Here are the answers to the Nightcrawler Quiz I wrote up over at viewthread.php?tid=5019
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1) a: A Boggie
2) c: Peter Parker
3) b: The Texas millionaire who bought Nightcrawler’s circus
4) c: Drunk
5) d: To preserve Professor Xavier’s Dream so it wouldn’t die along with the X-Men
6) a: Riptide
7) d: Cerise, warrior of the Ghrand Jhar, genestock of Subruki Zarstok and Kuli Ka with the power to generate malleable energy fields of coherent light force that obey her will
8) b: Brushing his teeth
9) b: Nightcrawler’s Technet; Excalibur
10) c: He sulked in the mansion, competing against a hologram version of his mutant self
BONUS QUESTION: b) Stark Industries
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
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Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Wow, that was hard...I got 8/10!
Number 6 & 9 killed me!
But...
That's a 'B', thus well above average...
Good show, my good man! Er..woman!
Number 6 & 9 killed me!
But...
That's a 'B', thus well above average...
Good show, my good man! Er..woman!
25 And the Lord spake unto the Angel that guarded the eastern gate, saying Where is the flaming sword which was given unto thee?
26 And the Angel said, I had it here only a moment ago, I must have put it down some where, forget my own head next.
27 And the Lord did not ask him again.
~Good Omens
http://www.nataliedee.com/ and http://www.toothpastefordinner.com
26 And the Angel said, I had it here only a moment ago, I must have put it down some where, forget my own head next.
27 And the Lord did not ask him again.
~Good Omens
http://www.nataliedee.com/ and http://www.toothpastefordinner.com
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Got 'em all, though i had to think about a few...
meddle not in the affairs of ficcers for you are malleable and easily .... O_o *stares* ooh is that a cookie?
Love your enemies - It will drive them nuts!
Crazy.... but in the nicest possible way....
To Stupidityyyyy - and beyond!
*after reading the latest gory/depressing "mainstream" comic* ....*sigh* that's it, I'm packin' up and moving back to the Eighties...
Love your enemies - It will drive them nuts!
Crazy.... but in the nicest possible way....
To Stupidityyyyy - and beyond!
*after reading the latest gory/depressing "mainstream" comic* ....*sigh* that's it, I'm packin' up and moving back to the Eighties...
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Arcane-angel
- Lubber
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- Joined: Sun May 29, 2005 4:14 pm
- Location: FloriDUH
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
whoa that was hard. I really had to think about those. missed three. Got the bonus though!!
"I've got a dungeon masters guide
I've gotta twelve sided dice
I've got kitty pryde
and nightcrawler too
waiting there for me
yes I do"
~"In the garage" Weezer
I've gotta twelve sided dice
I've got kitty pryde
and nightcrawler too
waiting there for me
yes I do"
~"In the garage" Weezer
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Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
YAY! I'm so glad you had fun with my quiz! I saw the challenge there and the questions just started popping into my head. I had a great time writing it up and trying it out on my Dad--who hardly knows anything about Nightcrawler! (He likes the Green Lantern--the old ones from when he was a kid.) Even so, he got an 80! Pretty impressive, huh?
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
-
Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
And now for something completely different.... 
OK, here at long last is the rest of Part Five! Sorry it took so long, and I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!
Kurt smiled to himself from behind the backstage curtain as he watched his foster sister remove her feathery headdress and cloak with a theatrical flourish and let them fall to the ground--demonstrating to the crowd how very high up she was. Amanda and Stefan’s routine was made up of three separate parts, each more challenging than the last. They started out with basic catches and flips and progressed slowly up to the grand finale: a death defying triple somersault performed without a safety net. Amanda and Chester had actually come up with the idea, but Margali had refused to allow it unless Stefan acted as his sister’s catcher. Her argument had been that if Jimaine insisted on risking her life, it would at least be in the hands of a family member. Amanda, Chester, and Stefan had argued strongly against the pairing, but as in all things when it came to her circus and her family, Margali’s rule was law.
As the crowd cheered Stefan’s first catch, Kurt peered around the backstage area, making sure he was alone. He always watched Amanda’s performances from a secret spot, high up among the shadows of the enormous tent’s canvas roof. Watching her on the trapeze was his guilty pleasure, a secret he couldn’t let anyone else know. If the truth about the feelings he harbored for his foster sister ever came out, Kurt was terrified that Margali would not only ban him from the trapeze, but cast him out of her family all together. Raising a fuzzy, blue mutant as a foster son was one thing. The idea of him dating her daughter was something entirely different. Not that Amanda had ever shown any signs that she saw him as anything other than a goofy little brother….
Kurt sighed deeply and shook his head, only to gasp in surprised pain as a searing pang shot through his temples, just behind his eyes. Pressing his palms to his head, he winced, breathing hard as the tent around him began to spin.
“Oh, God no,” he gasped, doubling up as the shooting pain intensified, causing his stomach to give a nauseous leap. “Please, not again. Not now!”
Too dizzy to stand, Kurt collapsed to the ground, squeezing his knees with his tail as he curled up into himself. The dim light filtering in from the other side of the curtain was suddenly blinding, the brightness searing his tearing eyes. Burying his face in his arms, Kurt tried to concentrate on taking in slow, steady breaths, hoping to calm his lurching stomach before the popcorn he had enjoyed so much at the movies made a sudden reappearance all over the floor.
It was already the third time that month he had been hit with a migraine so intense, and the occurrences were getting more and more frequent. So far, he had managed to keep his headaches a secret--he was too frightened of what might be causing them to tell Margali--but this was a very public place. In a few minutes, Chester and Tomas Vogel and their partners Alexi and Lukas would come in to wait for the cue to start their balancing act, and Stefan and Amanda would be soon to follow. If they found him like this….
“Oh my God, is that--? Kurt!”
The sound of Chester’s alarmed voice caused Kurt to groan. He’d been spotted.
In a flash, Chester was beside him, his words tumbling over themselves in his worry.
“Oh God, Kurt are you hurt? What happened? I almost didn’t see you there, it’s so dark! What’s the matter?”
Kurt groaned again, squinting out at his friend through a haze of brightness and pain. “Nothing happened,” he gasped out. “It’s just a headache, that’s all. It’ll pass soon….”
“Just a headache!” Tomas exclaimed, his deep frown an uncanny match for his father Sabu’s. “That doesn’t look like a simple headache to me. We should get Margali over here--“
“No, please!” Kurt cried, jerking himself upright, then instantly regretting it as his stomach gave another rebellious lurch. “I’ve had these before! It’ll go away in a few minutes, honest!”
Chester furrowed his brow, his concern now tinged with anger. “What do you mean you’ve had these before,” he demanded. “And you didn’t tell anyone? What kind of an idiot are you, Kurt? This could be serious!”
Kurt shook his head, relieved to find the sharp spikes behind his eyes were beginning to dull. The tent, too, had slowed its nauseating spinning. Taking a few deep breaths, he waited for his heart to stop pounding, then slowly rose to his feet.
“There, you see,” he said, fixing all four men with his most stubborn stare. “I’m fine. It was probably nothing more than a mild case of heatstroke or something. Those spotlights are hot, after all, and I am wearing a fur coat.”
Lukas and Alexi chuckled at that, but Chester remained concerned.
“That’s still dangerous,” he said. “If one of these headaches should hit you while you’re performing--“
“They won’t,” Kurt insisted firmly, his tail lashing in agitation.
“You can’t know that,” Chester retorted, just as firmly. “After the show, I’m going to tell Margali about this. If those lights are too hot for you, I’m sure something can be worked out.”
Kurt rolled his eyes to the ceiling and puffed out his cheeks, but finally gave in. “OK,” he said. “But I want to be the one to tell her. After all, I’m the only one who knows which lights are causing the problem.”
Chester looked wary for a moment, but ultimately nodded. Before he could say anything else, however, Kurt beat him to it.
“Great!” he said with a broad smile. Then, in a demonstration of his perfect health, the teenager dashed from the crowded space behind the curtain and into the main tent, keeping close to the shadows as he scurried up the nearest support pole to his secret spot. Now that he was feeling better, he didn’t want to miss Amanda’s grand finale.
*******
Stefan and Amanda's act was going well. They had already gone through the first two stages of the performance without a hitch and were now preparing for the big finish.
Amanda hooked her trapeze to the side of the ladder so it wouldn’t swing away, then glanced over her shoulder at her brother to be sure he was in position. Stefan was still sitting on his own trapeze with his back to her, pumping his legs to build up momentum. Amanda rolled her eyes as she hefted up the bar she needed for her last stunt and secured it in place over the ladder. She knew he was moving so slowly just to annoy her. Normally, he was ready to go before the announcer’s call for silence.
The bar secure, Amanda climbed into position and grabbed her waiting trapeze securely in her chalk-dusted hands. Raising her arm to signal she was ready--a signal which doubled as a wave to the cheering crowd--she took a deep breath and waited for her cue to jump.
Far below, Woodhead and his team of safety men dropped the net to the ground, sparking a wave of gasps and applause from the audience. A moment later, Sabu’s tinny voice rang out from the antique speaker system.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” he said. “The lovely Amanda Szardos is about to attempt the Infamous Triple: one of the most challenging and dangerous feats an acrobat can perform. Due to the extreme danger of this feat and the intense concentration she and her brother require, we ask that you all please maintain strict silence. Once again, due to the extreme danger of our next stunt, we ask that you all maintain perfect silence.”
Instantly, all noise from the crowd ceased. Amanda swallowed, fighting down the butterflies that always rose up when Sabu made that announcement. As if the sudden silence wasn’t unnerving enough, she didn’t need to be reminded of how dangerous the triple was!
But Amanda was a professional, and her nervousness was soon replaced with confidence. Shooting a quick smile at the breathless audience, she tracked her brother’s movements as he swung upside-down with his knees locked securely around the trapeze wire and his arms spread and ready for the catch. Stefan’s black eyes were dark with purpose, his expression intense with concentration as he stared up at her, waiting for her to make the leap. Something about his face sparked a queer twinge of trepidation in the pit of her stomach--but she didn’t have time for doubts. Her life literally depended on her focus during the next few seconds. Clearing her mind of all but the task ahead, Amanda waited until she was certain of the timing…and made her jump.
The metallic creaking of the swinging trapeze was almost deafening in the cavernous tent as Amanda kicked up her legs and swung back, reveling in the exhilaration of the wind rushing in her ears and the perfect control she felt over her actions.
Kurt grinned down at her from his invisible perch at the top of the slanted support beam, living the thrill along with her as she let go of the bar at the height of her next swing, grabbing onto her thighs and spinning around in mid-air. Once…twice…three times she spun, reaching out at the last moment to grab her brother’s wrists--
The crowd shot to its collective feet, clapping and shouting as the two siblings made an apparently solid contact in a puff of chalk dust. Amanda smiled up at Stefan, her blue eyes bright and sparkling--
But Stefan wasn’t smiling back. Amanda furrowed her brow in confusion, then gasped as barely an instant later their trapeze gave a sudden, sickening lurch. Apparently caught by surprise, Stefan lost his grip on her right hand, causing the crowd to gasp in alarm as they sank nervously back into their seats, as though afraid their outburst had caused the situation. Amanda stared up at Stefan in disbelief, grabbing for his hand only to miss by a margin so slight, it had to be deliberate. She glared at him, too furious to register fear as the trapeze’s motion grew ever more unstable. Her arm was starting to ache, her fingers slipping down her brother’s taped wrist--
“Don’t you dare,” she managed to strain through clenched teeth, alarmed by the complete lack of emotion in her brother’s dark eyes. “Don’t you let me go.”
“I--“ Stefan gasped, and for just a moment, Amanda saw a flash of terror contort his features. Her heart stopped, her own rapidly rising panic too overwhelming to process as her fingers slipped even further. Stefan closed his eyes, his pale face reddening as he roared out, “I can’t…!”
Time seemed to slow as Amanda's fingertips slid from her brother's hand. Her mouth opened in shock, a horrified scream tearing from her throat as she began to fall.
Kurt stared in utter shock, unable to understand what he had just seen. Stefan had caught her! He had seen it! What could have happened? How could he have just…let her go! Kurt gasped, the terrible realization finally crystallizing in his mind as Amanda’s shrieks merged with the screaming of his heart.
“Oh God, please…please no! Not Jimaine!”
Acting purely on instinct spawned by horror, Kurt focused all his concentration on Amanda’s falling form. Suddenly, he felt something--an odd pulling sensation at the back of his mind, as though he were flexing a muscle he didn’t even know he had. Fixing his eyes on the rapidly diminishing space between his foster sister and the ground below, Kurt felt an odd, cold sensation pass through him. It chilled him to the marrow, leaving him weak and nauseous and very, very frightened. But before he had time to panic, Kurt inexplicably found himself falling through the air with the screaming Amanda only a few inches above him. There was a peculiar smell in the air…almost like rotten eggs…but there wasn’t time to think about that. With split-second reflexes, Kurt reached out his arms, catching her in a secure hold and wrapping his tail around her waist for added support. Then, focusing on the platform above their heads, Kurt flexed the same mental ‘muscle’ as before, shivering slightly at the peculiar residual tingle it left in his brain.
This time, the sick, nauseous feeling was even worse. It was like he was fighting his way up a steep hill against a powerful, icy wind. Kurt closed his eyes, squeezing Amanda tightly to him and forcing all his concentration into picturing the safety of the platform. Less than a moment later, the wind stopped and the dragging force disappeared. Opening his eyes, he saw that both he and Amanda were standing on the platform, still locked in their desperate, clinging embrace.
Exhausted and drained in a way he had never thought possible, Kurt collapsed to his knees, taking his foster sister with him. Grabbing onto the nearest rung of the ladder, Kurt leaned his forehead against his arm, drawing in deep, gasping breaths as he fought to make the overpowering nausea to leave him. This experience had been even worse than the migraine of only minutes before, and from the looks of things, Amanda felt little better than he did. Even so, her blue eyes were wide with amazement and fear as she focused on the exhausted mutant before her.
"K-Kurt!" she stuttered, her voice trembling with trepidation. "Wh-what just happened? How did we get up here?"
Kurt shook his head, his yellow eyes just as wide and fearful as her blue ones. "I don't know!" he panted, his adolescent voice cracking with emotion. "I have no idea, Amanda! All I know is that Stefan… He--he dropped you and I—I couldn't just sit there. I couldn't let you die!" He shuddered deeply, fixing her with a terrified glance.
"I know I did something, Amanda," he said. "I know I did it on purpose, that it came from me. But I have no idea what it was!"
Amanda stared at him, clearly not sure what to think, but before she could say anything, a bright spotlight was suddenly shining in their faces. Shielding their eyes, Amanda and Kurt climbed to their feet, gradually recalling that they still had an audience. Far below them, Sabu Vogel was saying something to the cheering crowd. Stefan was standing beside him, his expression inscrutable. Then, Sabu turned his long, curling mustache up to face them.
"Go on and take a bow, you two!" he called with a broad smile, though his dark eyes were red-rimmed with the aftereffects of his own terror.
Confused and greatly disoriented, the two teenagers bowed in the direction of a cheering audience they could not see. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the bright spotlight was gone, leaving Kurt and Amanda dazzled and half-blind.
"Come on, Amanda," Kurt said as his eyes slowly regained their sight. "Let's get out of here. I'll walk you to the trailer."
Amanda nodded confidently enough, but Kurt could see her hands were still shaking. Deeply concerned, he started down the rope ladder first to make sure he'd be in a position to catch her in case she fell. Fortunately, they reached the ground without incident, and from there it was a simple matter to slip unnoticed from the tent. The clowns had already begun their juggling routine and Chester and his group were gathering up their large, interlocking metal hoops in preparation for their balancing act. After all, it was the circus and, no matter the trauma, the show had to go on.
*******
Margali, Bethica, and Woodhead were already there to meet them when Kurt and Amanda arrived at the Szardos family's trailer. As soon as she set eyes on her daughter, Margali rushed over to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. For once, Amanda did not pull away.
"Oh, Jimaine, thank God you're safe!" she whispered, too overcome to speak any louder. "When I saw you falling, I could see--I thought for sure--"
"Mom, don't," Amanda said gently, stroking her mother's back. "I'm OK."
Margali raised her tear-filled eyes from her daughter's shoulder to look at Kurt. "Kurt, what did you do?" she asked, her voice filled with wonder and confusion. "That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! You appeared from out of nowhere to catch her in midair! It was a true miracle!"
Kurt took a step back, his edges melting into the shadows, his yellow eyes troubled and fearful.
"I honestly don't know," he confessed, his voice trembling slightly. "It was like nothing I have ever felt before.” Margali crinkled her brow, confused and a little worried.
“What do you mean?” she asked. Kurt grabbed his lashing tail, twisting the spade in his hands as he tried to explain how he’d felt.
“I was so scared when Stefan lost his grip on her,” he said softly. “I prayed to God with all my strength that I might be able to save her. Then, suddenly, I was there beside her, falling! So I caught her and made the same kind of wish again. And somehow, there we were, standing on the platform with the spotlight shining in our eyes.”
Margali nodded, but it was obvious she still didn’t understand. The others shared uncomfortable glances. Kurt squeezed his tail harder, his own unease growing.
“Look,” he said, “that’s what happened! I looked down at the place where Amanda was and, suddenly, I was there! But…” he started, his eyes suddenly stinging with frightened tears. “But it wasn't a good feeling, like a gift that might have come from God. It was cold and awful and it made my whole head tingle, like there were all these little bugs running over my brain. And I was so tired, Mama. I felt so sick and dizzy, like all the energy had been drained from my body. It was the most horrible experience I have ever had!"
Margali, Amanda, Woodhead, and Bethica stared at him, clearly unsure of what to say. Kurt could feel his shoulders shaking; his chest was constricting with fear.
“And…and that’s not all,” he admitted with difficulty. “When it was over…” His breath hitched and he quickly scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. “When it was over, I am certain I smelled sulfur.”
He looked up then, his golden eyes wide and desperate. "What if I am not a mutant after all?" he asked, his trembling voice cracking. "What if I am not human?! What if everyone else is right and I really am a—a demon? Where else could this awful power have come from? Please, tell me that!"
Margali shook her head, her violet eyes focused on the shadowy outline of her nearly invisible foster son.
"I can't believe that, Kurt," she said, her voice firm. "I can not believe that you are a demon. You are a good, kind boy, one of the kindest, most giving people I have ever known. If you discovered this new power of yours in response to a prayer, I cannot believe that it came from an evil source.”
Kurt opened his mouth, but Margali pressed on before he could speak.
“And even if it did,” she said, “as long as you use this ability only for good, as you did when you saved my daughter's life, evil will never be able to get a hold on you."
Woodhead nodded his agreement. Kurt shook his head. "But, you weren't there!” he protested. “You didn't feel it!"
"I," Bethica started. Then, she broke off and looked at her feet.
"What is it, Bethica?" Margali asked, her voice stern. The costume mistress looked up, her expression uncertain.
"Well," she said, "when I was younger I knew this boy: Karl. Karl Mowatt, I think his name was. We had known each other since we were ten years old and he'd always seemed perfectly normal. Only, one day, when we were both thirteen, he didn't come to school. He didn't come back for an entire week. The rumor was that he had been playing ball near a well when he fell in. Somehow, he had charged the water with electricity. It caused a massive explosion. He wasn't hurt very badly, but after that people began to avoid him. Soon, he was asked to leave the school. My parents told me he was a mutant, but he'd never shown any signs of any powers at all before that day. So, I was thinking, maybe you have to be a teenager before your mutant powers appear."
Kurt's yellow eyes widened as he listened to Bethica's story. When she finished, he took a small step forward.
"Do you really think that's what it could be?" he asked nervously. "Do you really think I could have 'mutant powers'?”
Bethica shrugged helplessly. "I don't know anything about mutants or powers," she said. "I'm just telling you what I heard. Besides, it's a more likely explanation than any of the others, I think."
"No matter what it is, Kurt," Margali said, "you did a wonderful thing tonight. If you hadn't been there to do whatever it is you did, Amanda wouldn't be here with us right now."
Amanda turned to her mother, her eyes wide with surprise. "Mom!" she exclaimed. "You called me Amanda!"
"Margali Szardos?" an unfamiliar voice called from the darkness near the trailer before Margali could reply to her daughter. The small group turned to face the stranger as he strode up to them.
"Are you Margali Szardos, the owner of this circus?" the tall, unabashedly fat man inquired. Margali nodded, her slender bracelets jingling as she held out her hand.
"Yes, sir. I am. How may I help you?"
The man grasped her hand and pumped it enthusiastically. "How may you help me?" he asked with a boisterous laugh. "No, no, no, my dear lady, the question is how may I help you!"
