there's SOMEONE i've been [ m i s s i n g ] ;;

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

It was the sound of everyone moving that woke the slumbering child from her sleep, alone on the train. It wasn't different for her, she was used to being alone. Even when Lore had lived with her, he had often been out trying to get money to feed them. Or, rather, feed her. Some days, she knew, he hadn't eaten, but he had pretended he would eat later. She knew better than to believe him, but she had said nothing and let him think she was fooling her. She played with the tiny silver bracelet around her wrist. A gift from him, when he had been about to leave. He'd actually paid to have the small heart engraved with her name.

She quickly got up and scrambled down the aisle, bumping into people on occasion, though not on purpose. Her small cloth bag was slung over her shoulder, holding what little possessions she had, as she jumped off the train and was thrown into a dim world. The lights surrounding the platform were bright, bright enough to provide some vision for the little girl, but she panicked a bit, clinging to the light. But, she couldn't stay here. She'd have to brave the darkness of the night. She stumbled toward the road, hoping to flag a cab, but then the lights were too far, to dim, and she was plunged into complete darkness.

She foraged forward though, knowing she would get nowhere if she backed up into the light again where she could see. the road was close, anyway, and she would stop at the curb. It would only be a few more steps... But she miscalculated the distance and before she knew it, she had stepped off the curb by accident, and into the path of a car. The light from the headlights brought back sight, but nearly too late as she leaped backwards, tripping and falling on her back on the sidewalk, out of the way of the blaring car horn, and soon after in the dark again. Now lost and disoriented, with no way of fixing that issue, she instead curled up into a ball, fingers tracing her name on the bracelet's charm, her sole source of comfort.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sinclair]

There was supposed to be a routine visit from his parents. Yes, there was supposed to be. And yet, no one got off that train to greet Sinclair that morning, and no one got off that evening after hours of waiting in that stupid train station. No one got off that night, either. He'd knew it'd go that way, he knew they'd just send him a letter with the same generic lines, telling him this or that, but never addressing the fact that they were hurting their son by avoiding him. So he'd stormed off eventually, tired of waiting so long for them. And then what did he do? He didn't retreat to any form of shelter even though the night threatened to chill him, even with his coat clinging to his body. He didn't really go anywhere; but he didn't stop, either. Sinclair just started walking aimlessly, turning at random until he noticed what appeared to be a little girl in the light. Was it his imagination? An image from the days of innocence as a young child here to haunt him? The young child didn't look like him, nor did it look like any girl he remembered. But whatever it was, he wanted to find out. He began approaching her. Though he was a considerable distance, he could only hope she hadn't shifted directions in the dark. And that was when it happened; the car lights illuminated a little girl and the street she was on. Sinclair broke into a run, even though he knew he'd never make it to get the girl out of harm's way. Whether or not it was possible, he wasn't going to just stand there like an idiot and watch it happen.

By the time he did reach her there was no dead girl, but rather a huddled girl on the ground. Sinclair knelt beside her, raising his hands as if to ensure that he wasn't going to do anything to her.

"Hey, Prinzessin- ah, Princess, yes,"Sinclair greeted, using the German word for Princess before switching to the English version. Words of endearment were rarely spoken in English when Sinclair was speaking them. Considering the age of the girl, he didn't want to scare her by using a foreign language,"Are you okay? Do you need help? I can help you find your way home if you want me to, or I can go call your mom if you'd rather." Sinclair was not someone who carried a cell phone. He used to at his father's insistence, but now he didn't want one at all. So though he'd offered to call her mom, he wasn't exactly hoping she'd take him up on the offer since it'd require him to leave her- which was a bad idea- to find the nearest place with a phone. And who wanted to do that? Who's to say he'd find her again, anyway? But whatever, he wasn't going to force a little girl to trust him to keep her safe.

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

Lyra flinched at the sound of the voice nearby, knowing that many were not as nice as they always seemed at first. However, nonetheless, she uncurled and got to her knees, her bag clutched to her chest, as she turned her head this way and that, trying to catch a bit of light to see where he was, but finding herself unsuccessful. She pinpointed him a little better with his questions, using his voice to face the general direction he was, but not looking in the exact right spot, but to his left a bit, over his shoulder.

She shook a little, hating it when she couldn't see, knowing it made her entirely helpless. She bit her bottom lip for a second, reminding herself that Lore had told her confidence, even when you were afraid, could get you through things. She forced on a small little smile, hoping it would help.

I n-need light. I c-can't see in the d-d-dark.

