttered cheerfully. “Come Mister Tiger, daddy is going to read us fairy tales!” she referred toward her plushy.
The father released the child out of his firm grasp, letting her lead the way. As he should have expected, it was not an option. The giddy little girl reached out toward his massive hand, wanting him to come beside her. The man smiled a little, shaking his head, but decided to obliged. When he rose from his knees, he sought the gaze of his wife. It was just a short moment before their eyes met. The invisible, but the oh-so-evident question could be seen inside these orbs of grey. “Will you accompany us?” Taking little steps alongside the kid, he waited for the answer. For a few short moments, Mayym was only smiling, shaking her head. However, in the end, the faintest node was provided, and the woman came to them, taking the plushy out of Akali’s hand, then squeezed the tiny hand gently, following her daughter.
Rogue should have expected the spinning sensation to return by now. It would be too easy for her to make some sense of the situations presented before her if she was allowed to fully witness them. Once again, her head began to ache. Once more, the sensation similar to her skull being pummeled down with a smith hammer returned. The only difference was the intensity of the feeling. If she was to compare both events, there would not be any comparison. Not only the sensation made her dizzy in no time, but her stomach’s content also seemed to be buzzing. She so desperately wanted to throw up to get rid of that foul feeling. The raven-haired girl should have been used to the partial memories running before her eyes, by now. She should have known that there was no point in grouping them and sealing them into one frame. Yet, she once again attempted to do so. To no one’s surprise, her effort was fruitless. The so-called ‘ninja’ closed her eyes, trying to somehow regain her composure.
After some time, the whirling sensation vanished. The brown-eyed teenager must admit that there was a slight difference to her previous experience in that part. The spinning never slowed down during its duration; instead, it vanished entirely out of a sudden. Rogue allowed herself to wait a couple of seconds before opening her eyes. The pain that ran through her frame was still present, making it difficult for her to focus. With a loud groan, the teenager finally rose up, opening her eyelids. She was standing in the room belonged to her younger self. Due to some candles still being lighted, she could prove her speculations nearly instantly. Akali was lying on her bed with her favourite toy nearby, but she was not sleeping. The little girl was trying to pretend that she was asleep and frankly, for someone standing in the doorway of her room, it would do the trick. However, the uneasiness still remained. Why such a little kid was not sleeping at a late hour. Based on the clock that was left on top of the nightstand, it was 2:30am. Rogue took a couple of steps toward her younger self’s direction. She was so curious about what was going on. The child’s gaze seemed to be fixed on the window. Outside of it, the storm was ruling all over the estate’s grounds. The heavy raindrops were rapidly colliding over the glass’s solid surface, creating a cacophony of sounds.
“Hmm,” Akali hummed under her nose. “It is not uncommon for kids to be afraid of the storm,” she thought. “However, something still feels off.”
The raven-haired teenager could not get rid of the feeling that something was coming her way. Something that would not be welcomed, something terrible was going to happen. The brown-eyed beauty averted her gaze off of the window for a moment. Some item was left on the nightstand beside the clock, she reminded herself. Without hesitation, she reached out for it. The fairy tales’ book, the girl, should have expected that, but still she got amused by its sight. The book was upholstered in a thick, leather frame. On the solid surface, there were a lot of dents. Akali smiled lightly seeing that most of them were the work of her younger self. With a heavy tome still in her hand, she returned to the window’s side. The light slipping through it was enough for her to read. The book was opened with a silent sigh, revealing the pages filled with massive blocks of texts written in italic. Without a doubt, the tome was handwritten. The handwriting was beautiful, as if the person who did it was a calligrapher. The rustling of flipped pages filled the room a moment later. Rogue did not read a single paragraph but was so in awe of the perfection of the crafts. With her lips slightly parted, the raven-haired girl continued to flip through the tome.
After some time, she found a page that was marked by a bent corner. Without wasting a moment, she focused on the fairy tale’s title. “Puss in Boots.” Her favourite. The brown-eyed girl still remembered the fairy tales’ book she won in one of many competitions in the elementary school. She still remembered how much time did she spend reading the stories over and over again. Back then, she wanted to believe that these tales could become a reality. Her younger version wanted to believe that she could be a character of yet another fairy tale, that soon enough she would have found a family. The book’s fate was tragic. The boys of the orphanage never liked her. So they thought that it would be so cool for them to tear the tome into shreds. The younger Akali back then cried for days, now she would probably break a couple of bones, at the very least, teaching these assholes some manners. Rogue closed the book with a heavy sigh, wiping out a lone tear that rolled out of her eyes.