Margali smiled, though her sharp eyes were narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"That spectacular show you put on tonight!" the man explained, gesticulating expansively with his arms as he spoke. "When that boy dropped that girl I thought for sure there was going to be a catastrophe. But then, that demon boy appeared out of thin air and caught her! It was the most amazing, heart-stopping trick I have ever seen, and I don't even want to know how you managed it; I don't want to ruin it. I came here tonight as a talent scout. I'm looking for acts to perform in the Munich Circus, and I think yours is the winner!"
Amanda gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God, Mom, that's the big time! It's what we've always been waiting for!"
Margali was not so quick to show her excitement, however. "What about my circus?" she asked. "What will happen here if I allow my star attraction to leave for Munich?"
The man shook his head with a broad grin. "No, no, no, you misunderstand me, dear lady! I'm asking if you would like to join your circus to ours. You would still run it, only we'd choose where you perform and you would adopt our name--in essence becoming a subsidiary of the Munich Circus, one branch among dozens. Think of the places you could see: Rome, Paris, London, Lisbon, Berlin, Prague, Barcelona! And so many more. What do you say?"
Amanda was practically jumping up and down, her blue eyes shining. Kurt remained silently invisible in the shadow of the trailer, still too shaky and uncertain about his newfound abilities to contribute to the conversation. Bethica and Woodhead waited patiently for Margali to come to a decision.
"Well," she said after a moment. "I'd need to think about it for a while, maybe speak with a few more people from your circus, but as for right now I think I can give you a conditional yes."
Amanda squealed with delight, embracing Bethica and dancing in place. "I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "We've actually made it! At last, we're moving to the big time!"
The man grinned at her, then turned back to Margali. "Here's my card," he said, handing her a small, rectangular piece of stiff paper. "My name is Rudolph Klein, no joke intended," he said with a smile, referring to his size. Though his name meant ‘small,’ Rudolph Klein was well over six feet with a waistline to match.
"Call me tomorrow and we'll see if we can work out a contract," he said. "And tell that demon kid, that Blue Lightening, his act was one of the best I've ever seen, but he needs to change his name. With a costume like that, he needs something darker, more sinister. Just a little friendly advice. Believe me, it'll attract a bigger crowd if he does."
With that he turned from the small group, calling over his shoulder as he headed for the small clearing where the spectators parked their cars, "Don't forget to call me!"
Once he was gone, Margali finally allowed herself to show her excitement.
"I can hardly believe he was real!" she laughed reading and re-reading the card he'd given her. "But his credentials are all right here! Kurt!"
Margali looked around, unable to locate her foster son. "Kurt, where did you go?"
Amanda peered around the trailer, then came back to her mother. "I bet he's in a tree somewhere," she said. "He always climbs a tree when he's upset."
"But, Amanda, what has he got to be upset about?" Margali asked, still too excited to consider the motivations of a troubled teenager. "He's going to be the star of the Munich Circus! Because of him, we're all headed for the big time! We'll travel to all the great cities of Europe!"
"I know, Mom," Amanda said. "But think what got us this gig. Kurt's already upset about his new powers and almost at once, everyone's depending on him to use them in public! Not only that, but he's got to change his stage name. 'Something sinister,' that man said, to go with his appearance. How do you think that made him feel? Especially after what he's been through tonight?"
Margali's face fell as understanding dawned. She sighed softly, nodding. "You're right," she said. "I'll go find him. Bethica, you oversee the clean-up tonight, OK?"
Bethica nodded. Amanda stepped forward. "Mom, I want to go too. I still haven't thanked him for saving my life."
Margali looked into her daughter's sincere face, then nodded. "All right, Amanda. Let's go find Kurt."
*******
Amanda had been right. They found Kurt hanging upside down by his tail high in one of the tallest pine trees Margali had ever seen. It was located some distance from the camp, right near a seldom used dirt road. It took a strong flashlight and almost twenty-five minutes of calling to locate him.
"I'm up here," he called down, his voice frustrated and annoyed. Amanda shone her flashlight up into the branches of the tall tree until the light reflected off his yellow eyes.
"Mom!" she called, "I found him!"
Margali ran over to her daughter, then looked up at her foster son. "Kurt, we need to talk. Why don't you come down from there?"
"I wanted to be alone for a while," he responded. "I've got a lot of things to think about."
"I know, sweetheart," Margali called up. "That's what we have to talk about."
There was silence for a moment, then Kurt spoke again. "I don't even know if I can make another jaunt like that again," he said, his voice breaking slightly. "I don't even know if I want to. It was so awful!"
"Maybe you won't have to, honey," Margali said.
"But I will!" Kurt retorted. "That's why that Klein guy wants us to join up with the Munich Circus. He thought it was part of the act! If he knew the truth, that it really was all a horrible accident, he'd take his offer back in a flash! He wouldn't even have to think about it!"
Margali shook her head in frustration. "Kurt, did you ever think that maybe your new power is a blessing? That maybe, if you practice at it, the bad feelings will go away? Maybe it's like exercising a new muscle. It hurts at first, but then it only gets stronger."
Kurt didn't reply. For a long time, the only sounds were the chirping of the crickets and the rustle of the wind through the pines.
"Kurt?" Amanda called up at last, uncharacteristically hesitant. "I didn't really tell you before. I guess I was too, well, scared. But, I wanted to thank you for saving my life. Even though that weird jaunt thing you did made me nauseous, it wasn't as bad as you say. I think your power really is a blessing. After all, if you hadn't used it tonight, I would probably be dead right now."
From somewhere high above them, there came a faint, sniffing sound. "I could never let anything happen to you, Amanda," Kurt's voice came down, soft and sincere. "I....I love you."
Amanda smiled up into the darkness where her foster brother was hanging. "I love you too, Kurt. You're my favorite brother, honestly."
Although her sincere words were meant to be kind, they went through Kurt's heart like a dagger.
"We both love you," Margali called up, also misunderstanding his meaning. "You're an important part of our family, Kurt."
Kurt nodded invisibly among the pine branches. When Margali spoke again, her voice was soft and compassionate.
"Come on down, my little night crawler," she said. "No matter what happens, even if you decide not to accept Herr Klein's offer, I'll understand and I won't force you to. No one will hold it against you if you don't want to use your powers, I promise. If it's going to make you this miserable, perhaps it's better to stay as we are."
"No," Kurt said, his answer a surprise not only to Amanda and Margali but also to himself. "No," he repeated, more confident this time. "I want to join the Munich Circus. It's what we've always worked for. It's like you said before, if I only use my power for good, evil can never get a hold on me. I'll work on controlling it, Mama, and maybe it will get easier with practice. Watch this."
There was a strange sound of imploding air high above them. Less than a moment later, the sound reoccurred, much louder this time. It was accompanied by a swirling cloud of sulfurous smoke which smelled the same as if someone had just struck all the matches in a matchbook at once. Kurt was now standing next to them, panting slightly with the effort of teleporting.
"There," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. "I did it! And it was a little easier. But, maybe that's because I was jaunting down this time. Before, when I was jaunting up to the platform, I felt this force pushing against me. Maybe it was gravity?"
Margali and Amanda smiled at him, relieved to see his mood improving.
"Then, you really do want us to take Herr Klein up on his offer, Kurt?" Margali asked gently.
Kurt nodded, then realized they couldn't see him well enough to register the gesture.
"Yeah," he said. "I'll even change my stage name like he said. Now that I can jaunt around, I should have a new name."
"Like what?" Amanda asked, interested.
"Well,” he frowned thoughtfully. “Herr Klein suggested that it should be something sinister, to bring in the spectators. But, I don't really want a sinister name. Just because I look like a demon doesn't mean I want to have a name like one."
Margali looked up at him, her violet eyes bright with sudden inspiration. "I know the perfect name," she said, the smile evident in her voice. Kurt and Amanda turned to her. Once she was sure she had their attention, she made her grand suggestion, waving her arm in front of her as though she was reading out a name that was already in lights.
"How about The Incredible Nightcrawler?"
Amanda was aghast. "What, you mean like a worm? Gross!"
"No, Amanda," Kurt said, shaking his head. "Not like that at all." He smiled, his pointed teeth gleaming in the beam of the flashlight. "I love it, Mama," he said.
Suddenly, his entire demeanor brightened as he took up one of his favorite hero poses from the movies: his back straight, his chin raised, and his hands on his hips. "From now on," he announced grandly, "I shall be known to my public as the Incredible Nightcrawler!"
Amanda shook her head. "Hey, suit yourself,” she said. “But I still don't get it."
"You don't have to, honey," Margali said with a smile. "It's something special between me and Kurt."
Kurt grinned, but he took a step closer to Amanda. "I don't mind telling her, Mom," he said, turning to his foster sister.
"You know how sometimes I go out at night and I don't come back for a few hours?"
Amanda shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I'm usually asleep, but I've heard Mom complaining about it."
"Well, that’s where the name came from; because always I crawl back to bed in the dead of night. No matter how quietly I sneak in, she always knows." His grin broadened. "But now that I can jaunt around, maybe things will be different."
Margali grinned back. "They certainly will. Because now that your jaunting powers have gotten us into the big time, you, Amanda, and Stefan will all be able to have your own trailers!"
The teenagers' eyes widened. "Wow! Our own trailers!" Kurt gasped.
"I've always wanted my own room," Amanda grinned.
Kurt's grin dimmed slightly as he caught an undercurrent to her comment that completely slipped by Margali. Once she had her own trailer, she'd have a place to bring her boyfriends. Kurt squeezed his eyes shut at the awful thought, trying to push his pain aside. Unfortunately, Amanda noticed his discomfort.
"Are you OK, Kurt?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. He could feel his face growing hot in response to her gentle touch and suddenly felt immensely grateful that his dark coloring made his blushing face all but invisible.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Come on, let's get back to camp. I only had popcorn for dinner, you know. I need some real food, and then I really need to get to bed. I don't know when I've ever felt so tired." He grinned as he turned to Margali. "At least you can be sure that I won't be doing any crawling around tonight!"
Margali smiled ironically, looking back to the pine tree. "Well, at least not any more than you've already done," she pointed out.
Kurt laughed. "Yeah. That's right!" Suddenly, his grin vanished. "Wait a minute, what about Stefan?" he asked. The others paused, their smiles vanishing as well.
"He must be feeling so awful," Margali said, bringing her hand to her mouth.
"We've got to talk to him," Kurt said, picking up his pace. "If he blames himself for the accident....well, you know how he gets about sins and stuff. He might try to hurt himself!"
"Oh, my God," Margali exclaimed, jogging to keep up with her foster son. "You don't really think he'd try anything rash, do you?"
Kurt shook his head. "No, he won't kill himself. Suicide is the only sin you can't be forgiven for. But Stefan can get pretty intense, you know? He likes the more old-fashioned view of religion and punishment. He would have made a great monk in the Middle Ages."
As her mother and foster brother hurried towards the camp, Amanda found herself lagging behind. She had a disturbing suspicion that Stefan had not dropped her by accident. He had caught her perfectly, she'd felt it. But then, he'd let go of her arm. Once he did that, he’d been unable to hold on to her with only one hand. That was how he'd made it look like such a convincing accident. She could almost have believed it herself if it hadn't been for something he'd said during their argument before the show. He'd said she'd have to pay for her sins in the next life. Amanda couldn't shake the disturbing feeling that Stefan had been trying to speed that payment along.
She knew she could never confess her suspicions to her mother, or even to Kurt. They loved Stefan too deeply. She would have to keep her secret to herself, and watch her brother very carefully from now on until she could gather enough proof of his disturbed mind to convince even Margali that he was dangerous and that he needed help.
*******
Margali burst into the family trailer, the force of her entry rattling the shelves and causing several books to fall to the floor. Groping for the nearest lamp, she flicked it, only to gasp at what the light revealed.
The place looked as though it had been ransacked. The colorful sheet that had divided Amanda and Margali’s sleeping area from Stefan and Kurt’s had been torn, and the eclectic contents of several overturned trunks were scattered all over the floor.
“Look at this,” Kurt said, squeezing around his stunned foster mother to pick up a small piece of paper from Stefan’s cot. “Stefan left a note.”
“What’s it say?” Amanda asked from the stairs, too uncomfortable to enter the trailer herself.
“Um, it’s kind of hard to read…” Kurt frowned, squinting at the hastily scribbled handwriting. “I think it says: I’m sorry. I can’t stay here any longer. Tonight was the finish? …oh, the final proof. I’m on my way to the monetary—sorry—monastery at Neuherzel to start a new life. Tell…oh—tell Kurt I will strive to keep up my end of the bargain. As long as he promises to remember his.”
He looked up, his golden eyes troubled. “And that’s it.”
Margali frowned. “What did he mean, ‘bargain’?” she demanded, clearly distraught. “What is all this nonsense?”
Kurt lowered his eyes, unable to answer. Noting his discomfort, Amanda spoke for him.
“It’s like I told you, Mom,” she said. “He wants to become a monk.” She sighed, placing a comforting hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Some people just aren’t cut out for the circus. It’s probably better this way.”
Kurt looked around, a strange, empty feeling filling his heart. Even though he’d known this day was coming for a long time, it was still hard to believe. Stefan, his brother, was gone. Turning back to Margali, he was surprised and deeply concerned to see tears glittering in her violet eyes.
“We could still go after him…” he started, but Margali shook her head, blinking her eyes dry with a deep, calming breath.
“No,” she said. “No, let him go. Let him be. If he doesn’t want to stay, I will not keep him here. Rather, I shall follow his example. It’s time we all packed up and left our old lives behind.”
“Mom?” Amanda said, confused. Margali smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder as she strode from the trailer.
“If you’ll both excuse me,” she said, “I must find Rudolph Klein to tell him we accept his offer. From this day forward, we are all members of the Munich Circus!”
_______________________________________________________
And now: A sneak preview from the Sixth and Final Part of Small Steps, Great Leaps!
Stefan looked up from where he was crouching in the dark, the ragged bristles on his pale, unshaven face catching the bright moonlight. For a moment, his expression was frozen in terror. Then, slowly, recognition crept into his wild eyes.
"Kurt!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet and holding his hands out to the shadowy figure standing by the wrought-iron gate. “Brother, is that you?"
Kurt did not respond; his glowing eyes fixed on the small mound of fresh earth next to the disheveled monk.
"What are you doing here?" Stefan continued after an awkward pause, his voice shaky.
Kurt raised his head, his yellow eyes direct and hard as they met Stefan's blood-shot black ones. Stefan recoiled slightly at the unnerving sight, pulling his arms protectively into his heavy cloak.
"How could you do it, Stefan," Kurt spoke at last, his voice rough and tight with emotion. “What could that child possibly have done?”
Stay Tuned!
Please Review!!!
OK, here at long last is the rest of Part Five! Sorry it took so long, and I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!
Kurt smiled to himself from behind the backstage curtain as he watched his foster sister remove her feathery headdress and cloak with a theatrical flourish and let them fall to the ground--demonstrating to the crowd how very high up she was. Amanda and Stefan’s routine was made up of three separate parts, each more challenging than the last. They started out with basic catches and flips and progressed slowly up to the grand finale: a death defying triple somersault performed without a safety net. Amanda and Chester had actually come up with the idea, but Margali had refused to allow it unless Stefan acted as his sister’s catcher. Her argument had been that if Jimaine insisted on risking her life, it would at least be in the hands of a family member. Amanda, Chester, and Stefan had argued strongly against the pairing, but as in all things when it came to her circus and her family, Margali’s rule was law.
As the crowd cheered Stefan’s first catch, Kurt peered around the backstage area, making sure he was alone. He always watched Amanda’s performances from a secret spot, high up among the shadows of the enormous tent’s canvas roof. Watching her on the trapeze was his guilty pleasure, a secret he couldn’t let anyone else know. If the truth about the feelings he harbored for his foster sister ever came out, Kurt was terrified that Margali would not only ban him from the trapeze, but cast him out of her family all together. Raising a fuzzy, blue mutant as a foster son was one thing. The idea of him dating her daughter was something entirely different. Not that Amanda had ever shown any signs that she saw him as anything other than a goofy little brother….
Kurt sighed deeply and shook his head, only to gasp in surprised pain as a searing pang shot through his temples, just behind his eyes. Pressing his palms to his head, he winced, breathing hard as the tent around him began to spin.
“Oh, God no,” he gasped, doubling up as the shooting pain intensified, causing his stomach to give a nauseous leap. “Please, not again. Not now!”
Too dizzy to stand, Kurt collapsed to the ground, squeezing his knees with his tail as he curled up into himself. The dim light filtering in from the other side of the curtain was suddenly blinding, the brightness searing his tearing eyes. Burying his face in his arms, Kurt tried to concentrate on taking in slow, steady breaths, hoping to calm his lurching stomach before the popcorn he had enjoyed so much at the movies made a sudden reappearance all over the floor.
It was already the third time that month he had been hit with a migraine so intense, and the occurrences were getting more and more frequent. So far, he had managed to keep his headaches a secret--he was too frightened of what might be causing them to tell Margali--but this was a very public place. In a few minutes, Chester and Tomas Vogel and their partners Alexi and Lukas would come in to wait for the cue to start their balancing act, and Stefan and Amanda would be soon to follow. If they found him like this….
“Oh my God, is that--? Kurt!”
The sound of Chester’s alarmed voice caused Kurt to groan. He’d been spotted.
In a flash, Chester was beside him, his words tumbling over themselves in his worry.
“Oh God, Kurt are you hurt? What happened? I almost didn’t see you there, it’s so dark! What’s the matter?”
Kurt groaned again, squinting out at his friend through a haze of brightness and pain. “Nothing happened,” he gasped out. “It’s just a headache, that’s all. It’ll pass soon….”
“Just a headache!” Tomas exclaimed, his deep frown an uncanny match for his father Sabu’s. “That doesn’t look like a simple headache to me. We should get Margali over here--“
“No, please!” Kurt cried, jerking himself upright, then instantly regretting it as his stomach gave another rebellious lurch. “I’ve had these before! It’ll go away in a few minutes, honest!”
Chester furrowed his brow, his concern now tinged with anger. “What do you mean you’ve had these before,” he demanded. “And you didn’t tell anyone? What kind of an idiot are you, Kurt? This could be serious!”
Kurt shook his head, relieved to find the sharp spikes behind his eyes were beginning to dull. The tent, too, had slowed its nauseating spinning. Taking a few deep breaths, he waited for his heart to stop pounding, then slowly rose to his feet.
“There, you see,” he said, fixing all four men with his most stubborn stare. “I’m fine. It was probably nothing more than a mild case of heatstroke or something. Those spotlights are hot, after all, and I am wearing a fur coat.”
Lukas and Alexi chuckled at that, but Chester remained concerned.
“That’s still dangerous,” he said. “If one of these headaches should hit you while you’re performing--“
“They won’t,” Kurt insisted firmly, his tail lashing in agitation.
“You can’t know that,” Chester retorted, just as firmly. “After the show, I’m going to tell Margali about this. If those lights are too hot for you, I’m sure something can be worked out.”
Kurt rolled his eyes to the ceiling and puffed out his cheeks, but finally gave in. “OK,” he said. “But I want to be the one to tell her. After all, I’m the only one who knows which lights are causing the problem.”
Chester looked wary for a moment, but ultimately nodded. Before he could say anything else, however, Kurt beat him to it.
“Great!” he said with a broad smile. Then, in a demonstration of his perfect health, the teenager dashed from the crowded space behind the curtain and into the main tent, keeping close to the shadows as he scurried up the nearest support pole to his secret spot. Now that he was feeling better, he didn’t want to miss Amanda’s grand finale.
*******
Stefan and Amanda's act was going well. They had already gone through the first two stages of the performance without a hitch and were now preparing for the big finish.
Amanda hooked her trapeze to the side of the ladder so it wouldn’t swing away, then glanced over her shoulder at her brother to be sure he was in position. Stefan was still sitting on his own trapeze with his back to her, pumping his legs to build up momentum. Amanda rolled her eyes as she hefted up the bar she needed for her last stunt and secured it in place over the ladder. She knew he was moving so slowly just to annoy her. Normally, he was ready to go before the announcer’s call for silence.
The bar secure, Amanda climbed into position and grabbed her waiting trapeze securely in her chalk-dusted hands. Raising her arm to signal she was ready--a signal which doubled as a wave to the cheering crowd--she took a deep breath and waited for her cue to jump.