She stayed silent on the topic of her mother, not quite wanting to bring it up. She knew some people wouldn't understand. They always pretended to, of course, but they didn't. Not that she wasn't used to letting them think that she didn't know they were lying, she just didn't want to deal with it right now. Tonight was not turning out anything like she planned. But, she held back the tears. She wouldn't cry in front of this stranger, not if she could help it.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sinclair]

"Light, right."Sinclair nodded, not sure why he hadn't thought of that in the first place. As it so happened, he did have a light. What kind of fool would knowingly walk around in the dark- in fact, plan on doing so before he ever even left in the wee hours of the morning- and not have a flashlight? He fished one out of his jeans pocket. It was a black, metal flashlight and wasn't very large, but he didn't care. He twisted the top of it so that the light came on, then he tapped the back of it to urge the batteries to let the light shine brighter, which they did, before he handed it to the little girl. It was one used to look into furnaces, small enough to stick into holes but big enough that it wasn't a pinpoint light by any means. No, no, actually it was just a bit smaller than a regular plastic flashlight, only it didn't have the bulk of the plastic casing.

"That's the best I can do,"Sinclair stated, but he figured that it'd make her feel better to at least see him. Then, thinking back to the way she'd stammered, he pulled of his coat and offered it to the little girl, figuring that he could tolerate the cold better than the little girl could. Besides, he'd dressed fairly warm in a long sleeved sweater, that even if he gave it to her he wasn't going to die of hypothermia in the next twenty minutes. He thought he should at least explain why he was handing it to her, though. He didn't have much experience with kids to put it simply, so spelling it out for her seemed natural to him.

"You look cold, Princess- you should use my coat to keep warm."Sinclair stated, trying to speak in a soothing voice. That came natural, too, speaking in a way that would disarm others. The reason he had to work at it was because he was fighting the urge to talk to her like she was just a baby. She didn't give him a reason to, she was just so small that it seemed the right thing to do. And yet he was trying to make a good impression on her. Imagine that, him, actually wanting some little girl he'd probably never see again, to like him. That was also the reason he wasn't insisting that she get up right this instant and follow him. Ordering her around, even if he meant well, was not the right way to go. He'd get his way, but he'd get it by being patient.

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

It had taken her a moment to actually grip the flashlight, but not too long, seeing as she could see the light it produced, making it easier to spot. She turned it, so it was on him and she could finally see him, albeit not particularly well, but well enough. Her smile, ever so small before, grew slightly. She was much more comfortable when she could see. She knew she would have to get used to it eventually -- Her sight got worse with each passing week, and it was only a matter of time before she became fully blind. The disease didn't normally progress this fast, but, then again, it varied with each person, and neither she nor Lore had the money to get the vitamin she needed to slow it's progress.

She hesitated to take his coat; To drape it around her shoulders, she'd have to put the precious light down, something she wanted desperately to hold onto. In the end, she clutched it with one hand and let it fall over her lap. If it had been her light, perhaps she would have held it with her mouth, however it wasn't she she did have manners, even for a street brat. Her bag, as a result of her hands being used, fell to her side, but she didn't care. It held nothing of real value. That was the bracelet on her wrist, and the money in her pocket, whatever little left there was after the plane ticket and train ride.

Thank you, bath ddyn.

She replied softly, still rather uncertain but much more relaxed now that she could at least see a little. She flicked the light away for a moment so she could see her bag, and she balanced the flashlight on it as she finally put the coat around her shoulders, all the while keeping an eye on him. She knew the best way to lose something to a thief was to take her eyes off them. Lore had also made sure of that, including that she trust no one, no matter how kind. He had used that tactic before, too.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

--- bath ddyn: kind man, welsh ---

[Sinclair]

For Sinclair it was odd to have the light on him instead of on her, but he knew she was there because the light was there and that was good enough. Now, if she ran off with his light he might be a little annoyed. Not that he'd been using it anyway. It was just the idea of it.

Sinclair noted the hesitance, but he didn't think much of it. He was a stranger and chances were he was twice her age, too, or pretty close. He continued to hold it out to her anyway, patiently waiting. Then, finally she took it and he smiled triumphantly only to be met by a thank you and something else. . .When she said the word he didn't recognize his first thought was that he misjudged her, and that maybe he should be speaking to her like a small child after all. But whatever, he wasn't going to go back now. And beyond that weird word, she had been doing pretty well when it came to communicating with him. Honestly, he was impressed. When the light was moved away from him, he sat back slightly, mildly curious now. But all she seemed to want to do was put on the coat and it seemed she couldn't do it with the light in her hand. Haha, cute. He relaxed once more, not bothering to take his own eyes off of her though he had an entirely different reason, of course.