Out of a sudden, the sounds of someone rapidly climbing the stairs reached the ears of the teenager. Without hesitation, she turned around toward the only entrance and exit from the room. With every single passing moment, the sound was only louder and louder. The sudden event made the tiny Akali to give up on her farce of sleeping. She rose up, looking surprised, and maybe a little terrified. The plushy was grabbed immediately and pulled closer to her small chest as if it would give her courage. Just mere moments later, the door was opened, Mayym rushing in toward the little child.
“Mommy… what is going on?” terrified Akali wanted to know.
“Honey, it isn’t the time for questions,” the mother cut off the conversation instantly. “We need to get you hidden,” she added. “Some bad people came for us, sweety.”
“Why?” the raven-haired girl asked. “Why would they want us hurt?”
“As your father said, the world is cruel, and not always the reason is needed to hurt someone,” the woman replied, picking up Akali out of bed, cuddling her inside her arms. “We need to get you hidden.”
“Mommy, I am scared!” the tiny child cried out.
“I know, honey,” mother cooed. “It’s perfectly alright to be afraid, to be scared.”
Tiny Rogue apparently wanted to say something more, but the blasting sound roared through the estate. Mayym covered the small mouth of Akali with her hand and started to run toward the east wing. Without hesitation, she was running faster and faster while the gunfire sounds began to echo through the manor. The curses, the whines, the groans of many men reached out Akali’s ears. Within moments the peaceful scenery fell down into utter chaos. The glass began to shatter, the wall started to crumble, everything seemed to be about to go down.
The raven-haired mother did not care about anything but her daughter’s safety. In nearly a record time, she reached what looked like her destination. The doors leading to the small room in the east wing’s very corner were unlocked with a tiny key. Mayym rushed in without wasting even a single moment. The terrified kid was put onto the nearest chair while the mother began seeking something.
“Mommy?” Akali called, her face covered in tears. “What are you doing?”
“Your father prepared the hideout for you, darling,” the woman replied quickly, not averting her gaze off of the large bookcase she was inspecting.
“What will you do?” the kid wanted to know.
“Honey, please be patient, and be quiet,” Mayym responded in a low tone. “I’m going to help your father to get rid of the intruders,” she added.
“You might get hurt,” Akali cried out.
“It’s possible,” the mother admitted, nodding slightly.
“Mommy…” the girl began to whine.
“Akali, please, I know that’s difficult for you, but your father and I will do everything to prevent these men to ever touch you,” the woman uttered tenderly. “And, no matter what happens, remember we’ll always love you, honey,” she added.
“I love you too, mommy,” the kid started to cry openly.
“Honey, promise me one thing,” Mayym started. “When I leave you here, you’ll stay silent. Can you do it?” she asked, averting her gaze out of the bookcase to look directly at her daughter’s brown eyes.
“I… I… I can,” the little child replied, stuttering.
“Darling, you’re the daughter of your father and mine, you’re able to endure everything. I’m proud of you,” the mother whispered, wiping out a tear of her cheek.
“Here, come, darling,” Mayym called Akali after a few moments.
To the left of the bookcase, the decently-sized gap opened. Inside of it, there were supplies already stored. A couple of bottles of water, juice, and food packed into a small fridge. It was evident that Akali’s parents were aware of their possibility of being attacked. There was also a tiny bed big enough for the kid to fit in. The clean sheets were prepared, lying on top of the bed. The hideout had an electricity system connected to it, so the child would not have to sit in the complete darkness.
“Akali, I love you, my sweet little daughter,” Mayym tried to control her voice, but she could not hide the fear that lingered inside her eyes. Thankfully, Akali was too little to notice and understand the meaning behind it. “Please, stay quite. We’ll come for you as soon as we can,” she promised, hugging her daughter one last time.
“I love you mommy and will stay here as you ask,” the terrified kid uttered, trying to sound confident.
“My big girl,” the mother whispered, placing a kiss on Rogue’s forehead.
Before the raven-haired woman closed and locked the door leading to the hideout, Akali was sucked in by the unknown power. Her back hit the furthest wall of the shelter, leaving her breathless for a couple of moments. The loud gasp escaped her throat.
Soon enough, the so-called ‘ninja’ regained her composure, return her breathing to normality. The first thing she decided to do was to check whether she could leave the hideout. Sadly, after a couple of tries, she found herself unable to do so. With yet another heavy sigh, she decided to wait. After all, there was not a lot for her to do in the meantime.
Her younger self endured the whole situation better than she had anticipated. Of course, the tiny girl was scared. She was silently crying, hugging her plushy closer to her chest. However, still, she obeyed her mother’s direct request without unnecessary protest. Akali was genuinely amazed by the sheer sight of it.