Far below, Woodhead and his team of safety men dropped the net to the ground, sparking a wave of gasps and applause from the audience. A moment later, Sabu’s tinny voice rang out from the antique speaker system.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” he said. “The lovely Amanda Szardos is about to attempt the Infamous Triple: one of the most challenging and dangerous feats an acrobat can perform. Due to the extreme danger of this feat and the intense concentration she and her brother require, we ask that you all please maintain strict silence. Once again, due to the extreme danger of our next stunt, we ask that you all maintain perfect silence.”
Instantly, all noise from the crowd ceased. Amanda swallowed, fighting down the butterflies that always rose up when Sabu made that announcement. As if the sudden silence wasn’t unnerving enough, she didn’t need to be reminded of how dangerous the triple was!
But Amanda was a professional, and her nervousness was soon replaced with confidence. Shooting a quick smile at the breathless audience, she tracked her brother’s movements as he swung upside-down with his knees locked securely around the trapeze wire and his arms spread and ready for the catch. Stefan’s black eyes were dark with purpose, his expression intense with concentration as he stared up at her, waiting for her to make the leap. Something about his face sparked a queer twinge of trepidation in the pit of her stomach--but she didn’t have time for doubts. Her life literally depended on her focus during the next few seconds. Clearing her mind of all but the task ahead, Amanda waited until she was certain of the timing…and made her jump.
The metallic creaking of the swinging trapeze was almost deafening in the cavernous tent as Amanda kicked up her legs and swung back, reveling in the exhilaration of the wind rushing in her ears and the perfect control she felt over her actions.
Kurt grinned down at her from his invisible perch at the top of the slanted support beam, living the thrill along with her as she let go of the bar at the height of her next swing, grabbing onto her thighs and spinning around in mid-air. Once…twice…three times she spun, reaching out at the last moment to grab her brother’s wrists--
The crowd shot to its collective feet, clapping and shouting as the two siblings made an apparently solid contact in a puff of chalk dust. Amanda smiled up at Stefan, her blue eyes bright and sparkling--
But Stefan wasn’t smiling back. Amanda furrowed her brow in confusion, then gasped as barely an instant later their trapeze gave a sudden, sickening lurch. Apparently caught by surprise, Stefan lost his grip on her right hand, causing the crowd to gasp in alarm as they sank nervously back into their seats, as though afraid their outburst had caused the situation. Amanda stared up at Stefan in disbelief, grabbing for his hand only to miss by a margin so slight, it had to be deliberate. She glared at him, too furious to register fear as the trapeze’s motion grew ever more unstable. Her arm was starting to ache, her fingers slipping down her brother’s taped wrist--
“Don’t you dare,” she managed to strain through clenched teeth, alarmed by the complete lack of emotion in her brother’s dark eyes. “Don’t you let me go.”
“I--“ Stefan gasped, and for just a moment, Amanda saw a flash of terror contort his features. Her heart stopped, her own rapidly rising panic too overwhelming to process as her fingers slipped even further. Stefan closed his eyes, his pale face reddening as he roared out, “I can’t…!”
Time seemed to slow as Amanda's fingertips slid from her brother's hand. Her mouth opened in shock, a horrified scream tearing from her throat as she began to fall.
Kurt stared in utter shock, unable to understand what he had just seen. Stefan had caught her! He had seen it! What could have happened? How could he have just…let her go! Kurt gasped, the terrible realization finally crystallizing in his mind as Amanda’s shrieks merged with the screaming of his heart.
“Oh God, please…please no! Not Jimaine!”
Acting purely on instinct spawned by horror, Kurt focused all his concentration on Amanda’s falling form. Suddenly, he felt something--an odd pulling sensation at the back of his mind, as though he were flexing a muscle he didn’t even know he had. Fixing his eyes on the rapidly diminishing space between his foster sister and the ground below, Kurt felt an odd, cold sensation pass through him. It chilled him to the marrow, leaving him weak and nauseous and very, very frightened. But before he had time to panic, Kurt inexplicably found himself falling through the air with the screaming Amanda only a few inches above him. There was a peculiar smell in the air…almost like rotten eggs…but there wasn’t time to think about that. With split-second reflexes, Kurt reached out his arms, catching her in a secure hold and wrapping his tail around her waist for added support. Then, focusing on the platform above their heads, Kurt flexed the same mental ‘muscle’ as before, shivering slightly at the peculiar residual tingle it left in his brain.
This time, the sick, nauseous feeling was even worse. It was like he was fighting his way up a steep hill against a powerful, icy wind. Kurt closed his eyes, squeezing Amanda tightly to him and forcing all his concentration into picturing the safety of the platform. Less than a moment later, the wind stopped and the dragging force disappeared. Opening his eyes, he saw that both he and Amanda were standing on the platform, still locked in their desperate, clinging embrace.
Exhausted and drained in a way he had never thought possible, Kurt collapsed to his knees, taking his foster sister with him. Grabbing onto the nearest rung of the ladder, Kurt leaned his forehead against his arm, drawing in deep, gasping breaths as he fought to make the overpowering nausea to leave him. This experience had been even worse than the migraine of only minutes before, and from the looks of things, Amanda felt little better than he did. Even so, her blue eyes were wide with amazement and fear as she focused on the exhausted mutant before her.
"K-Kurt!" she stuttered, her voice trembling with trepidation. "Wh-what just happened? How did we get up here?"
Kurt shook his head, his yellow eyes just as wide and fearful as her blue ones. "I don't know!" he panted, his adolescent voice cracking with emotion. "I have no idea, Amanda! All I know is that Stefan… He--he dropped you and I—I couldn't just sit there. I couldn't let you die!" He shuddered deeply, fixing her with a terrified glance.
"I know I did something, Amanda," he said. "I know I did it on purpose, that it came from me. But I have no idea what it was!"
Amanda stared at him, clearly not sure what to think, but before she could say anything, a bright spotlight was suddenly shining in their faces. Shielding their eyes, Amanda and Kurt climbed to their feet, gradually recalling that they still had an audience. Far below them, Sabu Vogel was saying something to the cheering crowd. Stefan was standing beside him, his expression inscrutable. Then, Sabu turned his long, curling mustache up to face them.
"Go on and take a bow, you two!" he called with a broad smile, though his dark eyes were red-rimmed with the aftereffects of his own terror.
Confused and greatly disoriented, the two teenagers bowed in the direction of a cheering audience they could not see. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the bright spotlight was gone, leaving Kurt and Amanda dazzled and half-blind.
"Come on, Amanda," Kurt said as his eyes slowly regained their sight. "Let's get out of here. I'll walk you to the trailer."
Amanda nodded confidently enough, but Kurt could see her hands were still shaking. Deeply concerned, he started down the rope ladder first to make sure he'd be in a position to catch her in case she fell. Fortunately, they reached the ground without incident, and from there it was a simple matter to slip unnoticed from the tent. The clowns had already begun their juggling routine and Chester and his group were gathering up their large, interlocking metal hoops in preparation for their balancing act. After all, it was the circus and, no matter the trauma, the show had to go on.
*******
Margali, Bethica, and Woodhead were already there to meet them when Kurt and Amanda arrived at the Szardos family's trailer. As soon as she set eyes on her daughter, Margali rushed over to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. For once, Amanda did not pull away.
"Oh, Jimaine, thank God you're safe!" she whispered, too overcome to speak any louder. "When I saw you falling, I could see--I thought for sure--"
"Mom, don't," Amanda said gently, stroking her mother's back. "I'm OK."
Margali raised her tear-filled eyes from her daughter's shoulder to look at Kurt. "Kurt, what did you do?" she asked, her voice filled with wonder and confusion. "That was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! You appeared from out of nowhere to catch her in midair! It was a true miracle!"
Kurt took a step back, his edges melting into the shadows, his yellow eyes troubled and fearful.
"I honestly don't know," he confessed, his voice trembling slightly. "It was like nothing I have ever felt before.” Margali crinkled her brow, confused and a little worried.
“What do you mean?” she asked. Kurt grabbed his lashing tail, twisting the spade in his hands as he tried to explain how he’d felt.
“I was so scared when Stefan lost his grip on her,” he said softly. “I prayed to God with all my strength that I might be able to save her. Then, suddenly, I was there beside her, falling! So I caught her and made the same kind of wish again. And somehow, there we were, standing on the platform with the spotlight shining in our eyes.”
Margali nodded, but it was obvious she still didn’t understand. The others shared uncomfortable glances. Kurt squeezed his tail harder, his own unease growing.
“Look,” he said, “that’s what happened! I looked down at the place where Amanda was and, suddenly, I was there! But…” he started, his eyes suddenly stinging with frightened tears. “But it wasn't a good feeling, like a gift that might have come from God. It was cold and awful and it made my whole head tingle, like there were all these little bugs running over my brain. And I was so tired, Mama. I felt so sick and dizzy, like all the energy had been drained from my body. It was the most horrible experience I have ever had!"
Margali, Amanda, Woodhead, and Bethica stared at him, clearly unsure of what to say. Kurt could feel his shoulders shaking; his chest was constricting with fear.
“And…and that’s not all,” he admitted with difficulty. “When it was over…” His breath hitched and he quickly scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand. “When it was over, I am certain I smelled sulfur.”
He looked up then, his golden eyes wide and desperate. "What if I am not a mutant after all?" he asked, his trembling voice cracking. "What if I am not human?! What if everyone else is right and I really am a—a demon? Where else could this awful power have come from? Please, tell me that!"
Margali shook her head, her violet eyes focused on the shadowy outline of her nearly invisible foster son.
"I can't believe that, Kurt," she said, her voice firm. "I can not believe that you are a demon. You are a good, kind boy, one of the kindest, most giving people I have ever known. If you discovered this new power of yours in response to a prayer, I cannot believe that it came from an evil source.”
Kurt opened his mouth, but Margali pressed on before he could speak.
“And even if it did,” she said, “as long as you use this ability only for good, as you did when you saved my daughter's life, evil will never be able to get a hold on you."
Woodhead nodded his agreement. Kurt shook his head. "But, you weren't there!” he protested. “You didn't feel it!"
"I," Bethica started. Then, she broke off and looked at her feet.
"What is it, Bethica?" Margali asked, her voice stern. The costume mistress looked up, her expression uncertain.
"Well," she said, "when I was younger I knew this boy: Karl. Karl Mowatt, I think his name was. We had known each other since we were ten years old and he'd always seemed perfectly normal. Only, one day, when we were both thirteen, he didn't come to school. He didn't come back for an entire week. The rumor was that he had been playing ball near a well when he fell in. Somehow, he had charged the water with electricity. It caused a massive explosion. He wasn't hurt very badly, but after that people began to avoid him. Soon, he was asked to leave the school. My parents told me he was a mutant, but he'd never shown any signs of any powers at all before that day. So, I was thinking, maybe you have to be a teenager before your mutant powers appear."
Kurt's yellow eyes widened as he listened to Bethica's story. When she finished, he took a small step forward.
"Do you really think that's what it could be?" he asked nervously. "Do you really think I could have 'mutant powers'?”
Bethica shrugged helplessly. "I don't know anything about mutants or powers," she said. "I'm just telling you what I heard. Besides, it's a more likely explanation than any of the others, I think."
"No matter what it is, Kurt," Margali said, "you did a wonderful thing tonight. If you hadn't been there to do whatever it is you did, Amanda wouldn't be here with us right now."
Amanda turned to her mother, her eyes wide with surprise. "Mom!" she exclaimed. "You called me Amanda!"
"Margali Szardos?" an unfamiliar voice called from the darkness near the trailer before Margali could reply to her daughter. The small group turned to face the stranger as he strode up to them.
"Are you Margali Szardos, the owner of this circus?" the tall, unabashedly fat man inquired. Margali nodded, her slender bracelets jingling as she held out her hand.
"Yes, sir. I am. How may I help you?"
The man grasped her hand and pumped it enthusiastically. "How may you help me?" he asked with a boisterous laugh. "No, no, no, my dear lady, the question is how may I help you!"
Margali smiled, though her sharp eyes were narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"That spectacular show you put on tonight!" the man explained, gesticulating expansively with his arms as he spoke. "When that boy dropped that girl I thought for sure there was going to be a catastrophe. But then, that demon boy appeared out of thin air and caught her! It was the most amazing, heart-stopping trick I have ever seen, and I don't even want to know how you managed it; I don't want to ruin it. I came here tonight as a talent scout. I'm looking for acts to perform in the Munich Circus, and I think yours is the winner!"
Amanda gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh my God, Mom, that's the big time! It's what we've always been waiting for!"
Margali was not so quick to show her excitement, however. "What about my circus?" she asked. "What will happen here if I allow my star attraction to leave for Munich?"
The man shook his head with a broad grin. "No, no, no, you misunderstand me, dear lady! I'm asking if you would like to join your circus to ours. You would still run it, only we'd choose where you perform and you would adopt our name--in essence becoming a subsidiary of the Munich Circus, one branch among dozens. Think of the places you could see: Rome, Paris, London, Lisbon, Berlin, Prague, Barcelona! And so many more. What do you say?"
Amanda was practically jumping up and down, her blue eyes shining. Kurt remained silently invisible in the shadow of the trailer, still too shaky and uncertain about his newfound abilities to contribute to the conversation. Bethica and Woodhead waited patiently for Margali to come to a decision.
"Well," she said after a moment. "I'd need to think about it for a while, maybe speak with a few more people from your circus, but as for right now I think I can give you a conditional yes."
Amanda squealed with delight, embracing Bethica and dancing in place. "I can't believe it!" she exclaimed. "We've actually made it! At last, we're moving to the big time!"
The man grinned at her, then turned back to Margali. "Here's my card," he said, handing her a small, rectangular piece of stiff paper. "My name is Rudolph Klein, no joke intended," he said with a smile, referring to his size. Though his name meant ‘small,’ Rudolph Klein was well over six feet with a waistline to match.
"Call me tomorrow and we'll see if we can work out a contract," he said. "And tell that demon kid, that Blue Lightening, his act was one of the best I've ever seen, but he needs to change his name. With a costume like that, he needs something darker, more sinister. Just a little friendly advice. Believe me, it'll attract a bigger crowd if he does."
With that he turned from the small group, calling over his shoulder as he headed for the small clearing where the spectators parked their cars, "Don't forget to call me!"
Once he was gone, Margali finally allowed herself to show her excitement.
"I can hardly believe he was real!" she laughed reading and re-reading the card he'd given her. "But his credentials are all right here! Kurt!"
Margali looked around, unable to locate her foster son. "Kurt, where did you go?"
Amanda peered around the trailer, then came back to her mother. "I bet he's in a tree somewhere," she said. "He always climbs a tree when he's upset."
"But, Amanda, what has he got to be upset about?" Margali asked, still too excited to consider the motivations of a troubled teenager. "He's going to be the star of the Munich Circus! Because of him, we're all headed for the big time! We'll travel to all the great cities of Europe!"
"I know, Mom," Amanda said. "But think what got us this gig. Kurt's already upset about his new powers and almost at once, everyone's depending on him to use them in public! Not only that, but he's got to change his stage name. 'Something sinister,' that man said, to go with his appearance. How do you think that made him feel? Especially after what he's been through tonight?"
Margali's face fell as understanding dawned. She sighed softly, nodding. "You're right," she said. "I'll go find him. Bethica, you oversee the clean-up tonight, OK?"
Bethica nodded. Amanda stepped forward. "Mom, I want to go too. I still haven't thanked him for saving my life."
Margali looked into her daughter's sincere face, then nodded. "All right, Amanda. Let's go find Kurt."
*******
Amanda had been right. They found Kurt hanging upside down by his tail high in one of the tallest pine trees Margali had ever seen. It was located some distance from the camp, right near a seldom used dirt road. It took a strong flashlight and almost twenty-five minutes of calling to locate him.
"I'm up here," he called down, his voice frustrated and annoyed. Amanda shone her flashlight up into the branches of the tall tree until the light reflected off his yellow eyes.
"Mom!" she called, "I found him!"
Margali ran over to her daughter, then looked up at her foster son. "Kurt, we need to talk. Why don't you come down from there?"
"I wanted to be alone for a while," he responded. "I've got a lot of things to think about."
"I know, sweetheart," Margali called up. "That's what we have to talk about."
There was silence for a moment, then Kurt spoke again. "I don't even know if I can make another jaunt like that again," he said, his voice breaking slightly. "I don't even know if I want to. It was so awful!"
"Maybe you won't have to, honey," Margali said.
"But I will!" Kurt retorted. "That's why that Klein guy wants us to join up with the Munich Circus. He thought it was part of the act! If he knew the truth, that it really was all a horrible accident, he'd take his offer back in a flash! He wouldn't even have to think about it!"
Margali shook her head in frustration. "Kurt, did you ever think that maybe your new power is a blessing? That maybe, if you practice at it, the bad feelings will go away? Maybe it's like exercising a new muscle. It hurts at first, but then it only gets stronger."
Kurt didn't reply. For a long time, the only sounds were the chirping of the crickets and the rustle of the wind through the pines.
"Kurt?" Amanda called up at last, uncharacteristically hesitant. "I didn't really tell you before. I guess I was too, well, scared. But, I wanted to thank you for saving my life. Even though that weird jaunt thing you did made me nauseous, it wasn't as bad as you say. I think your power really is a blessing. After all, if you hadn't used it tonight, I would probably be dead right now."
From somewhere high above them, there came a faint, sniffing sound. "I could never let anything happen to you, Amanda," Kurt's voice came down, soft and sincere. "I....I love you."
Amanda smiled up into the darkness where her foster brother was hanging. "I love you too, Kurt. You're my favorite brother, honestly."
Although her sincere words were meant to be kind, they went through Kurt's heart like a dagger.
"We both love you," Margali called up, also misunderstanding his meaning. "You're an important part of our family, Kurt."
Kurt nodded invisibly among the pine branches. When Margali spoke again, her voice was soft and compassionate.
"Come on down, my little night crawler," she said. "No matter what happens, even if you decide not to accept Herr Klein's offer, I'll understand and I won't force you to. No one will hold it against you if you don't want to use your powers, I promise. If it's going to make you this miserable, perhaps it's better to stay as we are."
"No," Kurt said, his answer a surprise not only to Amanda and Margali but also to himself. "No," he repeated, more confident this time. "I want to join the Munich Circus. It's what we've always worked for. It's like you said before, if I only use my power for good, evil can never get a hold on me. I'll work on controlling it, Mama, and maybe it will get easier with practice. Watch this."
There was a strange sound of imploding air high above them. Less than a moment later, the sound reoccurred, much louder this time. It was accompanied by a swirling cloud of sulfurous smoke which smelled the same as if someone had just struck all the matches in a matchbook at once. Kurt was now standing next to them, panting slightly with the effort of teleporting.
"There," he said, a hint of pride in his voice. "I did it! And it was a little easier. But, maybe that's because I was jaunting down this time. Before, when I was jaunting up to the platform, I felt this force pushing against me. Maybe it was gravity?"
Margali and Amanda smiled at him, relieved to see his mood improving.
"Then, you really do want us to take Herr Klein up on his offer, Kurt?" Margali asked gently.
Kurt nodded, then realized they couldn't see him well enough to register the gesture.
"Yeah," he said. "I'll even change my stage name like he said. Now that I can jaunt around, I should have a new name."
"Like what?" Amanda asked, interested.
"Well,” he frowned thoughtfully. “Herr Klein suggested that it should be something sinister, to bring in the spectators. But, I don't really want a sinister name. Just because I look like a demon doesn't mean I want to have a name like one."
Margali looked up at him, her violet eyes bright with sudden inspiration. "I know the perfect name," she said, the smile evident in her voice. Kurt and Amanda turned to her. Once she was sure she had their attention, she made her grand suggestion, waving her arm in front of her as though she was reading out a name that was already in lights.
"How about The Incredible Nightcrawler?"
Amanda was aghast. "What, you mean like a worm? Gross!"
"No, Amanda," Kurt said, shaking his head. "Not like that at all." He smiled, his pointed teeth gleaming in the beam of the flashlight. "I love it, Mama," he said.
Suddenly, his entire demeanor brightened as he took up one of his favorite hero poses from the movies: his back straight, his chin raised, and his hands on his hips. "From now on," he announced grandly, "I shall be known to my public as the Incredible Nightcrawler!"
Amanda shook her head. "Hey, suit yourself,” she said. “But I still don't get it."
"You don't have to, honey," Margali said with a smile. "It's something special between me and Kurt."
Kurt grinned, but he took a step closer to Amanda. "I don't mind telling her, Mom," he said, turning to his foster sister.
"You know how sometimes I go out at night and I don't come back for a few hours?"
Amanda shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I'm usually asleep, but I've heard Mom complaining about it."