"So why are you out here on such a cold and dark night?"Sinclair asked softly, more out of curiosity than anything. He was hoping the question would give way to some hint of where someone would be that could be looking for her. After all, eight year old kids didn't usually just show up at night with backpacks in the general vacinity of the train station. He'd know, he'd been a resident of Bayville for many years now. Kids did show up with backpacks when they were running to Xaviers, though, because Xavier's was a haven, a safe spot. And though she didn't look much like a mutant by any means, Sinclair was sure that this little girl was here because of an unnatural power. Now, he could be wrong, and he had been. For all he knew it was possible that she was running away from home and hadn't made it to the train station before dark, losing her way. That would explain why his first offer of finding her mother or helping her find her way home went unanswered. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more that the idea seemed to fit. So now what? How could a person go about forcing a little girl to go back home without upsetting her? He'd have to trick her, but he wasn't exactly equipped with anything to aid in that area. Hm. He'd just have to improvise.

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

If her eyesight had been better, perhaps she would have noticed his confusion on the words she had used, the ones that came so naturally to her, especially in mixture with English. She had never spoken fully in welsh, nor did she want to. No one else ever did, either.

I was coming to find 'm chyfaill -- erm, my friend. He came here so that he only had to pay to feed me, instead of both of us. He's staying at Xavier's.

She explained carefully, trying to make as much sense as possible. It was a bit hard to follow, really, if one didn't have the background information, but she wasn't quite sure how to explain it, entirely, at least, not without breaking down again, as she had when she met Lore. It was still a bit of a touchy topic, her parents. She looked away for a moment, though, fingering the bracelet.

He doesn't know I was coming.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sinclair]

"Ah, the institute,"Sinclair nodded. The institute wasn't exactly his favorite place to be, nor one that he was really allowed to go to since he was a lone mutant. But he knew where it was, and for an eight year old girl, of course he'd break the rules. Or, well, he'd be willing to take her there, not to go inside.. Maybe he would have been more 'alright' for him to go there if he hadn't already convinced himself that he would be an archangel eventually.The X-Men weren't likely to change his mind before he acted on his original impulse. But the archangel affiliation did not make Sinclair evil by any means; he wasn't. He was someone who believed in progress and change, someone who saw the archangel in terms of how they chould change the world, regardless as to if it were for better or worse. All the X-Men were doing was putting a halt to progress and playing school, at least if you asked Sinclair.

Sinclair would have asked who her friend was in hopes that he knew him, but the fact that he was an X-Men kept him from wanting to. Sinclair had more than a few enemies on the X-Men side and if this girl happened to know someone he really didn't like, Sinclair wasn't so sure he'd want to be anywhere near her when she went into the institute. Not that he wouldn't still lead her. . .

"You came here on your own?"Sinclair questioned, more surprised than anything. He'd came here when he was twelve and it had been terrifying, but she had done it on her own and she seemed much younger. Realizing that she might take it the wrong way, he quickly added,"I just mean- that was brave. I came here on my own, too, when I was younger. I was older than you are now and I was pretty scared."

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

Lyra nodded vigorously when he asked if she came here on her own, giggling a bit at his own little tale. She hadn't been scared of coming, though the plane of course, with it's size and mass of people had been a bit scary. The engines, which had sounded like thunder, certainly hadn't helped, but she had been sitting next to a very nice old lady and her husband, and they'd even bought her own of those little packages of candy from the airplane people. She rarely got candy, and so had savored every little M&M that had been in the package.

The crowds are the same everywhere you go, an' I'm used to being in 'em alone. And it was bringing me closer to Lore, so I didn't mind much.

She replied, only her mention of being in crowds alone giving any hint that she wasn't a runaway, but, in fact, an orphan. Lore often tried to hide it, so she wouldn't be taken away into some sort of welfare system, but she didn't really understand that if that happened she would likely never see him again, so she didn't really try to hide anything very much.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sinclair]

"Ah, I guess you're right."Sinclair nodded, referring to her saying that the crowds were the same everywhere. Before coming out here on his own, he'd lived in a large city with way too many people, and yet, he rarely seemed to venture into the crowd. He was always close to his family or friends, never alone. It wasn't fear, it was just pure disinterest in blending in to be part of the crowd. Besides, he had nightmares of getting lost because of a crowd of people.

Sinclair didn't have much to say about her referring to someone named Lore. He presumed that was who she was looking for, and that was fine with him, but he hadn't met him. Because he hadn't met him, he didn't know what to say, really. That was why he came up with something- basically whatever his mind thought of first, that was what he voiced.