The sounds of glass shattering, guns, curses, groaning, whining of these soon-to-be-dead continued to fill the estate. Rogue must admit, even though she could not be hurt by anyone inside these visions, she felt scared to some extent. The brown-eyed teenager tried to put herself in the small kid’s position that was left alone inside the mysterious hideout while her parents were fighting for their lives.
The atmosphere in the manor seemed to thicken by every single passing moment. The chaos that was taking place below the shelter could still be heard inside of the presumed safe walls of it. It was challenging for the teenager to specify how much time past since Mayym left them there. The only aspect Akali was sure of was that neither of her parents was killed or wounded yet. Even though the voiced reaching out the hideout were slightly muffed, the raven-haired girl could still distinguish them with little to none problems.
Soon enough, the sound of the footsteps coming their way could be noticed. The soft click of the leading door’s lock sounded but was overwhelmed by the chaos. For a couple of prolonged moments, someone was seeking something nearby. Even though Rogue wanted to call out her parents, she decided otherwise. After all, her mother promised her to come back for her. Within moments, the door’s mechanism was found, and the hideout was unlocked once again. The only problem was that it was nither of the tiny girl’s parents. Out of pure curiosity, she looked up, hoping to see either her mother or father. Sadly, she was denied such an opportunity. In front of the hideout, the tall arms man in mask stood. The silence fell upon them. For a moment or so, he thought what to do with the newfound little girl. Akali got struck with the rear of the weapon with little to none effort, knocking her out.
Present times:
Akali’s POV:
With a piercing scream on her lips, Akali woke up. Her forehead was drenched in sweat, she was entirely covered in sweat. Without hesitation, she looked around the room, wanting to know where the hell was she. Thankfully, she was still inside the hospital. The beeping aperture to her left proved that in a matter of seconds. With a heavy sigh, she fell back onto creased sheets.
“What’s going on, darling?” the still sleepy rich voice of Evelynn reached Akali’s ears.
“I had a dream, nightmare, vision… I am not sure entirely,” Rogue whispered, turning her head to her right.
“How so?” the magenta-haired woman got curious. “What happened in these dreams of yours?” she wanted to know.
“I think,” the raven-haired girl started to stutter. “I think that I saw my past,” she added after a moment or so.
“Care to explain?” the fast awoken lawyer asked, fixing her golden gaze on her protégé.
“In these dreams, I saw myself as a little kid, my mother that was basically the older copy of me, and my father,” she replied, still whispering. “We lived in a mansion that was in any point inferior to yours,” she added.
“Hmm, up to now, it sounds like a pleasant dream,” the living goddess uttered.
“Partially, yes,” Akali agreed. “However, everything changed a couple of moments later. The estate was attacked, my younger self locked in a secret hideout that turned out not to be so secret. Some armed man found the tiny version of me and knocked her out with the rear of the assault rifle,” she described her visions.
“But… darling, if the man in your vision killed the girl, it can’t be true. After all, you’re here, with me,” the golden-eyed beauty made a point, putting emphasis on the last sentence. Still, the faint sign of worry could be found in the siren’s eyes.
“We are right, to some extent,” Rogue admitted. “Still, she got knocked out, I do not know if she was killed,” she provided her point of view. “Wait, I remember something out of it,” the girl exclaimed, reaching out for her phone.
Within mere moments, the piece of technology was picked up, and some drawing app was launched.
“What are you doing, darling?” the curious diva asked.
“I remember an emblem, or insignia that the soldier had attached to his chest piece,” the brown-eyed girl replied, not interrupting her drawing.
“Here, have you seen it?” the so-called ‘ninja’ asked, presenting her drawing.
For maybe a fraction of a second, the siren frowned, her eyes widened. The loud gasp could be heard. The emblem that Akali drew presented a golden eagle with his wings proudly stretched, surrounded by the fire. Even though the creation took only a couple of minutes, it was pretty detailed art, there was no point in denying it.
“Eve, have you ever seen it?” the teenager repeated the question after not receiving the answer for a couple of moments.
“No, no,” the diva replied quickly, too quickly. “I’m just thrown away by your sheer talent,” Evelynn tried to cover her surprise.
“Would you help me find some pieces of information about my parents?” the raven-haired girl asked.
“But, of course,” Eve promised with her usual mischievous smile glued to her face. “Come, let’s rest a bit more, then we’re going home,” the diva proposed, pulling the latter closer.
“Fine,” Akali replied without her usual optimism. Based on everything she noticed so far, her guardian was not telling her the truth, or at least not entirely.
Even the brown-eyed beauty tied to fall asleep once again, she could not get rid of an unpleasant feeling. The feeling that for the very first time since a really long time, she could not fully trust Evelynn. If there was truth somewhere, it seemed Rogue needed to dig there on her own.