"Well, that’s where the name came from; because always I crawl back to bed in the dead of night. No matter how quietly I sneak in, she always knows." His grin broadened. "But now that I can jaunt around, maybe things will be different."
Margali grinned back. "They certainly will. Because now that your jaunting powers have gotten us into the big time, you, Amanda, and Stefan will all be able to have your own trailers!"
The teenagers' eyes widened. "Wow! Our own trailers!" Kurt gasped.
"I've always wanted my own room," Amanda grinned.
Kurt's grin dimmed slightly as he caught an undercurrent to her comment that completely slipped by Margali. Once she had her own trailer, she'd have a place to bring her boyfriends. Kurt squeezed his eyes shut at the awful thought, trying to push his pain aside. Unfortunately, Amanda noticed his discomfort.
"Are you OK, Kurt?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. He could feel his face growing hot in response to her gentle touch and suddenly felt immensely grateful that his dark coloring made his blushing face all but invisible.
"Yeah," he said. "I'm fine. Come on, let's get back to camp. I only had popcorn for dinner, you know. I need some real food, and then I really need to get to bed. I don't know when I've ever felt so tired." He grinned as he turned to Margali. "At least you can be sure that I won't be doing any crawling around tonight!"
Margali smiled ironically, looking back to the pine tree. "Well, at least not any more than you've already done," she pointed out.
Kurt laughed. "Yeah. That's right!" Suddenly, his grin vanished. "Wait a minute, what about Stefan?" he asked. The others paused, their smiles vanishing as well.
"He must be feeling so awful," Margali said, bringing her hand to her mouth.
"We've got to talk to him," Kurt said, picking up his pace. "If he blames himself for the accident....well, you know how he gets about sins and stuff. He might try to hurt himself!"
"Oh, my God," Margali exclaimed, jogging to keep up with her foster son. "You don't really think he'd try anything rash, do you?"
Kurt shook his head. "No, he won't kill himself. Suicide is the only sin you can't be forgiven for. But Stefan can get pretty intense, you know? He likes the more old-fashioned view of religion and punishment. He would have made a great monk in the Middle Ages."
As her mother and foster brother hurried towards the camp, Amanda found herself lagging behind. She had a disturbing suspicion that Stefan had not dropped her by accident. He had caught her perfectly, she'd felt it. But then, he'd let go of her arm. Once he did that, he’d been unable to hold on to her with only one hand. That was how he'd made it look like such a convincing accident. She could almost have believed it herself if it hadn't been for something he'd said during their argument before the show. He'd said she'd have to pay for her sins in the next life. Amanda couldn't shake the disturbing feeling that Stefan had been trying to speed that payment along.
She knew she could never confess her suspicions to her mother, or even to Kurt. They loved Stefan too deeply. She would have to keep her secret to herself, and watch her brother very carefully from now on until she could gather enough proof of his disturbed mind to convince even Margali that he was dangerous and that he needed help.
*******
Margali burst into the family trailer, the force of her entry rattling the shelves and causing several books to fall to the floor. Groping for the nearest lamp, she flicked it, only to gasp at what the light revealed.
The place looked as though it had been ransacked. The colorful sheet that had divided Amanda and Margali’s sleeping area from Stefan and Kurt’s had been torn, and the eclectic contents of several overturned trunks were scattered all over the floor.
“Look at this,” Kurt said, squeezing around his stunned foster mother to pick up a small piece of paper from Stefan’s cot. “Stefan left a note.”
“What’s it say?” Amanda asked from the stairs, too uncomfortable to enter the trailer herself.
“Um, it’s kind of hard to read…” Kurt frowned, squinting at the hastily scribbled handwriting. “I think it says: I’m sorry. I can’t stay here any longer. Tonight was the finish? …oh, the final proof. I’m on my way to the monetary—sorry—monastery at Neuherzel to start a new life. Tell…oh—tell Kurt I will strive to keep up my end of the bargain. As long as he promises to remember his.”
He looked up, his golden eyes troubled. “And that’s it.”
Margali frowned. “What did he mean, ‘bargain’?” she demanded, clearly distraught. “What is all this nonsense?”
Kurt lowered his eyes, unable to answer. Noting his discomfort, Amanda spoke for him.
“It’s like I told you, Mom,” she said. “He wants to become a monk.” She sighed, placing a comforting hand on her mother’s shoulder. “Some people just aren’t cut out for the circus. It’s probably better this way.”
Kurt looked around, a strange, empty feeling filling his heart. Even though he’d known this day was coming for a long time, it was still hard to believe. Stefan, his brother, was gone. Turning back to Margali, he was surprised and deeply concerned to see tears glittering in her violet eyes.
“We could still go after him…” he started, but Margali shook her head, blinking her eyes dry with a deep, calming breath.
“No,” she said. “No, let him go. Let him be. If he doesn’t want to stay, I will not keep him here. Rather, I shall follow his example. It’s time we all packed up and left our old lives behind.”
“Mom?” Amanda said, confused. Margali smiled at her, squeezing her shoulder as she strode from the trailer.
“If you’ll both excuse me,” she said, “I must find Rudolph Klein to tell him we accept his offer. From this day forward, we are all members of the Munich Circus!”
_______________________________________________________
And now: A sneak preview from the Sixth and Final Part of Small Steps, Great Leaps!
Stefan looked up from where he was crouching in the dark, the ragged bristles on his pale, unshaven face catching the bright moonlight. For a moment, his expression was frozen in terror. Then, slowly, recognition crept into his wild eyes.
"Kurt!" he exclaimed, rising to his feet and holding his hands out to the shadowy figure standing by the wrought-iron gate. “Brother, is that you?"
Kurt did not respond; his glowing eyes fixed on the small mound of fresh earth next to the disheveled monk.
"What are you doing here?" Stefan continued after an awkward pause, his voice shaky.
Kurt raised his head, his yellow eyes direct and hard as they met Stefan's blood-shot black ones. Stefan recoiled slightly at the unnerving sight, pulling his arms protectively into his heavy cloak.
"How could you do it, Stefan," Kurt spoke at last, his voice rough and tight with emotion. “What could that child possibly have done?”
Stay Tuned!
Please Review!!!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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CurlyyHairGirl
- Swashbuckler
- Posts: 1503
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
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Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Man! Regurgitated popcorn is not a prtty image. Not cool:yuck LOL:D
I take Amanda's side, Stefan always kinda freaked me out, and so far in this story...um...I agree with Amanda.
Just the way you word things is oh so magical. Stefan seems to me, more sinister than Sinister himself:sinister, which is devious indeed. I wouldn't want to tick the man off.
The spoiler for the next chapter has sufficiently gained enough of my attention that I actually want to take my medicatons to calm down. Can I safely asume that the next part is in the future a bit (I think it was the 'unshave' face thing) or shall I wait and see, ya never know, there was a guy at my highschool last year who had a full out beard...10 inches, always stroking it....*shudder*
YAY!!
Kurt's first teleport!!! To me it's like a babies first steps, man, although I don't like babies that much, so I guess it's more like when a puppy first digs a real hole.(believe me, not all dogs can dig holes. It may end up a bad habit, but it's darn cute to watch)
Poor Kurt though, I can't imagine a headache that bad unless it's anything like a brain freeze.
Well, that's all I have for right now, gotta go to sleep earlier, mysister's gotta take a plain from LA tomorrow morning for Italy (two weeks, she's lucky) We gotta get to the airport really early, so we're laving thahouse at 2:00 am, that means waking up at one.
Dippin' Dot's don't give brain freezes, EMO:kiss
I take Amanda's side, Stefan always kinda freaked me out, and so far in this story...um...I agree with Amanda.
Just the way you word things is oh so magical. Stefan seems to me, more sinister than Sinister himself:sinister, which is devious indeed. I wouldn't want to tick the man off.
The spoiler for the next chapter has sufficiently gained enough of my attention that I actually want to take my medicatons to calm down. Can I safely asume that the next part is in the future a bit (I think it was the 'unshave' face thing) or shall I wait and see, ya never know, there was a guy at my highschool last year who had a full out beard...10 inches, always stroking it....*shudder*
YAY!!
Kurt's first teleport!!! To me it's like a babies first steps, man, although I don't like babies that much, so I guess it's more like when a puppy first digs a real hole.(believe me, not all dogs can dig holes. It may end up a bad habit, but it's darn cute to watch)Poor Kurt though, I can't imagine a headache that bad unless it's anything like a brain freeze.
Well, that's all I have for right now, gotta go to sleep earlier, mysister's gotta take a plain from LA tomorrow morning for Italy (two weeks, she's lucky) We gotta get to the airport really early, so we're laving thahouse at 2:00 am, that means waking up at one.
Dippin' Dot's don't give brain freezes, EMO:kiss
one name: Bruce Campbell
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Rowena
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Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Thanks so much! The headache's worse than a brain freeze, though, unfortunately. Dippin' Dot's are cool! I saw how they make those on The Inside Scoop on Food Network.
In the interest of making quicker posts, I’ve decided to put up the final chapter to this story one scene at a time. Since the scenes are relatively short, I’m figuring I should be able to finish them faster than if I waited to post until the entire chapter is complete. It’s an experiment, but the logic seems sound enough, I think. I've got two at the moment, so I'll put those up now and when I get back from Virginia I'll get to work on the rest!
So now, here’s Scene One of the final chapter of Small Steps, Great Leaps. Hope you like it, and please let me know what you think!
Small Steps, Great Leaps
Part Six
By Rowena
Margali ripped open the bulging envelope with a flick of her long, red nail and pulled out the neatly folded papers within. Her sharp features pinched in a dark scowl when her eyes fell on the stylized logo at the head of the cover letter. Jardine Enterprises.
Clenching her fists with a jangle of silver bracelets, the middle-aged woman ground her teeth in silent fury, her violet eyes burning as she read on. So, he had done it. That ignorant, swaggering blunderbuss of a Texan had actually paid off the--
“Hey, Mom!”
Margali jumped, startled out of her dark thoughts as her foster son strode into the empty cafeteria and came up behind her, planting a kiss on top of the vibrant, purple kerchief she had tied over her slowly graying hair. Hastily, she folded up the letter and pressed it down flat before looking up at him with as genuine a smile as she could muster.
“Good morning, Kurt,” she said lightly. “You’re up early. They haven’t even started cooking breakfast yet!”
“Yeah, well…” The nineteen-year-old averted his golden eyes, a deep purple flush rising in his fuzzy cheeks. Despite her smile, Kurt couldn’t help the disturbing feeling that his foster mother could see right through him, deep into his most secret heart. But that was only his nerves talking. Intellectually, he knew Margali could no more read his mind than she could read the future. Just as in her fortune-telling act, the inscrutable look behind her eyes meant only as much as he read into it.
“Amanda’s coming home from the University today,” he spoke up suddenly, straightening his back as though this announcement had absolutely nothing to do with his earlier discomfort. “I wanted to meet her at the station.”
Margali frowned. “The train station?”
“That is where trains stop,” Kurt pointed out. His mother shot him a look. Kurt just raised his eyebrows, letting his eyes do the pleading. After a long moment, Margali looked away, shaking her head with a deep sigh.
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry, Kurt, but I can’t let you go.”
Kurt’s jaw dropped in protest. “But, Mama, it’s only five blocks away--“
“I need you here,” she insisted. “Natasha is still having some trouble with her equestrian act and I was hoping you could give her a few pointers.”
“Oh no,” Kurt shook his head. “You’re not going to suck me in with that old trick. Natasha and her horses are all just fine. I should know. I spent all day yesterday helping her with her flips!”
Margali grimaced. “Then maybe it was Sabu who wanted you. Let’s go find him and ask if--“
“No, Mama,” Kurt stated bluntly. “I’m going to the train station.”
“Kurt, you don’t know what you’re asking. That station is sure to be packed with people--“
“I know how to handle a crowd,” he interrupted. But Margali just went on as if she hadn’t heard, rising to her feet as in an attempt to drive her point home.
“--people who won’t know who or what you are! You have never seen what frightened people are capable of. I’ve protected you from that. But Kurt, if you leave here…anything could happen! I don’t want to see you get hurt!”
Kurt’s expression darkened, his tail lashing behind his ankles as he looked down into his foster mother’s determined eyes.
“So…what then?” he snapped. “I’m supposed to stay cloistered up in this arena for fear of how a few ignorant people might react if they see me away from the circus? For how long, Mama? How long do you expect me to live like this?”
Margali sighed. “Kurt, honey, you’re angry now. I understand. But if you take the time to think--“
“No, you don’t understand!” Kurt exploded, his frustration lighting his golden eyes from within. “You must really think I’m stupid if you don’t believe I’ve considered what might happen if I step out those doors into the street. I think about it all the time! My appearance frightens people. OK! I know that better than anyone else! But that doesn’t mean I want to hide from the world for the rest of my life!”
Margali pursed her lips. “I’m not suggesting you hide from the world--“ she started, but her foster son’s look of wide-eyed incredulity made her close her mouth in shame.
“We’ve been traveling around Europe from city to city for five years now,” Kurt stated bitterly, his rising exasperation lending a fierce heat to his words as he went on. “Five years! And in all that time I’ve only ever left the circus as part of a parade or for a publicity stunt in some public square or school auditorium. I’ve never been to a museum or a monument. I’ve never seen a play. I’ve never been allowed to go boating or swim at the beach or order a coffee at a café! And now you’re telling me I can’t even walk the five blocks to meet my sister at the train station?!” He glared, anger and hurt welling up behind his gleaming eyes.
“This is Hamburg, Mom, not some isolated little backwater town!” he shouted. “This is Germany! It’s home! If I can’t walk around here, where can I?”
Margali shook her head slowly, her expression distant as she reached up to touch her taller son’s muscular shoulder. “You are still so young,” she said softly. “So naïve. You can’t simply change how people think--“
“Don’t tell me I’m naïve!” Kurt snapped, shrugging her off and taking a step back. “Stop trying to protect me! I’m nineteen years old, verdammt, and I know how to take care of myself!”
Margali head shot up at that, her violet eyes sharp. “No, Kurt. I don’t want you fighting!”
Kurt wrinkled up his face, thrown off by her seemingly random comment. “Fighting? What are you talking about?!”
Margali frowned slightly, suddenly looking uncertain. “I…I’m not sure,” she said, raising a hesitant hand to her temple. “I just got this image in my mind when you said that. It was so vivid… You were standing in a large, metal room beside a frightening little man with knives in his hands and a young woman with long, white hair….” She shook her head, an odd shiver running up her spine. “Never mind.”
Kurt narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Well, that’s not what I meant,” he said. “I don’t even know how to fight! But I do know how to hide in plain sight, Mama. I’ve been doing it all my life. That’s why I plan to wear my costume when I go to meet Amanda.”
Margali frowned. “Wouldn’t that make you more conspicuous rather than less,” she asked.
“Naturally,” Kurt nodded. “Which is why it’ll be so much easier for people to believe my…exotic good looks,” he grinned, making a sweeping gesture with his tail, “are all a part of the show. If I tried to hide my face, on the other hand, and some nosy citizen happened to notice…well that would trample all over their limited expectations, now wouldn’t it? And they’d be understandably suspicious of why I was hiding, possibly even to the point of violence. I think my way is much more fun.”
Margali still looked uncertain, but Kurt could tell she was starting to soften. All she needed was one more push…
“Besides,” he added with a coaxing smile. “It’ll be free publicity! I’ll take a few fliers along, so if anyone does start asking questions, I can just tell them I’m an acrobat with the circus and invite them to come see the show. It’s the truth, after all. ”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought haven’t you,” Margali said, the sharpness in her eyes melting into fondness mingled with a concern she knew would never truly fade. Kurt nodded, fighting back another deep flush as he thought back to how long he’d been waiting for Amanda’s return. He had imagined the scenario so many times he could watch it play out like a movie in his mind: himself waiting to greet her as she stepped off the train, her sweet surprise when she saw him there… Sometimes, she even kissed him.
“You could say that,” he said with an uncomfortable shrug. Margali smiled, making him duck his head slightly so she could kiss him on the forehead.
“Then go, my son,” she said, catching his eyes with hers. “And be careful.”
Kurt stared at her for a moment, his head cocked slightly as if to make sure he’d heard right. Then, suddenly, he pulled her into a joyful embrace, an enormous grin erupting across his narrow features. “I will, Mama!” he exclaimed happily. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“You can thank me by returning to me safe and whole,” she said, breaking free of his tail and giving him a pat to start him off in the direction of the door. “Now get out of here and go meet your sister. You only have half an hour before her train is due to arrive.”
“Never fear,” Kurt grinned, gracing his foster mother with a sweeping bow. “And if, perchance, the worst does happen--although I am certain it will not--I can always make a quick escape with a subtle demonstration of Gypsy magic!”
Making a theatrical “throwing” gesture with his hand, as though he were tossing a handful of flash powder to the floor, Kurt winked at his foster mother and vanished from the room with a loud BAMF of swirling smoke.
Margali watched the dark smoke dissipate, her expression thoughtful as she sank slowly back into her chair and re-opened the letter. Kurt’s parting words had just given her an idea.
According to the note, Amos Jardine, the Texas oil baron who had just closed the deal adding the Munich Circus to his eclectic collection of franchises, was scheduled to make a tour of her circus later that week. It was his plan to take a more active role in determining what types of acts his subsidiaries would be allowed to perform--a plan Margali resented with every fiber of her being. Who was he to determine what was ‘moral’? What gave him the right to even consider censoring her acts?
Stuffing the foreboding letter back into its envelope, Margali rose to her feet and strode into the narrow hallway, heading for her temporary office. Perhaps a demonstration of Gypsy magic would be just what she needed convince that arrogant millionaire to keep his bloated paws off her circus. She only prayed she had the strength to carry out the plan forming in her mind…
The headache's worse than a brain freeze, though, unfortunately. Dippin' Dot's are cool! I saw how they make those on The Inside Scoop on Food Network. In the interest of making quicker posts, I’ve decided to put up the final chapter to this story one scene at a time. Since the scenes are relatively short, I’m figuring I should be able to finish them faster than if I waited to post until the entire chapter is complete. It’s an experiment, but the logic seems sound enough, I think. I've got two at the moment, so I'll put those up now and when I get back from Virginia I'll get to work on the rest!
So now, here’s Scene One of the final chapter of Small Steps, Great Leaps. Hope you like it, and please let me know what you think!
Small Steps, Great Leaps
Part Six
By Rowena
Margali ripped open the bulging envelope with a flick of her long, red nail and pulled out the neatly folded papers within. Her sharp features pinched in a dark scowl when her eyes fell on the stylized logo at the head of the cover letter. Jardine Enterprises.
Clenching her fists with a jangle of silver bracelets, the middle-aged woman ground her teeth in silent fury, her violet eyes burning as she read on. So, he had done it. That ignorant, swaggering blunderbuss of a Texan had actually paid off the--
“Hey, Mom!”
Margali jumped, startled out of her dark thoughts as her foster son strode into the empty cafeteria and came up behind her, planting a kiss on top of the vibrant, purple kerchief she had tied over her slowly graying hair. Hastily, she folded up the letter and pressed it down flat before looking up at him with as genuine a smile as she could muster.
“Good morning, Kurt,” she said lightly. “You’re up early. They haven’t even started cooking breakfast yet!”
“Yeah, well…” The nineteen-year-old averted his golden eyes, a deep purple flush rising in his fuzzy cheeks. Despite her smile, Kurt couldn’t help the disturbing feeling that his foster mother could see right through him, deep into his most secret heart. But that was only his nerves talking. Intellectually, he knew Margali could no more read his mind than she could read the future. Just as in her fortune-telling act, the inscrutable look behind her eyes meant only as much as he read into it.
“Amanda’s coming home from the University today,” he spoke up suddenly, straightening his back as though this announcement had absolutely nothing to do with his earlier discomfort. “I wanted to meet her at the station.”
Margali frowned. “The train station?”
“That is where trains stop,” Kurt pointed out. His mother shot him a look. Kurt just raised his eyebrows, letting his eyes do the pleading. After a long moment, Margali looked away, shaking her head with a deep sigh.
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry, Kurt, but I can’t let you go.”
Kurt’s jaw dropped in protest. “But, Mama, it’s only five blocks away--“
“I need you here,” she insisted. “Natasha is still having some trouble with her equestrian act and I was hoping you could give her a few pointers.”
“Oh no,” Kurt shook his head. “You’re not going to suck me in with that old trick. Natasha and her horses are all just fine. I should know. I spent all day yesterday helping her with her flips!”
Margali grimaced. “Then maybe it was Sabu who wanted you. Let’s go find him and ask if--“
“No, Mama,” Kurt stated bluntly. “I’m going to the train station.”