"So Lore, he's who you came to find,"Sinclair questioned, though it was more for clarity rather than a real question,"It sounds like you came a very long way. The place he's at, Xavier's, it's a safe place in this town." Sinclair wouldn't have been able to explain what he wanted the little girl to say, really. He didn't want her to say anything in particular.

"Anyway, I bet he'll be happy to see you."Sinclair added. How could someone not be happy to see such a cute little girl?

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

Lyra simply listened, waited. She really didn't have anything to reply with, and she was beginning to realize just how very tired she still was, despite her nap on the train that had nearly made her miss her stop. She was about to reply, tell him Lore would, indeed, be very happy to see her, when it was cut off with a yawn, which she quickly used her hands to cover. Her reply had been forgotten, and as a result, infinitely shortened.

Mhm.

She unfolded her legs and, grabbing the flashlight and her bag, stood up. She had to get a taxi, or something. It was late(or, rather, extremely early, but there was no difference in her mind yet), though, and she really had no idea where she was going. She would have looked around, to get a bit of a bearing, but it would have been futile. The light was not powerful enough to give her more than vague, blurry blobs, if that, unless the objects were closer, like he was.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sinclair]

Sinclair knew he wasn't doing well before she reacted, but to see that she really couldn't respond to him was making him nervous. Why did she have to be so little? His peers weren't intimidating, adults weren't usually, but she made him uneasy. It was really a question of what one would say to such a little girl. What did she like? What didn't she like? What did she know, and what didn't she know? Sinclair could not answer that question.

"Uhhmm,"he mumbled. Seeing her stand up- or rather the flashlight rise- made him remember that he was supposed to help her to get to the institute. "If you want, I can lead you to the Xavier institute."Sinclair offered, getting to his feet, too. Partially he said it because he didn't want to walk alone in the dark now that his feelings had settled, and partially because he was afraid that she would get herself lost if he let her go off on her own.

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

She swung her bag back over her shoulder, looking out and seeing pure blackness without the light of the flashlight. Most believed it was just the fact it was dark, but it wasn't. She knew that. She turned her gaze back toward him, this time finding she had to point the flashlight up so she could see his face, then she smiled slightly.

'Kay.

She really had no idea which way to head, of course, so she simply stood there, waiting, spinning the flashlight around to take in what little it allowed her to see, however blurry. It was only after a few moments did she remember her manners, and turned back to face him, somewhat sheepish smile on her face.

Oh, uhm, thank you.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Sinclair]

Sinclair had spent five years of his life in this town and it wasn't the first time he'd spent a night outside. His eyes had adjusted a fair bit to the darkness, making him not completely blind, which was perfect for him. He could at least make out the outline of the road, the change in the surface of sorts.

"Let's cross this road, and then we'll go this way-"Sinclair pointed as he spoke, but he quickly corrected himself and offered the direction,"South,". It wasn't a terribly long walk, fortunately. Sinclair didn't take her hand, he didn't tell her come on, he just started walking across the street. Considering the time, no one was driving on the street at that particular moment, and SInclair had the striking suspicion that only a very few would be coming anytime soon, anyway.

"The building isn't hard to spot- it's like a mansion."Sinclair stated in way of conversation."But you have to be careful, they don't like when people try to break in. You should go to the front door, otherwise you might set off the alarms," That Sinclair knew first hand. In fact, he'd done it many times when he was younger just to see the reaction. He'd coaxed cats, dogs, even rats into the Xavier's yard. Since people could turn into animals, it wasn't something to take lightly.

[Coldfire]

lyra smith
WE’RE NOT THAT DIFFERENT
why can't they understand the way we feel
they just don't trust what they can't explain i know
we're different but, deep inside us we're not that
different at all and you'll be in my heart

[/color]

It was only the blur of movement that told her where to go, along with the sound of his footsteps against the pavement. She did all she could to keep up, knowing if she didn't stay within a few feet she wouldn't be able to see him, despite the light in her hand.

She listened, silent, as he spoke, not really finding anything to reply to, just making soft, affirmative noises to let him know she'd heard what he had said and comprehended it. She knew all about traps. She had a feeling that Lore would purposely sneak in, just for the thrill. Yeah, she could picture him doing that. And he would have nothing to lose, except his life, which he'd never really considered. He never would. Even she knew he was too "almighty" in his own mind for him to even think of such a thing. The speech he would give her if he heard her doubting him made her smile, though. He was never serious about it. He just felt the need to "defend his honor and dignity", as he put it. She did finally figure out something to say, feeling like she should. He was doing all the talking, after all.

Don't matter how big it is, it it's night. Unless there's enough light, I won't see it. Lore says its called night blindness.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]