Sword and Shield | E. Lehnsherr

6. Wrong Choice

A week of training, and Ria has remained strong. Charles approaches her each day just after lunch—after she has fed everyone—and she always tells him no. She does not want to train. She does not want to be pushed. She knows they have a war to stop, but, no, she does not want to show off. Sure, she assists with everyone else's training, serving as target practice for Alex and shoving Sean off a satellite with Erik. A majority of the time, she teaches Raven and anyone else who wanders in basics of combat, though it always leaves her feeling numb.

Ria knows it cannot last. Nothing good ever does. Life is only meaningful because it is fleeting, the same with pain and happiness. If it lasted forever, punitive human minds would adapt and block it out. Ria knows what forever looks like; she wouldn't wish that hell on anyone else.

Forever is simply another word for soullessness. The human mind—mutant or otherwise—is not built to withstand for long. Her mind stopped aging when she did at the ripe, old age of twenty-five, but she can still feel forever's effects. What's worse, she has seen what forever does to others: it strips humanity from loving, kind creatures, replacing their empty husk with rage and loathing.

When she woke in the morning, she had felt the world's tensions coming to a point. She spent the whole day in the kitchen making an extravagant dinner once again, only this time, she was frantic. Nothing felt right or calming; it just felt wrong.

With more cookies in the oven (she had tried so many different kinds, the others must be sick of her experiments by now), Ria wanders around the house with the alarm clock clutched in her hands. It ticks incessantly, but she finds herself breathing in time with it easily, her heart still beating abnormally fast.

Only when she passes by a window does she pause, her breath catching. So many mutants had grown here—Alex had controlled his energy, Sean learned to fly, Hank has almost embraced his power—and now, it seems, Erik will join them.

The survivor stands beside Charles with his hand outstretched towards the large satellite dish off in the distance. His laughter echoes through her mind as the satellite moves. Her lips part in shock as happiness floods her system. She had seen Erik smile, even tease, but never laugh like this.

"Ria!"

With a short gasp, Ria turns to see Raven at the end of the hall. "Yes?"

"The president's about to make his speech."

She glances back at Erik once more before she hurries after Raven into the drawing room. Most of the mutants and Moira are already gathered before the rather large television as Ria leans her back against a bookshelf, holding herself back from joining the majority of the group.

As Raven joins the others, Charles and Erik saunter in, both going to the empty chairs almost instantly. Both send her a nod when they notice her which she returns, though her bouncing leg quickly draws their attention away from her face.