“Kurt, you don’t know what you’re asking. That station is sure to be packed with people--“
“I know how to handle a crowd,” he interrupted. But Margali just went on as if she hadn’t heard, rising to her feet as in an attempt to drive her point home.
“--people who won’t know who or what you are! You have never seen what frightened people are capable of. I’ve protected you from that. But Kurt, if you leave here…anything could happen! I don’t want to see you get hurt!”
Kurt’s expression darkened, his tail lashing behind his ankles as he looked down into his foster mother’s determined eyes.
“So…what then?” he snapped. “I’m supposed to stay cloistered up in this arena for fear of how a few ignorant people might react if they see me away from the circus? For how long, Mama? How long do you expect me to live like this?”
Margali sighed. “Kurt, honey, you’re angry now. I understand. But if you take the time to think--“
“No, you don’t understand!” Kurt exploded, his frustration lighting his golden eyes from within. “You must really think I’m stupid if you don’t believe I’ve considered what might happen if I step out those doors into the street. I think about it all the time! My appearance frightens people. OK! I know that better than anyone else! But that doesn’t mean I want to hide from the world for the rest of my life!”
Margali pursed her lips. “I’m not suggesting you hide from the world--“ she started, but her foster son’s look of wide-eyed incredulity made her close her mouth in shame.
“We’ve been traveling around Europe from city to city for five years now,” Kurt stated bitterly, his rising exasperation lending a fierce heat to his words as he went on. “Five years! And in all that time I’ve only ever left the circus as part of a parade or for a publicity stunt in some public square or school auditorium. I’ve never been to a museum or a monument. I’ve never seen a play. I’ve never been allowed to go boating or swim at the beach or order a coffee at a café! And now you’re telling me I can’t even walk the five blocks to meet my sister at the train station?!” He glared, anger and hurt welling up behind his gleaming eyes.
“This is Hamburg, Mom, not some isolated little backwater town!” he shouted. “This is Germany! It’s home! If I can’t walk around here, where can I?”
Margali shook her head slowly, her expression distant as she reached up to touch her taller son’s muscular shoulder. “You are still so young,” she said softly. “So naïve. You can’t simply change how people think--“
“Don’t tell me I’m naïve!” Kurt snapped, shrugging her off and taking a step back. “Stop trying to protect me! I’m nineteen years old, verdammt, and I know how to take care of myself!”
Margali head shot up at that, her violet eyes sharp. “No, Kurt. I don’t want you fighting!”
Kurt wrinkled up his face, thrown off by her seemingly random comment. “Fighting? What are you talking about?!”
Margali frowned slightly, suddenly looking uncertain. “I…I’m not sure,” she said, raising a hesitant hand to her temple. “I just got this image in my mind when you said that. It was so vivid… You were standing in a large, metal room beside a frightening little man with knives in his hands and a young woman with long, white hair….” She shook her head, an odd shiver running up her spine. “Never mind.”
Kurt narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Well, that’s not what I meant,” he said. “I don’t even know how to fight! But I do know how to hide in plain sight, Mama. I’ve been doing it all my life. That’s why I plan to wear my costume when I go to meet Amanda.”
Margali frowned. “Wouldn’t that make you more conspicuous rather than less,” she asked.
“Naturally,” Kurt nodded. “Which is why it’ll be so much easier for people to believe my…exotic good looks,” he grinned, making a sweeping gesture with his tail, “are all a part of the show. If I tried to hide my face, on the other hand, and some nosy citizen happened to notice…well that would trample all over their limited expectations, now wouldn’t it? And they’d be understandably suspicious of why I was hiding, possibly even to the point of violence. I think my way is much more fun.”
Margali still looked uncertain, but Kurt could tell she was starting to soften. All she needed was one more push…
“Besides,” he added with a coaxing smile. “It’ll be free publicity! I’ll take a few fliers along, so if anyone does start asking questions, I can just tell them I’m an acrobat with the circus and invite them to come see the show. It’s the truth, after all. ”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought haven’t you,” Margali said, the sharpness in her eyes melting into fondness mingled with a concern she knew would never truly fade. Kurt nodded, fighting back another deep flush as he thought back to how long he’d been waiting for Amanda’s return. He had imagined the scenario so many times he could watch it play out like a movie in his mind: himself waiting to greet her as she stepped off the train, her sweet surprise when she saw him there… Sometimes, she even kissed him.
“You could say that,” he said with an uncomfortable shrug. Margali smiled, making him duck his head slightly so she could kiss him on the forehead.
“Then go, my son,” she said, catching his eyes with hers. “And be careful.”
Kurt stared at her for a moment, his head cocked slightly as if to make sure he’d heard right. Then, suddenly, he pulled her into a joyful embrace, an enormous grin erupting across his narrow features. “I will, Mama!” he exclaimed happily. “Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“You can thank me by returning to me safe and whole,” she said, breaking free of his tail and giving him a pat to start him off in the direction of the door. “Now get out of here and go meet your sister. You only have half an hour before her train is due to arrive.”
“Never fear,” Kurt grinned, gracing his foster mother with a sweeping bow. “And if, perchance, the worst does happen--although I am certain it will not--I can always make a quick escape with a subtle demonstration of Gypsy magic!”
Making a theatrical “throwing” gesture with his hand, as though he were tossing a handful of flash powder to the floor, Kurt winked at his foster mother and vanished from the room with a loud BAMF of swirling smoke.
Margali watched the dark smoke dissipate, her expression thoughtful as she sank slowly back into her chair and re-opened the letter. Kurt’s parting words had just given her an idea.
According to the note, Amos Jardine, the Texas oil baron who had just closed the deal adding the Munich Circus to his eclectic collection of franchises, was scheduled to make a tour of her circus later that week. It was his plan to take a more active role in determining what types of acts his subsidiaries would be allowed to perform--a plan Margali resented with every fiber of her being. Who was he to determine what was ‘moral’? What gave him the right to even consider censoring her acts?
Stuffing the foreboding letter back into its envelope, Margali rose to her feet and strode into the narrow hallway, heading for her temporary office. Perhaps a demonstration of Gypsy magic would be just what she needed convince that arrogant millionaire to keep his bloated paws off her circus. She only prayed she had the strength to carry out the plan forming in her mind…
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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Rowena
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Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
And here's the second little scene!
Kurt Wagner strode down the broad, city sidewalk with his back straight, his head held high, and his insides secretly trembling. The morning rush had yet to begin, but there were still a good number of cars and pedestrians traveling the streets.
He had to admit, despite all the assurances he had given Margali and himself, the actual experience of walking in the open among a crowd on his own was nerve wracking, to say the least. Kurt wasn’t a very tall young man--after his last growth spurt he’d measured at just under 5’9”and it wasn’t likely that he’d get much taller--and although his lifetime of acrobatic training had rewarded him with a lean, well-toned body, his slender, wiry frame was hardly imposing. He had never felt more vulnerable, more exposed, in his life, and the gasps, belittling whispers, and startled double-takes his appearance drew from the people he passed by were steadily eating away at what little remained of his confidence.
To his relief, though, once he reached the station he managed to make it past the gate and onto the right train platform without any trouble. The platform numbers and train arrival times were all very clearly labeled, and there didn’t seem to be any guards or attendants anywhere. This early in the morning, all the ticket booths were closed and locked. Commuters were purchasing their passes from an automatic dispenser.
The sun was rising on the other side of the large building, so the whole expanse of concrete, glass, and steel was bathed in cool shadow. Keeping his eyes fixed on the floor and away from the small clusters of people milling around between the wrought iron poles, Kurt made an instinctive bee-line for the dark space behind the dimmest corner bench. Once there, his pounding heart started to slow, the tension gradually draining from his shoulders as he let out a long sigh, sliding his back down the smooth, painted bricks to end in a crouch. It was only then that he realized--to his startled chagrin--that all this time he had been clutching his circus fliers to his chest like a protective shield.
“Ach, Kurt Wagner, you really are an idiot,” he muttered to himself in disgust. “A year and a half of plans and pretty words, and when the day finally arrives you end up hiding in the shadows like a skulking alley cat. A man who lets his fears keep him from standing in the sunlight doesn’t deserve the affections of a woman like Amanda...even if she does only think of you as a brother.” He scowled, his shame causing his voice to sound bitter and harsh.
“Just look at yourself,” he scolded, “crouching in the dark! And for what reason? You have as much right to be standing on this platform as anyone else. Ask yourself…how would Errol Flynn handle a situation like this?”
The question brought the light back to Kurt’s golden eyes, sparking a small, sly smile as he straightened back to his full height, scanning the slowly filling platform. Now that he was thinking outside himself, beyond the barrier of his skin, his mind began to flood with possibilities. His little smile broadened to a grin as he felt his performer’s confidence returning in a rush. The sweet little scene he had kept in his heart for so long was possible. He could make it possible. When Amanda stepped off the train, she was going to be stunned to realize that Kurt Wagner was no longer the shy boy she had left behind when she went away to school. Instead, she would see a man--a man with a spirit strong enough to prove that looks didn’t matter.
Squaring the pointed shoulders of his sleek red and black costume, the Incredible Nightcrawler strode out into the center of the train platform. If anyone tried to question his presence there, he’d be ready with a flier and a smile.
*******
Amanda Szardos lugged her wheeled pink carry-on suitcase down the steep stairs to the concrete platform, then turned back to look for her friend Elsie, who was supposed to be right behind her.
“Hey, Elsie, what’s the hold up?” she called into the train. “Come on, they’ve already started unpacking the luggage car!”
“I’m right here,” Elsie called back, struggling to squeeze her own small suitcase past the final row of seats. “You don’t need to shout.”
With a final yank, the spectacled brunette stumbled into the cramped stairwell, then paused for a moment to take a look around. “Hey,” she said, “what do you suppose is going on over there?”
“Over where?” Amanda asked, standing on her tiptoes to follow her friend’s green gaze.
“Right there,” Elsie pointed from above, a pink flush starting in her cheeks. “Who is that guy? He’s amazing!”
“What guy!” Amanda frowned, starting to get frustrated. But Elsie was no longer listening. She was too preoccupied with the view.
“Oh God, look at those shoulders!” she giggled, bashfully pulling at her springy, shoulder-length curls. “And those abs… He has such a nice profile, too. I bet he’s absolutely gorgeous under all that blue make-up!”
“Blue make-up…?” Suddenly suspicious, Amanda knocked her hard, pink suitcase to the ground and stepped up onto it, nearly laughing when she recognized the young man her friend had been referring to. A tight circle of people had ringed around him, which was why he’d been so hard to see at first. As she watched, he flipped back to stand on one hand, his spaded tail curling around to wave at the enthusiastic crowd like a puppet on a string.
“Oh, that’s just Kurt,” she smirked. “Making a spectacle of himself as usual.”
“Kurt? You mean you know him?” Elsie squeaked excitedly, her green eyes wide behind her black-rimmed glasses.
“Of course I know him!” Amanda rolled her eyes at her former roommate’s enthusiasm. “He’s my kid brother!”
“Your kid brother!” Elsie repeated incredulously. “He doesn’t look like a kid to me.” She giggled again and fanned herself with her hand--her way of indicating a ‘hottie.’ Then she sprinted down the stairs to Amanda’s side, blinking up at her with bright, pleading eyes.
“Do you think you could introduce us?” she asked. “Pleeeze, Amanda? I’ll love you forever, promise!”
Amanda winced. “Erm, I don’t know…” she hedged, not wanting to imagine what might happen if Elsie were to realize Kurt’s blue coloring wasn’t due to make-up. “He only acts like that in public. Really, he’s very shy.”
“That’s so cute!” Elsie squealed, clasping her hands together over her heart. Amanda stared at her.
“I can’t believe you’re acting like this over Kurt!” she said as she hopped down from her suitcase, feeling oddly defensive all of a sudden. “Come on, Els, let’s get out of here before he sees us. I don’t know about you, but I have two other bags I need to pick up. Oh, and we’ll have to catch a taxi if you want me to come with you to your parents’ house--“
“Too late, Amanda,” Elsie grinned cheekily, patting at her wild curls in a futile attempt to tame the flyaway wisps. “I think he’s spotted us.”
It was true. Amanda turned back to the crowd just in time to see her foster brother disappear in a theatrical puff of smoke. The applause was still going strong when he reappeared beside her with a loud BAMF! Elsie gave an alarmed shout that was cut off by a brief spate of coughing as she choked on the rapidly dissipating smoke.
“Phew,” she said, embarrassed by her reaction. “What a stink!” Then she looked up at him, her green eyes wide with awe. “How did you do that?”
But Kurt didn’t answer. He didn’t even seem to have heard her. His attention was focused on Amanda, his indigo face still flushed and beaming from the exhilaration of performing before a receptive audience.
“Amanda!” he exclaimed breathlessly, unable to stop smiling as he stared into her startled blue eyes. “I was waiting for you.”
“I could see that,” she said dryly, shooting a questioning look at his skin-tight body suit. “What are you doing in costume?” she asked him. “And why are you out here on your own? Surely Mother didn’t allow--“
“It’s free publicity, ‘Manda,” he told her. “And this way no one stares! Well, I mean, people stare but…you know what I mean!” He laughed, but it sounded a bit self-conscious.
“I suppose so,” she frowned, starting to feel uncomfortable with the odd way he was looking at her. His face was leaner than she remembered, and he was certainly taller, but she was sure she’d never seen him smile that way before. And the way he kept staring…
“I missed you, Amanda,” he said, taking a small step closer on the suitcase, his deep voice soft and intense with sincerity. “The circus is such a lonely place when you’re gone. I’ve been waiting for this day for such a long time, I can’t even tell you…”
He reached out to take her hands, but when she showed no signs of responding he let his trembling arms drop, along with his eyes. Under his short fur, his face was burning a dark purple, his tail twining itself tightly around his ankles. This wasn’t working out the way he’d planned. She was supposed to smile at him, to be as excited to see him as he was to see her! From the look on her face, though, it seemed almost like she wanted to run away. The confusion in her eyes spoke more clearly than any words. She had no idea of his feelings for her, and was unlikely to reciprocate even if she did. It had been foolish of him to come here. All he was doing was endangering the friendship they did have.
Kurt grimaced, swallowing hard as his heart fell crashing to the ground. All these years of loving her in secret…only to find that his hopes had been nothing more than the pathetic, immature fancies of a sad, lonely freak…
He started to back away, sheepish and humiliated, but before he could take a full step he felt Amanda’s finger under his chin, lifting his eyes to meet hers.
“It’s OK, Kurt,” she said gently, thinking that she finally understood his odd behavior. “I missed you too. I know it’s got to be hard for you, always having to be the one who stays behind. I’m glad you managed to get away this morning to come meet me.”
Kurt blinked. “Really?” he asked, unable to stop a sudden swell of tears from filling his eyes. He had no idea where they came from, but at that moment, he was too touched by her words to care. “You’re not…” He hesitated for a moment, then let it out. “You’re not upset that I came?”
“Of course not, silly!” Now she was smiling at him, her hand on his arm, pulling him closer as she reached up to ruffle his curls the way she’d done when he was small. “I’m always glad to see you.”
“Oh, Amanda,” he sobbed, enfolding her in a sudden, fervent embrace. A tidal wave of roiling emotions flooded his heart, fogging his mind as he buried his face in her hair, her spicy perfume surrounding him like an intoxicating cloud.
For the rest of his life, Kurt would never be able to remember just how it had happened. But the next thing he knew, his lips were on Amanda’s--and she wasn’t pulling away. He was kissing her and she was returning it with equal passion, her eyes closed and her long fingers sliding up the back of his neck to bury themselves in his curls. For a timeless moment, Kurt felt a deep thrill of pure joy. It ran all the way up and through him, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded. It was an experience unlike anything he had ever felt before and for that one, brief moment, the rest of the world faded away, leaving only him and his beautiful Amanda. But then, the reality of what was happening crashed down upon his suspended disbelief and he broke the kiss, his eyes wide and his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps as he backed away.
“I--I…” he stammered, suddenly awkward as he stumbled straight into her suitcase. Only his years of training kept him from falling on his tail. Eyes were everywhere, staring at him. Some were laughing, some were startled, others were laced with disgust. But only one pair of eyes mattered to him at that moment, and they were filled with shocked incomprehension, mingled with something that looked disturbingly like fear.
“Oh, God,” he gasped, his fuzzy skin burning with mortification. “I--Amanda, I am so sorry…!”
He had to get away from there. He couldn’t stand to see that frozen look on Amanda’s face a moment longer. Casting his gaze around wildly in search of an escape, Kurt chose a rooftop and jaunted away, his insides trembling in horrified disbelief at the very thought of what he had done.
“Oh, gross!” Elsie exclaimed once she’d recovered from her own shock enough to speak. “Gross! That was wrong on so many levels. God, Amanda, I thought you said he was your brother!”
“Huh?” Amanda murmured absently, sounding--and looking--as though she were miles away.
“That guy is sick, Amanda! Really sick.”
But Amanda didn’t react. She was still standing frozen beside her suitcase, her eyes distant and unblinking, her fingertips just touching her lips. Elsie sighed.
“Come on, Amanda,” she said, pulling on her friend’s hand as the train gave a loud whistle and started moving away. “I know where we can get some good, strong mouthwash. You just come with me and--”
“Where’d he go?”
Elsie frowned. “Who?”
“Kurt!” Amanda called out, her blue eyes suddenly wild as she spun in place, scanning the crowd for any sign of her foster brother. When she didn’t spot him, she turned back to her friend, completely frantic. “Elsie, did you see him leave?”
“No, he did that smelly flash powder trick and skulked away somewhere. What do you want to find him for, anyway? He’s clearly perverted. I mean, I can’t even think about it! Imagine, kissing your own sister like that, and in public too!”
“I’m not his sister,” Amanda said brusquely, now looking up at the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the station platform. Elsie scrunched up her face in utter confusion.
“But you said--“
“He’s adopted,” she explained in exasperation, her eyes now fixed on the tall spire of a church at the end of the street. “We’re not related.”
Elsie’s eyes widened behind her glasses. “OH!” she exclaimed, pressing a hand over her heart in deep relief. “Oh, OK. Wow, Amanda, for a while there I was really--“
“I’ll see you later, Elsie, OK?” Amanda cut her off, already pushing her way through the crowd waiting for the next train as she headed in the general direction of the church.
“But I thought you were going to come meet my parents!” her friend called after her. “And-- Hey, Amanda, you forgot your bags!”
“Leave them!” Amanda shouted back, not even pausing to look over her shoulder as she squeezed past a limo driver carrying a placard marked JARDINE. “I’ll pick them up later!”
And before Elsie could say another word, Amanda was gone, vanished into the depths of the milling crowd.
See you next time, and please review!
Kurt Wagner strode down the broad, city sidewalk with his back straight, his head held high, and his insides secretly trembling. The morning rush had yet to begin, but there were still a good number of cars and pedestrians traveling the streets.
He had to admit, despite all the assurances he had given Margali and himself, the actual experience of walking in the open among a crowd on his own was nerve wracking, to say the least. Kurt wasn’t a very tall young man--after his last growth spurt he’d measured at just under 5’9”and it wasn’t likely that he’d get much taller--and although his lifetime of acrobatic training had rewarded him with a lean, well-toned body, his slender, wiry frame was hardly imposing. He had never felt more vulnerable, more exposed, in his life, and the gasps, belittling whispers, and startled double-takes his appearance drew from the people he passed by were steadily eating away at what little remained of his confidence.
To his relief, though, once he reached the station he managed to make it past the gate and onto the right train platform without any trouble. The platform numbers and train arrival times were all very clearly labeled, and there didn’t seem to be any guards or attendants anywhere. This early in the morning, all the ticket booths were closed and locked. Commuters were purchasing their passes from an automatic dispenser.
The sun was rising on the other side of the large building, so the whole expanse of concrete, glass, and steel was bathed in cool shadow. Keeping his eyes fixed on the floor and away from the small clusters of people milling around between the wrought iron poles, Kurt made an instinctive bee-line for the dark space behind the dimmest corner bench. Once there, his pounding heart started to slow, the tension gradually draining from his shoulders as he let out a long sigh, sliding his back down the smooth, painted bricks to end in a crouch. It was only then that he realized--to his startled chagrin--that all this time he had been clutching his circus fliers to his chest like a protective shield.
“Ach, Kurt Wagner, you really are an idiot,” he muttered to himself in disgust. “A year and a half of plans and pretty words, and when the day finally arrives you end up hiding in the shadows like a skulking alley cat. A man who lets his fears keep him from standing in the sunlight doesn’t deserve the affections of a woman like Amanda...even if she does only think of you as a brother.” He scowled, his shame causing his voice to sound bitter and harsh.
“Just look at yourself,” he scolded, “crouching in the dark! And for what reason? You have as much right to be standing on this platform as anyone else. Ask yourself…how would Errol Flynn handle a situation like this?”
The question brought the light back to Kurt’s golden eyes, sparking a small, sly smile as he straightened back to his full height, scanning the slowly filling platform. Now that he was thinking outside himself, beyond the barrier of his skin, his mind began to flood with possibilities. His little smile broadened to a grin as he felt his performer’s confidence returning in a rush. The sweet little scene he had kept in his heart for so long was possible. He could make it possible. When Amanda stepped off the train, she was going to be stunned to realize that Kurt Wagner was no longer the shy boy she had left behind when she went away to school. Instead, she would see a man--a man with a spirit strong enough to prove that looks didn’t matter.
Squaring the pointed shoulders of his sleek red and black costume, the Incredible Nightcrawler strode out into the center of the train platform. If anyone tried to question his presence there, he’d be ready with a flier and a smile.
*******
Amanda Szardos lugged her wheeled pink carry-on suitcase down the steep stairs to the concrete platform, then turned back to look for her friend Elsie, who was supposed to be right behind her.
“Hey, Elsie, what’s the hold up?” she called into the train. “Come on, they’ve already started unpacking the luggage car!”
“I’m right here,” Elsie called back, struggling to squeeze her own small suitcase past the final row of seats. “You don’t need to shout.”
With a final yank, the spectacled brunette stumbled into the cramped stairwell, then paused for a moment to take a look around. “Hey,” she said, “what do you suppose is going on over there?”
“Over where?” Amanda asked, standing on her tiptoes to follow her friend’s green gaze.
“Right there,” Elsie pointed from above, a pink flush starting in her cheeks. “Who is that guy? He’s amazing!”
“What guy!” Amanda frowned, starting to get frustrated. But Elsie was no longer listening. She was too preoccupied with the view.
“Oh God, look at those shoulders!” she giggled, bashfully pulling at her springy, shoulder-length curls. “And those abs… He has such a nice profile, too. I bet he’s absolutely gorgeous under all that blue make-up!”
“Blue make-up…?” Suddenly suspicious, Amanda knocked her hard, pink suitcase to the ground and stepped up onto it, nearly laughing when she recognized the young man her friend had been referring to. A tight circle of people had ringed around him, which was why he’d been so hard to see at first. As she watched, he flipped back to stand on one hand, his spaded tail curling around to wave at the enthusiastic crowd like a puppet on a string.
“Oh, that’s just Kurt,” she smirked. “Making a spectacle of himself as usual.”
“Kurt? You mean you know him?” Elsie squeaked excitedly, her green eyes wide behind her black-rimmed glasses.
“Of course I know him!” Amanda rolled her eyes at her former roommate’s enthusiasm. “He’s my kid brother!”
“Your kid brother!” Elsie repeated incredulously. “He doesn’t look like a kid to me.” She giggled again and fanned herself with her hand--her way of indicating a ‘hottie.’ Then she sprinted down the stairs to Amanda’s side, blinking up at her with bright, pleading eyes.
“Do you think you could introduce us?” she asked. “Pleeeze, Amanda? I’ll love you forever, promise!”
Amanda winced. “Erm, I don’t know…” she hedged, not wanting to imagine what might happen if Elsie were to realize Kurt’s blue coloring wasn’t due to make-up. “He only acts like that in public. Really, he’s very shy.”
“That’s so cute!” Elsie squealed, clasping her hands together over her heart. Amanda stared at her.
“I can’t believe you’re acting like this over Kurt!” she said as she hopped down from her suitcase, feeling oddly defensive all of a sudden. “Come on, Els, let’s get out of here before he sees us. I don’t know about you, but I have two other bags I need to pick up. Oh, and we’ll have to catch a taxi if you want me to come with you to your parents’ house--“
“Too late, Amanda,” Elsie grinned cheekily, patting at her wild curls in a futile attempt to tame the flyaway wisps. “I think he’s spotted us.”
It was true. Amanda turned back to the crowd just in time to see her foster brother disappear in a theatrical puff of smoke. The applause was still going strong when he reappeared beside her with a loud BAMF! Elsie gave an alarmed shout that was cut off by a brief spate of coughing as she choked on the rapidly dissipating smoke.
“Phew,” she said, embarrassed by her reaction. “What a stink!” Then she looked up at him, her green eyes wide with awe. “How did you do that?”
But Kurt didn’t answer. He didn’t even seem to have heard her. His attention was focused on Amanda, his indigo face still flushed and beaming from the exhilaration of performing before a receptive audience.
“Amanda!” he exclaimed breathlessly, unable to stop smiling as he stared into her startled blue eyes. “I was waiting for you.”
“I could see that,” she said dryly, shooting a questioning look at his skin-tight body suit. “What are you doing in costume?” she asked him. “And why are you out here on your own? Surely Mother didn’t allow--“
“It’s free publicity, ‘Manda,” he told her. “And this way no one stares! Well, I mean, people stare but…you know what I mean!” He laughed, but it sounded a bit self-conscious.
“I suppose so,” she frowned, starting to feel uncomfortable with the odd way he was looking at her. His face was leaner than she remembered, and he was certainly taller, but she was sure she’d never seen him smile that way before. And the way he kept staring…
“I missed you, Amanda,” he said, taking a small step closer on the suitcase, his deep voice soft and intense with sincerity. “The circus is such a lonely place when you’re gone. I’ve been waiting for this day for such a long time, I can’t even tell you…”
He reached out to take her hands, but when she showed no signs of responding he let his trembling arms drop, along with his eyes. Under his short fur, his face was burning a dark purple, his tail twining itself tightly around his ankles. This wasn’t working out the way he’d planned. She was supposed to smile at him, to be as excited to see him as he was to see her! From the look on her face, though, it seemed almost like she wanted to run away. The confusion in her eyes spoke more clearly than any words. She had no idea of his feelings for her, and was unlikely to reciprocate even if she did. It had been foolish of him to come here. All he was doing was endangering the friendship they did have.
Kurt grimaced, swallowing hard as his heart fell crashing to the ground. All these years of loving her in secret…only to find that his hopes had been nothing more than the pathetic, immature fancies of a sad, lonely freak…
He started to back away, sheepish and humiliated, but before he could take a full step he felt Amanda’s finger under his chin, lifting his eyes to meet hers.
“It’s OK, Kurt,” she said gently, thinking that she finally understood his odd behavior. “I missed you too. I know it’s got to be hard for you, always having to be the one who stays behind. I’m glad you managed to get away this morning to come meet me.”
Kurt blinked. “Really?” he asked, unable to stop a sudden swell of tears from filling his eyes. He had no idea where they came from, but at that moment, he was too touched by her words to care. “You’re not…” He hesitated for a moment, then let it out. “You’re not upset that I came?”
“Of course not, silly!” Now she was smiling at him, her hand on his arm, pulling him closer as she reached up to ruffle his curls the way she’d done when he was small. “I’m always glad to see you.”
“Oh, Amanda,” he sobbed, enfolding her in a sudden, fervent embrace. A tidal wave of roiling emotions flooded his heart, fogging his mind as he buried his face in her hair, her spicy perfume surrounding him like an intoxicating cloud.
For the rest of his life, Kurt would never be able to remember just how it had happened. But the next thing he knew, his lips were on Amanda’s--and she wasn’t pulling away. He was kissing her and she was returning it with equal passion, her eyes closed and her long fingers sliding up the back of his neck to bury themselves in his curls. For a timeless moment, Kurt felt a deep thrill of pure joy. It ran all the way up and through him, leaving him dizzy and lightheaded. It was an experience unlike anything he had ever felt before and for that one, brief moment, the rest of the world faded away, leaving only him and his beautiful Amanda. But then, the reality of what was happening crashed down upon his suspended disbelief and he broke the kiss, his eyes wide and his breaths coming in short, panicked gasps as he backed away.
“I--I…” he stammered, suddenly awkward as he stumbled straight into her suitcase. Only his years of training kept him from falling on his tail. Eyes were everywhere, staring at him. Some were laughing, some were startled, others were laced with disgust. But only one pair of eyes mattered to him at that moment, and they were filled with shocked incomprehension, mingled with something that looked disturbingly like fear.
“Oh, God,” he gasped, his fuzzy skin burning with mortification. “I--Amanda, I am so sorry…!”
He had to get away from there. He couldn’t stand to see that frozen look on Amanda’s face a moment longer. Casting his gaze around wildly in search of an escape, Kurt chose a rooftop and jaunted away, his insides trembling in horrified disbelief at the very thought of what he had done.
“Oh, gross!” Elsie exclaimed once she’d recovered from her own shock enough to speak. “Gross! That was wrong on so many levels. God, Amanda, I thought you said he was your brother!”
“Huh?” Amanda murmured absently, sounding--and looking--as though she were miles away.
“That guy is sick, Amanda! Really sick.”
But Amanda didn’t react. She was still standing frozen beside her suitcase, her eyes distant and unblinking, her fingertips just touching her lips. Elsie sighed.
“Come on, Amanda,” she said, pulling on her friend’s hand as the train gave a loud whistle and started moving away. “I know where we can get some good, strong mouthwash. You just come with me and--”
“Where’d he go?”
Elsie frowned. “Who?”
“Kurt!” Amanda called out, her blue eyes suddenly wild as she spun in place, scanning the crowd for any sign of her foster brother. When she didn’t spot him, she turned back to her friend, completely frantic. “Elsie, did you see him leave?”
“No, he did that smelly flash powder trick and skulked away somewhere. What do you want to find him for, anyway? He’s clearly perverted. I mean, I can’t even think about it! Imagine, kissing your own sister like that, and in public too!”
“I’m not his sister,” Amanda said brusquely, now looking up at the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the station platform. Elsie scrunched up her face in utter confusion.
“But you said--“
“He’s adopted,” she explained in exasperation, her eyes now fixed on the tall spire of a church at the end of the street. “We’re not related.”
Elsie’s eyes widened behind her glasses. “OH!” she exclaimed, pressing a hand over her heart in deep relief. “Oh, OK. Wow, Amanda, for a while there I was really--“
“I’ll see you later, Elsie, OK?” Amanda cut her off, already pushing her way through the crowd waiting for the next train as she headed in the general direction of the church.
“But I thought you were going to come meet my parents!” her friend called after her. “And-- Hey, Amanda, you forgot your bags!”
“Leave them!” Amanda shouted back, not even pausing to look over her shoulder as she squeezed past a limo driver carrying a placard marked JARDINE. “I’ll pick them up later!”
And before Elsie could say another word, Amanda was gone, vanished into the depths of the milling crowd.
See you next time, and please review!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
-
HoodedMan
- Administrator
- Posts: 2335
- Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 11:39 pm
- Title: Lord Sarcasmo von Snarkypants
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
I love this! Kurt finally confronting who he is through Margali's protests! I really eagerly await another chapter on this story when you come back; I want to know what happens!
OT: And where are you staying in Virginia, if you can post to tell me? Maybe I'll see you and not know it.
OT: And where are you staying in Virginia, if you can post to tell me? Maybe I'll see you and not know it.
ACHTUNG! Alles touristen und non-technischen looken peepers! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.
-
Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
I'll be staying with my great aunt and uncle in Seaford, and I'll be visiting Yorktown and Williamsburg. If you're around there, look for the girl with the super-long brown ponytail and the blue baseball cap. That'll be me!
Thanks so much for your reviews! I can't wait to finish the chapter so I can tell you what happens! I'm excited about writing the Stefan part myself!
See ya next week everyone!
Thanks so much for your reviews!
I can't wait to finish the chapter so I can tell you what happens! I'm excited about writing the Stefan part myself! See ya next week everyone!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
-
HoodedMan
- Administrator
- Posts: 2335
- Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 11:39 pm
- Title: Lord Sarcasmo von Snarkypants
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
OT: Haha, I will. Colonial Williamsburg is great. While you're down there, you should visit Peking. Best restaurant in town (insiders tip ). Of course, I have a weakness for Italian food so I could pick others but I just offer the majority opinion.
). Of course, I have a weakness for Italian food so I could pick others but I just offer the majority opinion. ACHTUNG! Alles touristen und non-technischen looken peepers! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.
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Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Well, Belasco's Beatrice is finally finished, so now it's time to get to work on wrapping up this story! Part 6 is a little more than halfway done at this point, so it won't be long now.
Hope you like this bit!
The church was cool and surprisingly dark after the brightness of the morning sun. Amanda waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, then started slowly down the center aisle, scanning the pews for any shadow that seemed out of place.
“Kurt?” she called out softly as she went, her voice echoing off the walls of ancient stone and stained glass.
There! A flash of movement over by the small table of flickering candles…
“Don’t move!” she exclaimed, cutting across the pews in her hurry to reach him. “If you jaunt away I promise I’ll never speak to you again!”
The shadow froze, then turned slowly to face her, golden eyes burning like embers in the dimness. Amanda stopped her progress, feeling suddenly awkward.
“Are you all right?”(1) she asked, clasping her hands behind her back as she waited anxiously for his response. After a long moment, it came.
“I--yes…” He sighed. “I’m fine, Amanda. Just embarrassed, is all. How did you know I’d be here?”
His voice was soft and hesitant, but it carried just the slightest hint of self-depreciating humor. Amanda smiled and took a few steps closer, watching as the shifting light caused his short fur to brighten from the deepest midnight to its more familiar indigo.
“Old theaters, old movies, or the nearest Church. You’re sort of predictable, that way.”
Kurt shrugged, looking back at the candles. “I suppose I am,” he said. “I’ll have to be more impulsive in the future.”
“No! Please…” Amanda shook her head, coming up beside him with a fond smile. “I’ve had enough of your spontaneity for one day,” she teased. But Kurt clearly was not in a teasing mood.
“I’m so sorry, Amanda,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands to hide his tears from view. “I don’t know what got into me--“
“I do,” she said softly, gently reaching out to take his hands in hers. “You made it very clear.”(2)
Kurt looked up at her, his eyes surprisingly vulnerable. Amanda felt her heart go out to him, her concern mingling with a growing sense of guilt.
“How long have you felt this way?” she asked hesitantly, pulling him down to sit beside her on a nearby pew.
Kurt moaned out a pained laugh, pressing a hand to his forehead as he shook his head. “How long is forever?” he said bitterly. “My whole life! I never wanted you to know.” He sniffed sharply, his voice hoarse with emotion as he fought to hold in his mortified tears. “I don’t know why…why it came out then…in front of all those people!”
“No, Kurt, it’s all right!” she assured him, bringing her hand over his shoulder so she could smooth the curls at the back of his head. “Please don’t feel so bad. It’s just…you always seemed to think of me as a sister. I never even thought--“ She shook her head with a sigh, dropping her hand back down to her lap. “No, that’s not true,” she admitted. “I think I did know, deep down. But I suppose I just--“
“Didn’t want to believe it?” Kurt finished for her, the uncharacteristic bitterness still present in his tone. “I don’t blame you, you know. Why would a girl as beautiful as you even look at a monster like me when she can have her pick of any guy she wants?”
“Kurt, that isn’t fair!” Amanda protested, although in her heart she felt the stinging truth in his words, and it shamed her. “Besides,” she added with conviction. “You’re not a monster!”
“Oh yeah?” he shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Then what’s this?” He lifted his tail from the pew, waving the spade in front of her face. “You know many other guys with one of these? And in such a unique shade?”
Amanda pursed her lips. “Oh no,” she said. “Don’t even start with that. I know you too well to believe for one moment that you truly resent your appearance. You might feel angry about how other people react to you, but that’s not the same thing.”
Kurt crossed his arms over his chest, but didn’t answer. Amanda tilted her head, trying to catch his eye.
“Do you know what I think?” she asked.
“What?” he scowled grumpily, refusing to look up. Amanda’s lips twitched into a sly smile.
“I think you enjoy being different,” she said, giving him a poke in the side. “I think you revel in it. I think that if you ever lost your mutant attributes and became a normal human, you’d mope around and sulk and pout like nobody’s business. And do you know why?”
Kurt glanced over at her from the corner of his eye, his mouth twitching upwards against his will. “Why?” he asked.
“Because,” Amanda told him, leaning in close until their noses tingled with their proximity. “You are beautiful in blue.”
Closing what little distance was left between them, she kissed him lightly on the lips, startling him.
“A--Amanda!” he exclaimed, confused and unsure and suddenly hugely conscious of where they were. “We’re in a church!”
“So?” Amanda retorted, scooting closer to the completely befuddled mutant. The wide-eyed, almost terrified expression on his face nearly made her laugh. She’d never seen him look more adorable than at that moment, and her eyes softened as she continued. “People kiss in here all the time, I’m sure. Weddings, christenings…”
“But that’s different--“ Kurt started, but his protest was only half-hearted as Amanda leaned in to meet his lips once more, smiling when he hesitantly began to respond. His arms tightened around her as if of their own accord, his tail curling about her waist with such gentleness, Amanda felt tears starting in her eyes. Never before had she felt a connection as powerful as this, or found her feelings returned so deeply. Their kisses were light…almost chaste, but the emotion behind them was overwhelming.
“Amanda,” Kurt said with a soft chuff of incredulous laughter, his eyes glowing with a joyful warmth as they finally parted. “I--I just can’t believe this is actually happening. This is just too good to be true…”
Amanda smiled, taking advantage of their proximity to admire the sharp point of his ear, the strong line of his fuzzy jaw. Looking closer, she noticed for the first time that there were thicker bristles of indigo beard the same color as his curly hair interspersed among the short, velvety fur on his cheek. The observation jolted her, somehow making the situation seem more real than before. Suddenly, she realized that some part of her had still been viewing Kurt as a little boy--a little boy with a harmless crush. Now, that image was shattered. There was no denying that the person sitting next to her was a man, a man who was quite obviously deeply in love.
This was very serious, and completely out of Amanda’s admittedly broad realm of experience. She felt she should be scared, or at least nervous to be confronted with the implications of such strong emotions so abruptly. Yet, for some reason, she wasn’t. Sitting here, safe in Kurt’s lean, muscular arms…it just felt right. Comfortable, as though they had been a loving couple for years rather than just minutes. And in that moment, she knew. She knew that she would never again want to be with any man other than Kurt. The realization made her feel oddly nauseous and exhilarated at the same time, like she was riding a roller coaster without a safety harness, being carried along at warp speed towards a destination that had been determined for her long ago.
“It’s so strange,” she said softly, struggling to put her unfamiliar feelings into words. “This feels so natural, yet I know that it shouldn’t. I mean, I’ve always loved you Kurt, but I never thought--“
She cut herself off, rattled when she realized what she was about to say. Kurt shifted beside her, his brow furrowed over his curious golden eyes.
“What?” he inquired softly, his voice holding only the faintest hint of concern. Amanda sat up, her expression tight and serious. But one look at his face gave her the courage to admit the truth she felt in her heart.
“That I would fall in love with you,” she said quietly, her eyes downcast as she waited nervously for his reaction. When none seemed to come, she glanced up, only to gasp in alarm when she saw he was crying. Silent tears cut damp streams through his fuzz-like fur. He sniffed hard when he noticed she was looking, quickly rubbing his cheeks dry before taking her hands in his, looking into her eyes with a strangely cautious smile.
“Do…do you mean that?” he asked hoarsely, clearing his throat. “Are…are you really…really serious?”
“Kurt,” Amanda said, blinking hard against her own stinging tears. “I have never meant anything more in my whole life.”
Kurt sniffed again, the wariness fading from his smile to be replaced with something far more tender. “I love you, Amanda,” he told her sincerely, releasing one of her hands to gently wipe a warm tear from her cheek with his callused thumb. Amanda stared at him, her heart pounding as she slid closer, reaching up to run her fingers down the side of his lean face, fascinated by the contrasting texture of soft fur and only slightly rougher bristles.
“Someday,” she whispered with a smile, “you’re going to have to grow a beard for me.”
“What--?” Kurt started in confusion, but before he could complete the question Amanda was kissing him and all coherent thought was blissfully banished from his brain. In fact, they were soon so involved with each other that they didn’t even notice when the sun streaming in through the stained glass windows was cut off by a sudden inexplicable influx of dark clouds. The only thing that did catch their attention was a booming clap of thunder so powerful it actually rattled the smaller statues in their places.
Amanda blinked in disoriented confusion, only to sit up straight when a second roar of thunder topped the first. Kurt looked at her, her expression giving him a strange, anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“What is it, Schatz?” he asked her, his fingers tightening gently around her arm.
Amanda shook her head slowly, her eyes distant. “It’s Mother,” she said, and suddenly her voice was sharp with alarm. “Kurt, she’s in trouble.”
“In trouble?” Kurt repeated. “But how do you know--“
“It doesn’t matter how I know, I just do!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pulling him with her. “You have to jaunt us home, quickly! Something is very wrong.”
Realizing at once that she was, indeed, serious, Kurt didn’t waste any time. Quickly, the two of them hurried up the aisle and out the door to where Kurt could get a clear glimpse of the convention center’s roof. Pulling her close, he activated his power, not caring how many pedestrians saw them as they vanished from the sidewalk with a BAMF!
*******
(1)-(2) The dialogue between 1 and 2 is quoted directly from the X-Men 2 Nightcrawler Prequel written by Chuck Austen. The rest of this scene was loosely inspired by the same.
*******
More coming soon! Stay tuned!
Hope you like this bit!
The church was cool and surprisingly dark after the brightness of the morning sun. Amanda waited a moment for her eyes to adjust, then started slowly down the center aisle, scanning the pews for any shadow that seemed out of place.
“Kurt?” she called out softly as she went, her voice echoing off the walls of ancient stone and stained glass.
There! A flash of movement over by the small table of flickering candles…
“Don’t move!” she exclaimed, cutting across the pews in her hurry to reach him. “If you jaunt away I promise I’ll never speak to you again!”
The shadow froze, then turned slowly to face her, golden eyes burning like embers in the dimness. Amanda stopped her progress, feeling suddenly awkward.
“Are you all right?”(1) she asked, clasping her hands behind her back as she waited anxiously for his response. After a long moment, it came.
“I--yes…” He sighed. “I’m fine, Amanda. Just embarrassed, is all. How did you know I’d be here?”
His voice was soft and hesitant, but it carried just the slightest hint of self-depreciating humor. Amanda smiled and took a few steps closer, watching as the shifting light caused his short fur to brighten from the deepest midnight to its more familiar indigo.
“Old theaters, old movies, or the nearest Church. You’re sort of predictable, that way.”
Kurt shrugged, looking back at the candles. “I suppose I am,” he said. “I’ll have to be more impulsive in the future.”
“No! Please…” Amanda shook her head, coming up beside him with a fond smile. “I’ve had enough of your spontaneity for one day,” she teased. But Kurt clearly was not in a teasing mood.
“I’m so sorry, Amanda,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands to hide his tears from view. “I don’t know what got into me--“
“I do,” she said softly, gently reaching out to take his hands in hers. “You made it very clear.”(2)
Kurt looked up at her, his eyes surprisingly vulnerable. Amanda felt her heart go out to him, her concern mingling with a growing sense of guilt.
“How long have you felt this way?” she asked hesitantly, pulling him down to sit beside her on a nearby pew.
Kurt moaned out a pained laugh, pressing a hand to his forehead as he shook his head. “How long is forever?” he said bitterly. “My whole life! I never wanted you to know.” He sniffed sharply, his voice hoarse with emotion as he fought to hold in his mortified tears. “I don’t know why…why it came out then…in front of all those people!”
“No, Kurt, it’s all right!” she assured him, bringing her hand over his shoulder so she could smooth the curls at the back of his head. “Please don’t feel so bad. It’s just…you always seemed to think of me as a sister. I never even thought--“ She shook her head with a sigh, dropping her hand back down to her lap. “No, that’s not true,” she admitted. “I think I did know, deep down. But I suppose I just--“
“Didn’t want to believe it?” Kurt finished for her, the uncharacteristic bitterness still present in his tone. “I don’t blame you, you know. Why would a girl as beautiful as you even look at a monster like me when she can have her pick of any guy she wants?”
“Kurt, that isn’t fair!” Amanda protested, although in her heart she felt the stinging truth in his words, and it shamed her. “Besides,” she added with conviction. “You’re not a monster!”
“Oh yeah?” he shot back, raising an eyebrow. “Then what’s this?” He lifted his tail from the pew, waving the spade in front of her face. “You know many other guys with one of these? And in such a unique shade?”
Amanda pursed her lips. “Oh no,” she said. “Don’t even start with that. I know you too well to believe for one moment that you truly resent your appearance. You might feel angry about how other people react to you, but that’s not the same thing.”
Kurt crossed his arms over his chest, but didn’t answer. Amanda tilted her head, trying to catch his eye.
“Do you know what I think?” she asked.
“What?” he scowled grumpily, refusing to look up. Amanda’s lips twitched into a sly smile.
“I think you enjoy being different,” she said, giving him a poke in the side. “I think you revel in it. I think that if you ever lost your mutant attributes and became a normal human, you’d mope around and sulk and pout like nobody’s business. And do you know why?”
Kurt glanced over at her from the corner of his eye, his mouth twitching upwards against his will. “Why?” he asked.
“Because,” Amanda told him, leaning in close until their noses tingled with their proximity. “You are beautiful in blue.”
Closing what little distance was left between them, she kissed him lightly on the lips, startling him.
“A--Amanda!” he exclaimed, confused and unsure and suddenly hugely conscious of where they were. “We’re in a church!”
“So?” Amanda retorted, scooting closer to the completely befuddled mutant. The wide-eyed, almost terrified expression on his face nearly made her laugh. She’d never seen him look more adorable than at that moment, and her eyes softened as she continued. “People kiss in here all the time, I’m sure. Weddings, christenings…”
“But that’s different--“ Kurt started, but his protest was only half-hearted as Amanda leaned in to meet his lips once more, smiling when he hesitantly began to respond. His arms tightened around her as if of their own accord, his tail curling about her waist with such gentleness, Amanda felt tears starting in her eyes. Never before had she felt a connection as powerful as this, or found her feelings returned so deeply. Their kisses were light…almost chaste, but the emotion behind them was overwhelming.
“Amanda,” Kurt said with a soft chuff of incredulous laughter, his eyes glowing with a joyful warmth as they finally parted. “I--I just can’t believe this is actually happening. This is just too good to be true…”
Amanda smiled, taking advantage of their proximity to admire the sharp point of his ear, the strong line of his fuzzy jaw. Looking closer, she noticed for the first time that there were thicker bristles of indigo beard the same color as his curly hair interspersed among the short, velvety fur on his cheek. The observation jolted her, somehow making the situation seem more real than before. Suddenly, she realized that some part of her had still been viewing Kurt as a little boy--a little boy with a harmless crush. Now, that image was shattered. There was no denying that the person sitting next to her was a man, a man who was quite obviously deeply in love.
This was very serious, and completely out of Amanda’s admittedly broad realm of experience. She felt she should be scared, or at least nervous to be confronted with the implications of such strong emotions so abruptly. Yet, for some reason, she wasn’t. Sitting here, safe in Kurt’s lean, muscular arms…it just felt right. Comfortable, as though they had been a loving couple for years rather than just minutes. And in that moment, she knew. She knew that she would never again want to be with any man other than Kurt. The realization made her feel oddly nauseous and exhilarated at the same time, like she was riding a roller coaster without a safety harness, being carried along at warp speed towards a destination that had been determined for her long ago.
“It’s so strange,” she said softly, struggling to put her unfamiliar feelings into words. “This feels so natural, yet I know that it shouldn’t. I mean, I’ve always loved you Kurt, but I never thought--“
She cut herself off, rattled when she realized what she was about to say. Kurt shifted beside her, his brow furrowed over his curious golden eyes.
“What?” he inquired softly, his voice holding only the faintest hint of concern. Amanda sat up, her expression tight and serious. But one look at his face gave her the courage to admit the truth she felt in her heart.
“That I would fall in love with you,” she said quietly, her eyes downcast as she waited nervously for his reaction. When none seemed to come, she glanced up, only to gasp in alarm when she saw he was crying. Silent tears cut damp streams through his fuzz-like fur. He sniffed hard when he noticed she was looking, quickly rubbing his cheeks dry before taking her hands in his, looking into her eyes with a strangely cautious smile.
“Do…do you mean that?” he asked hoarsely, clearing his throat. “Are…are you really…really serious?”
“Kurt,” Amanda said, blinking hard against her own stinging tears. “I have never meant anything more in my whole life.”
Kurt sniffed again, the wariness fading from his smile to be replaced with something far more tender. “I love you, Amanda,” he told her sincerely, releasing one of her hands to gently wipe a warm tear from her cheek with his callused thumb. Amanda stared at him, her heart pounding as she slid closer, reaching up to run her fingers down the side of his lean face, fascinated by the contrasting texture of soft fur and only slightly rougher bristles.
“Someday,” she whispered with a smile, “you’re going to have to grow a beard for me.”
“What--?” Kurt started in confusion, but before he could complete the question Amanda was kissing him and all coherent thought was blissfully banished from his brain. In fact, they were soon so involved with each other that they didn’t even notice when the sun streaming in through the stained glass windows was cut off by a sudden inexplicable influx of dark clouds. The only thing that did catch their attention was a booming clap of thunder so powerful it actually rattled the smaller statues in their places.
Amanda blinked in disoriented confusion, only to sit up straight when a second roar of thunder topped the first. Kurt looked at her, her expression giving him a strange, anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach.
“What is it, Schatz?” he asked her, his fingers tightening gently around her arm.
Amanda shook her head slowly, her eyes distant. “It’s Mother,” she said, and suddenly her voice was sharp with alarm. “Kurt, she’s in trouble.”
“In trouble?” Kurt repeated. “But how do you know--“
“It doesn’t matter how I know, I just do!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pulling him with her. “You have to jaunt us home, quickly! Something is very wrong.”
Realizing at once that she was, indeed, serious, Kurt didn’t waste any time. Quickly, the two of them hurried up the aisle and out the door to where Kurt could get a clear glimpse of the convention center’s roof. Pulling her close, he activated his power, not caring how many pedestrians saw them as they vanished from the sidewalk with a BAMF!
*******
(1)-(2) The dialogue between 1 and 2 is quoted directly from the X-Men 2 Nightcrawler Prequel written by Chuck Austen. The rest of this scene was loosely inspired by the same.
*******
More coming soon! Stay tuned!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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HoodedMan
- Administrator
- Posts: 2335
- Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 11:39 pm
- Title: Lord Sarcasmo von Snarkypants
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Yeah, I thought I recognised it! I'll be very interested to see which direction this one turns, though. Keep it up! 
ACHTUNG! Alles touristen und non-technischen looken peepers! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.
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Rowena
- Global Moderator
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- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
I'll certainly try my best. Thanks! And Amanda's beard comment was drawn from Excalibur, where she really did make Kurt grow a beard. And shave his head. I didn't like it, but that look did come with a pretty cool sword!
This is just a short, quick update. School started on Monday and everything's really hectic at the moment. I'm hoping to get more done over the long weekend though! *crosses fingers*
Kurt and Amanda burst out of the stairwell and into the main corridor only to be met by a scene of chaos. The circus performers and staff were dashing in and out of the arena, all of them apparently talking at once. A thick, oily smoke lingered in the hall, reeking of sulfur. Kurt and Amanda coughed, covering their noses and mouths with their sleeves as they scanned the crowd for any sign of Margali.
“Kurt! Kurt, thank God!”
It was Chester’s voice. The slender, dark-haired man was pushing through the crowd with his arm raised, beckoning them towards the relatively empty corner beside the ticket booth.
“Chester,” Kurt said once the three of them were close enough to hear each other without shouting. “What’s going on here?”
Chester glanced back down the hallway, his lean face drawn and pale. “There was some kind of explosion,” he told them. “Something blew up in Margali’s office. We don’t know exactly what happened yet, but the fire department is here with a few bomb experts and they’re investigating right now. I’m just glad you’re safe! We were looking for you everywhere!”
“I wasn’t here,” Kurt said, his voice tight with worry. “I went to meet Amanda at the train station.”
Chester blinked, noticing Amanda for the first time. “Oh, Amanda I’m sorry. I didn’t even see you there! This isn’t exactly the homecoming you--“
“Never mind that, Chester,” Amanda cut him off. “Where is Mother?”
“Is she all right?” Kurt asked anxiously, his nervous tail reaching out unconsciously to squeeze Amanda’s ankle.
Chester’s face tightened even further. “I’m not really sure,” he said, clearly worried. “I saw them take her out on a stretcher. I don’t think she was hurt, but I heard they were checking her out for smoke inhalation.”
Amanda looked grim. “Smoke inhalation,” she frowned. “Right.” She shook her head, glaring down the smoky corridor with a scowl. “What the hell did she think she was doing?” she muttered angrily under her breath.
Chester tilted his head. “What?” he asked, gesturing apologetically to the throng of people swarming around them. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”
Amanda sighed, grabbing Kurt’s hand and shouting back over her shoulder to Chester. “I have to speak with Mother! Thank you, Chester!”
“Amanda,” Kurt frowned, casting his bewildered friend an apologetic shrug as his girlfriend dragged him through the crowd. “What’s going on here? Do you know what happened?”
“I have an idea,” she scowled, definitely more angry than concerned. “What I want to know is why she would do something so stupid!”
Just then, she stopped short, glaring around the crowded corridor in frustration. “All right, how do you get out of this place?”
Kurt smiled despite himself, readjusting her grip on his hand so he could lead her through the maze of back hallways to the front entrance of the building. The ambulance was parked directly outside, behind two fire trucks and in front of three police cars.
Kurt and Amanda dashed over to the open doors at the back of the ambulance, only to be stopped by a stern looking police detective. To Kurt’s deep relief, Margali was sitting up on her cot inside the ambulance, her oxygen mask hanging around her neck as she talked with the detective’s partner and a paramedic.
“Stay right there, you two,” the detective frowned, looking Kurt up and down. “I take it you’re with this circus?”
“That’s our mother right there,” Amanda snapped back, meeting the detective’s frown with a glare of her own. “We need to talk with her. Now.”
“Sorry, little lady, but I’m afraid we can’t allow that. Your mother’s currently under suspicion of attempted arson. We believe she was attempting to build a bomb in that cauldron of hers before it blew up in her face.”
Kurt scrunched up his face in disbelief. “What?” he exclaimed. “You can’t be serious! Why would she do something like that?”
“Maybe because she’d rather see her circus destroyed than hand the rights over to Amos Jardine?” the detective suggested with a caustic sarcasm.
“Amos Jardine?” Kurt frowned. “Who is that? What are you talking about?”
The detective raised a thin eyebrow. “You mean you don’t know?” he asked, pulling out a pad and pen from one of his many pockets and jotting down a few notes. “What’s your name, boy?”
Amanda ground her teeth in frustration, pushing her way between Kurt and the detective.
“You’ve got this all wrong, sir,” she told him. “Mother wasn’t trying to make a bomb.”
“How did that cauldron come to explode, then?” the detective smirked. Amanda rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Obviously she was trying to make a fresh batch of flash powder for the show tonight!” she said. “I knew it at once, as soon as I smelled that smoke in the hallway. She always makes it in that cauldron. We have our own formula, unlike anything else, but it’s pretty tricky to get right. That’s why we usually make it outside. It’s completely harmless, I assure you.” She looked to Kurt, her eyes wide with unspoken suggestion as she said, “Go on, show him!”
Kurt blinked in alarm, suddenly realizing what she wanted him to do. “What, now? Here?”
Amanda just shot him another pleading, prompting look. Finally he nodded, shooting the cop a nervous smile as he made a theatrical throwing gesture with his hand and jaunted away, only to reappear directly behind the man’s back. The detective coughed and wrinkled his nose in response to the resulting purple-black smoke.
“Erg,” he frowned in distaste. “Yeah, that’s the same smell all right. What is that, sulfur?”
Kurt shrugged. “I’m not really sure,” he admitted. The cop nodded.
“Well, I’m going to need a sample of that stuff so the lab folks can compare it to what we found in that cauldron.”
Kurt winced. “I’m very sorry, sir,” he said. “But I’m afraid that was my last packet.”
“That’s why Mother was making a new batch,” Amanda nodded, coming to the rescue of the enormously uncomfortable Kurt. The detective frowned.
“I’m going to have to corroborate your story,” he told them sharply, “but if it checks out your mother will probably end up with a fine. If it doesn’t, I might just bring you two in for aiding and abetting.”
Kurt paled, but Amanda just nodded; cool, collected, and confident. “It will, you’ll see,” she told him with a secretive smile.
And, much to Kurt’s surprise and relief, several days later it did. Somehow, despite the fact that none of the ingredients for flash powder were found in Margali’s office and no residuals were found in the cauldron, the case was dropped and Amanda’s tale became the official story of what had happened. Margali paid her fine and returned to the circus--only to find that Amos Jardine had already moved in. And he was none too happy with what he saw.
Again, I'm sorry this was so short, but there's more coming soon! Stay tuned and please review! It’s your reviews that keep me going! Thanks!
This is just a short, quick update. School started on Monday and everything's really hectic at the moment. I'm hoping to get more done over the long weekend though! *crosses fingers*
Kurt and Amanda burst out of the stairwell and into the main corridor only to be met by a scene of chaos. The circus performers and staff were dashing in and out of the arena, all of them apparently talking at once. A thick, oily smoke lingered in the hall, reeking of sulfur. Kurt and Amanda coughed, covering their noses and mouths with their sleeves as they scanned the crowd for any sign of Margali.
“Kurt! Kurt, thank God!”
It was Chester’s voice. The slender, dark-haired man was pushing through the crowd with his arm raised, beckoning them towards the relatively empty corner beside the ticket booth.
“Chester,” Kurt said once the three of them were close enough to hear each other without shouting. “What’s going on here?”
Chester glanced back down the hallway, his lean face drawn and pale. “There was some kind of explosion,” he told them. “Something blew up in Margali’s office. We don’t know exactly what happened yet, but the fire department is here with a few bomb experts and they’re investigating right now. I’m just glad you’re safe! We were looking for you everywhere!”
“I wasn’t here,” Kurt said, his voice tight with worry. “I went to meet Amanda at the train station.”
Chester blinked, noticing Amanda for the first time. “Oh, Amanda I’m sorry. I didn’t even see you there! This isn’t exactly the homecoming you--“
“Never mind that, Chester,” Amanda cut him off. “Where is Mother?”
“Is she all right?” Kurt asked anxiously, his nervous tail reaching out unconsciously to squeeze Amanda’s ankle.
Chester’s face tightened even further. “I’m not really sure,” he said, clearly worried. “I saw them take her out on a stretcher. I don’t think she was hurt, but I heard they were checking her out for smoke inhalation.”
Amanda looked grim. “Smoke inhalation,” she frowned. “Right.” She shook her head, glaring down the smoky corridor with a scowl. “What the hell did she think she was doing?” she muttered angrily under her breath.
Chester tilted his head. “What?” he asked, gesturing apologetically to the throng of people swarming around them. “Sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”
Amanda sighed, grabbing Kurt’s hand and shouting back over her shoulder to Chester. “I have to speak with Mother! Thank you, Chester!”
“Amanda,” Kurt frowned, casting his bewildered friend an apologetic shrug as his girlfriend dragged him through the crowd. “What’s going on here? Do you know what happened?”
“I have an idea,” she scowled, definitely more angry than concerned. “What I want to know is why she would do something so stupid!”
Just then, she stopped short, glaring around the crowded corridor in frustration. “All right, how do you get out of this place?”
Kurt smiled despite himself, readjusting her grip on his hand so he could lead her through the maze of back hallways to the front entrance of the building. The ambulance was parked directly outside, behind two fire trucks and in front of three police cars.
Kurt and Amanda dashed over to the open doors at the back of the ambulance, only to be stopped by a stern looking police detective. To Kurt’s deep relief, Margali was sitting up on her cot inside the ambulance, her oxygen mask hanging around her neck as she talked with the detective’s partner and a paramedic.
“Stay right there, you two,” the detective frowned, looking Kurt up and down. “I take it you’re with this circus?”
“That’s our mother right there,” Amanda snapped back, meeting the detective’s frown with a glare of her own. “We need to talk with her. Now.”
“Sorry, little lady, but I’m afraid we can’t allow that. Your mother’s currently under suspicion of attempted arson. We believe she was attempting to build a bomb in that cauldron of hers before it blew up in her face.”
Kurt scrunched up his face in disbelief. “What?” he exclaimed. “You can’t be serious! Why would she do something like that?”
“Maybe because she’d rather see her circus destroyed than hand the rights over to Amos Jardine?” the detective suggested with a caustic sarcasm.
“Amos Jardine?” Kurt frowned. “Who is that? What are you talking about?”
The detective raised a thin eyebrow. “You mean you don’t know?” he asked, pulling out a pad and pen from one of his many pockets and jotting down a few notes. “What’s your name, boy?”
Amanda ground her teeth in frustration, pushing her way between Kurt and the detective.
“You’ve got this all wrong, sir,” she told him. “Mother wasn’t trying to make a bomb.”
“How did that cauldron come to explode, then?” the detective smirked. Amanda rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Obviously she was trying to make a fresh batch of flash powder for the show tonight!” she said. “I knew it at once, as soon as I smelled that smoke in the hallway. She always makes it in that cauldron. We have our own formula, unlike anything else, but it’s pretty tricky to get right. That’s why we usually make it outside. It’s completely harmless, I assure you.” She looked to Kurt, her eyes wide with unspoken suggestion as she said, “Go on, show him!”
Kurt blinked in alarm, suddenly realizing what she wanted him to do. “What, now? Here?”
Amanda just shot him another pleading, prompting look. Finally he nodded, shooting the cop a nervous smile as he made a theatrical throwing gesture with his hand and jaunted away, only to reappear directly behind the man’s back. The detective coughed and wrinkled his nose in response to the resulting purple-black smoke.
“Erg,” he frowned in distaste. “Yeah, that’s the same smell all right. What is that, sulfur?”
Kurt shrugged. “I’m not really sure,” he admitted. The cop nodded.
“Well, I’m going to need a sample of that stuff so the lab folks can compare it to what we found in that cauldron.”
Kurt winced. “I’m very sorry, sir,” he said. “But I’m afraid that was my last packet.”
“That’s why Mother was making a new batch,” Amanda nodded, coming to the rescue of the enormously uncomfortable Kurt. The detective frowned.
“I’m going to have to corroborate your story,” he told them sharply, “but if it checks out your mother will probably end up with a fine. If it doesn’t, I might just bring you two in for aiding and abetting.”
Kurt paled, but Amanda just nodded; cool, collected, and confident. “It will, you’ll see,” she told him with a secretive smile.
And, much to Kurt’s surprise and relief, several days later it did. Somehow, despite the fact that none of the ingredients for flash powder were found in Margali’s office and no residuals were found in the cauldron, the case was dropped and Amanda’s tale became the official story of what had happened. Margali paid her fine and returned to the circus--only to find that Amos Jardine had already moved in. And he was none too happy with what he saw.
Again, I'm sorry this was so short, but there's more coming soon! Stay tuned and please review! It’s your reviews that keep me going! Thanks!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
-
CurlyyHairGirl
- Swashbuckler
- Posts: 1503
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
- Location: San Jose State University
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Oook! I just now read this chapter and the one before it...of course I loved them both...especially the last one, it sounds like it came right out of a romance novel except with the guy who is blue.
The last chapter was superlative, and I can't wait for the other half.
Despite my general dislike for Amanda, she's pretty cool in this story.
until next time (insert worship smilie here)
EMO:love
The last chapter was superlative, and I can't wait for the other half.
Despite my general dislike for Amanda, she's pretty cool in this story.
until next time (insert worship smilie here)
EMO:love
one name: Bruce Campbell
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Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
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Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Thanks! The Amanda stuff is unavoidable, I'm afraid. This story's supposed to show stuff that happened to Kurt up to when he joins the X-Men, so their relationship has to be at least mentioned! It still makes me uncomfortable, though. She's his goshdarned Schwester after all, related or not! ICK! I'm really glad you think she's coming off as pretty cool in this story--that's taken a lot of work! The Stefan part is coming soon, though, so I'm hoping that will be good. I've got some plans.... *rubs hands together in a most devious manner*
Thanks again! More story's coming soon, I promise, but first I have to help man the Fencing Booth at First Night--the event welcoming new freshmen to the university. My friend just got back from Bangladesh and she needed my help so I have to go. I'm definately going to make time for writing tomorrow, though! I want get at least a little closer to the Stefan part before school on Tuesday!
Thanks again! More story's coming soon, I promise, but first I have to help man the Fencing Booth at First Night--the event welcoming new freshmen to the university. My friend just got back from Bangladesh and she needed my help so I have to go. I'm definately going to make time for writing tomorrow, though! I want get at least a little closer to the Stefan part before school on Tuesday!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
-
HoodedMan
- Administrator
- Posts: 2335
- Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 11:39 pm
- Title: Lord Sarcasmo von Snarkypants
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
You meanOriginally posted by CurlyyHairGirl
until next time (insert worship smilie here)
? It's there now! And for a note of my own, I was delighted to come back from "vacation" and have this to read! I loved it and eagerly await the last bit!
ACHTUNG! Alles touristen und non-technischen looken peepers! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.
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Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Gasp! An update!!!
Sorry I've been so long with this, but apart from school/work stuff I've been having some serious computer issues. In fact, my family's ancient computer finally gave up the ghost last week and now I'm writing on an old laptop the library at my dad's school was planning to throw away. I kid you not. But at least I can post now!!!
So here at last is more of Steps and Leaps! Hope you like it!
The change in administration was immediately felt at every level of the circus. Amos Jardine was a large, loud, opinionated man who had ruthlessly manipulated his way out of poverty to become the cutthroat head of the multi-national business conglomeration that bore his name. And it was his goal to radically modernize Margali’s circus, transforming it practically overnight from a quaint, family run community to a flashy spectacular employing the very latest in stage effects technology.
Jardine had barely set foot in the convention center’s main arena before he began making changes. Taking a look around at the gathered performers, the heavy-set, middle-aged man immediately set the tone of his new management by proclaiming in his heavily accented English, “Heck, they done told me this was a hick circus, but I wasn’t expecting Ripley’s Believe it or Not! You!”
He pointed to Woodhead, his eyes narrowed in open disgust as he took in the old man’s humped back and craggy face. “What is it you do here?”
“I am the head of safety, mein Herr,” Woodhead replied calmly. “I supervise--“
“Not anymore, you don’t,” Jardine interrupted with a frown. “You’re a freak; you’re in the freak show.”
“But Monsieur Jardine,” said Nicolette, a former Olympic gymnast who had joined the circus three years before. “We do not ‘ave a freak show.”
“Then it’s about time I started one up, ain’t it,” Jardine snapped. “Next--you!” He pointed to Big Jake, who was holding hands with Bethica. The two of them had gotten married only eight months earlier, and they were now glaring at Jardine with matching looks of defiant hatred. “The little feller. What’s yer name?”
Bethica stepped forward before her incensed husband could come out with a biting retort. “Bitte, mein Herr, my husband is a talented magician,” she said. “He has achieved great popularity throughout Europe--“
“You’re fired,” Jardine announced bluntly, causing the jaw of everyone present to drop as one. “The both of you. I don’t need the likes of him to draw a crowd. From now on, this circus is going to run on talent, not curiosities. Nowadays the public wants flash, glamour! They want Vegas and Hollywood exploding from the center ring night after night. If they want to gawp at freaks, they’ll have to buy an extra ticket for the freak show. And I think I spy another freak just now…” he frowned, his steely eyes fixing on the broad, befuddled features of the affectionately nicknamed Haus--a favorite among the clowns.
“Hey you, the marshmallow at the back!” he called. “If you think I’m going to pay for you to stuff your face fifteen to twenty times a day, you’ve got another think coming, you hear me?”
Outraged and highly offended by Jardine’s grating intolerance, the performers rallied together to take their complaints to Margali, vowing to stand behind her if she should challenge Jardine’s orders. But Margali had been acting peculiar ever since her return from the police station. She seemed distant somehow…preoccupied. Frustrated by her seemingly disaffected attitude, the performers next turned to Amanda and Kurt for help. As the circus’s top headliner and most proficient acrobat, Kurt found--much to his surprise--that he actually had some pull with Jardine and his new team of managers. However, he knew he was playing a dangerous game using his fame to manipulate the shrewd businessman into re-hiring Bethica and Jake and reinstating Woodhead in his position. Sooner or later, Jardine was going to discover that the Incredible Nightcrawler’s trademark ‘costume’ consisted of nothing more a set of red and black spandex pajamas with pointed shoulders. Unfortunately, that moment came sooner than anyone expected…
*******
“I don’t get it,” Kurt scowled, flopping down on the TV lounge couch. He and Amanda were stealing a much-needed break from their grueling new rehearsal schedule. Jardine’s extensively advertised ‘Spectacular’ opened that Saturday, and Kurt and Amanda’s challenging new routine was the headlining act. “Why doesn’t Mama do something? Because seriously, if that man insults Woodhead one more time, I swear I’m not going to be responsible for my actions.”
“It’s not Woodhead I’m worried about,” Amanda said flatly, shuffling over and pushing his legs aside so she could flop down next to him. “He’s too tough and too smart to let a small-minded bigot like Jardine get to him.
“I know, but that’s not the point,” Kurt growled, tearing an angry hand through his hair. “Everything’s falling apart! Nicolette, Alexi, and Lukas have all left and Mama didn’t even say good-bye. She’s hardly even left her room since she got back from the police station. You’re the only person she’s really talked to.”
He sighed, turning his frustrated, golden gaze to his girlfriend. “What happened that day, ‘Manda?” he asked. “What really caused that explosion?”
Amanda pursed her lips, her expression conflicted. After a moment, she took Kurt’s hand, brushing her thumb absently over the thin scar hidden just under the fine fuzz on his wrist.
“Do you remember what Stefan told you about us, Kurt?” she asked quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on his wrist. “That night he took you camping?”
Kurt furrowed his brow, disturbed by the memory. He could still see his brother’s intense black eyes, boring into him as he begged him to promise…
“Of course I do,” he said, forcing the image away with a slight shudder. “And I guessed Mama was probably trying some magic spell or other. But that still doesn’t explain why--“
“It wasn’t just ‘some magic spell,’ Kurt,” Amanda broke in, her blue eyes intense as she raised them to his face. “That explosion was a sign. Mother has made a bargain to reclaim her place on the Winding Way. And when she goes, she won’t be alone. By virtue of blood, Stefan and I will be forced to follow that path as well, whether we want to or not.”
Kurt’s expression suddenly turned very serious. “What kind of bargain?” he demanded, concern warring with fear in his eyes. Amanda bit her lip and averted her gaze--a very bad sign, Kurt knew.
“To reclaim one’s place on the mystical Path requires a powerful sacrifice, Kurt,” she said softly, twisting her fingers together in her lap. “A blood sacrifice. And in all the books I’ve seen, that usually means someone has to die.”
Kurt felt his heart stop as his mind processed Amanda’s darkly spoken words. “You don’t think--“ he started, only to break off and start again in a horrified whisper. “Surely Mama isn’t planning to kill Jardine? The man is a monster, but still… Just thinking about it is-- She couldn’t--!“
But Amanda was shaking her head. “It’s not that straightforward, Kurt,” she told him. “The magic chooses its own victim. It might take months or even decades before the victim is known. But the person who initiated the spell has no control over that choice.”
Kurt felt a horrible chill shimmer up his spine, causing his tail to twitch reflexively. Taking both of Amanda’s hands in his, he leaned forward, searching her eyes as he asked his next question.
“Amanda,” he said, “is there any way we could--“
At that inopportune moment, the door to the TV lounge slammed wide open, causing the two of them to jump in place, their heads turning as one to face the intruder. To their dismay, the man blocking the doorway was none other than Amos Jardine. His broad, jowley face was smug but his eyes were cold and hard with barely contained contempt as he strode forward, allowing the door to bang shut behind him.
“I knew you two was havin’ a fling,” he smirked in his deep, Texas twang. “And now I’ve caught you red handed. Git over here, boy.”
Grabbing Kurt by the arm, he hauled the young man to his feet, straightening his back so he could look him straight in the eye.
“You kiss your girlfriend with that face?” he demanded, his voice as sharp as a drill sergeant’s.
Kurt frowned, not at all intimidated by Jardine’s disgusted scowl. Keeping his voice calm, he said, “Herr Jardine, Amanda and I were only--“
“I didn’t ask what you were only,” Jardine snapped. “I’ve been watchin’ you, boy. Watchin’ you for a good long time. And you know somethin’? I ain’t never seen you outta costume. Not once. Sure you change yer clothes, but that blue get-up always stays the same. So I got to thinkin’….maybe that there face of yours ain’t a costume after all.”
Amanda paled, shooting up from the couch in alarm, but Kurt just stood there, his features composed and his mouth set as he met Jardine’s glare with defiant silence. The shrewd businessman raised an eyebrow.
“Nothin’ to say, eh?” he sneered. “Well that’s all right. ‘Cause you see, I done figured it out. You’re one of them danged mutant freaks, ain’tcha? This crazy bunch of rubes adopted you as a sort of mascot until now you’ve got pretty much a free run of the place. But I tell you what, all that’s about to stop. Right here and right now.”
“Herr Jardine, I’m afraid you have it wrong,” Amanda broke in, coming forward to stand by Kurt’s shoulder. “Kurt is a true member of our family--“
“You stay out of this, little missy,” Jardine rumbled threateningly. “This is between me and your freak boyfriend. So you just stand back and be quiet, unless you want this here ultimatum to apply to you too.”
“What ultimatum?” Kurt demanded. Jardine shot him a look of pure loathing so powerful the teenager took an involuntary step back.
“You’re a sham, kid,” the Texan stated bluntly. “A great big walkin’ lie. You play a fixed game, and in my book that just ain’t right.”
Kurt and Amanda wore matching looks of confusion. “What are you talking about?” Kurt frowned.
“The public pays to see human talent!” Jardine explained angrily. “Ordinary humans doing extraordinary things--things they can marvel at and admire. But bring mutie powers into the act, and the public feels cheated. Take your jauntin’ trick fer example,” he said, his bushy eyebrows colliding as he narrowed his eyes. “Ask any Joe in the street, and he’ll tell ya more than half its appeal is tryin’ to figure out how it’s done. But if he ever found out you was just some mutie freak showin’ off his powers, your act would flop faster than you could say BAMF! What once seemed incredible would just be plain borin’! And why? Because it don’t take no human effort!”
Kurt nearly broke his teeth he was clenching his jaw so hard. But although his glowing eyes were blazing almost white with outrage, he managed to keep his tone even and steady as he said, “I am no sham, Herr Jardine. You yourself can testify to how many hours I put in to training. I’ve worked damn hard to get where I am today, and I deserve--“
Jardine cut him off with a harsh laugh. “Deserve?” he scoffed. “This may come as news to you, mutie boy, but the world just don’t work that way. You’ve had a pretty cushy life up till now, what with havin’ such close ties to the previous owner and all…” He shot a crudely suggestive leer at Amanda, who would have charged him head-on if Kurt hadn’t held her back with his tail. “…But the truth of the matter is, unlike the reclusive Ms. Margali I don’t need you to make my circus work. If anythin’, you’re in my way.”
He took a step closer, getting right up in Kurt’s face. Kurt wrinkled his nose as the stink of stale cigar smoke that clung to the slightly shorter man’s clothes rolled over him. Jardine’s glare darkened.
“So now we come to the ultimatum,” he growled. “Either you pack up yer gear and leave--tonight--or I’m movin’ you to the freak show where you belong. And if you give me any of your lip, I’m gonna call every paper in the city and let them know what you really are. You’ll be outted, my fuzzy friend. And Lord only knows what the public will do to you once they realize they’ve been had by some upstart mutie fraud.”
Kurt stiffened, his eyes wide and fixed with a fury too great to express. Like a crystal balloon, the young man’s swelling outrage shattered, leaving behind something far more frightening. He felt it like a stab to the gut, writhing cold and solid--the realization that not only was he capable of killing Jardine…he wanted to! His muscular arms were shuddering with the raw need to take the loathsome man by the throat and slam him into the wall, pounding and bashing until all traces of his poisonous influence were gone. This murderous impulse was almost too powerful to control, but Kurt compelled himself to resist, horrified and sickened that he could posses such brutally savage desires. With a huge effort of will, he forced himself completely still, squeezing his hands into fists so tight the skin of his knuckles turned a bluish white under his fur. No longer able to move, he just stood there, detached and trembling, his muscles tense and his golden eyes staring as he struggled to regain his control.
Completely unaware of how close he had come to death, Jardine wrinkled his nose at the frozen Kurt in a contemptuous scowl. Suddenly afraid of what might happen if Jardine spoke again, Amanda blurted out, “At least let him have a week’s notice!”
“But the show opens on Saturday,” the businessman frowned. “And the last thing I want is for some mutie freak to be stealin’ the spotlight from the legitimate acts.”
With a nervous little laugh, Amanda quickly darted around Kurt to stand between him and Jardine.
“But Herr Jardine,” she said, “the public doesn’t know about Kurt’s powers, they just admire his talent as an acrobat. The Incredible Nightcrawler is pretty much a household name in these parts. You can’t just boot him out like this--“
“The hell I can’t,” Jardine retorted, shooting the unmoving Kurt a suspicious look. But Amanda wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“Then let him have a farewell performance,” she pressed, close to desperation. But just then, she was hit with a sudden thought. Taking a new tack, she shot Jardine a crafty smile, saying, “Just think of the publicity a show like that would bring! Kurt’s popularity is far greater than you seem to realize. I promise you people will be lined up for miles to see his final act.”
It was a last ditch effort, but to her surprise, Jardine actually seemed to be considering it. There was a long, tense moment, but in the end the businessman nodded.
“All right, he can have one last show,” he rumbled. “But the moment the lights drop, I want him gone. He’s to be packed and on his way before the night is through. And after that, I don’t want to see his freak face around here again. You hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Amanda replied. Jardine fired her a sharp look, then with a last disgusted glance at Kurt, the stocky businessman turned on his polished heel and strode from the lounge.
The instant the door clicked shut behind him, Amanda turned her full attention to Kurt, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking hard.
“Kurt! Kurt come on, snap out of it! He’s gone!”
Kurt blinked blearily, then suddenly came to with a deep shudder.
“Oh my God, Amanda!” he gasped, still profoundly shaken by what he had just experienced. “Oh my God I almost-- Oh sweet God, I was just so--so angry…!”
“Hush, Kurt,” Amanda soothed, pulling him into a gentle hug, which he hesitantly returned. “I know, and it’s all right. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But you don’t know, Amanda,” he half-sobbed, feeling suddenly weak all over. “I wanted to--I wanted--“
“But you didn’t,” she interrupted firmly, pulling back just far enough to look him sternly in the eye. “And it was the bravest thing I have ever seen.”
Kurt blinked, startled and even a little soothed by the firm sincerity of her words. “Really?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. Amanda nodded, touching his cheek with gentle fingers.
“It took the strength of a true hero,” she told him, “and I doubt I could do the same.”
Kurt stared, amazed that she would see it that way, but then he sighed, pulling away so he could pace across the room.
“But it still doesn’t change things,” he said. “He wants me out by Saturday night! And where am I supposed to go? The trapeze are my life! They’re all I’ve ever known, all I’ve ever wanted to do!”
He scowled, his tail lashing behind him as he spun around and started pacing back. “He can’t do this,” he stated. “He can’t make me leave. This is my home! Everything I care about, everyone I love…”
He trailed off, turning slowly to look deep into Amanda’s eyes. “I don’t want to leave you, Amanda,” he said, his voice sounding suddenly choked. “But I tell you now, there is no way I’m joining that man’s freak show!”
“Of course you won’t!” Amanda stated firmly. “You’re a great acrobat, Kurt. The best in Europe, if not the world. Once they find out you’re leaving this dump, circuses around the globe will be fighting each other to sign you on.”
“Not if Jardine calls the papers,” Kurt scowled, tearing a hand through his hair. Then he frowned, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. “Unless…”
Suddenly, he looked up, his golden eyes alight with sudden inspiration. “That’s it!” he exclaimed.
Amanda tilted her head, not following. “What’s it?” she asked.
Kurt smiled, taking her hands in his and giving them a quick squeeze.
“Amanda,” he said, “how would you like to see America?”
“America?” Amanda blinked in bewilderment, which only increased when Kurt dropped to one knee. “Kurt, what are you--“
“Come with me, Amanda,” he said, looking up into her eyes. “Let’s leave this place together. We can start our own circus, far away from Jardine. What do you say?”
Amanda stared down into his flushed, anxious features for a long, long moment, fully aware of what he was asking. Then slowly, ever so slowly, a smile spread across her face.
“Yes,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him back up to his feet. “Yes, of course I’ll come. It’s perfect! Between us, we know everything there is to know about running a world-class circus. Chester, Bethica and the others will be sure to join us. Besides,” she grinned, her eyes glinting with excitement, “I’ve always wanted to see America!”
Kurt grinned in delighted relief, bringing the knuckles of her hands to his lips and kissing them over and over until the two of them fell back onto the sofa in a gale of silly giggles. After a moment, however, Kurt’s expression darkened.
“What about Mama, though,” he said, suddenly worried. “Isn’t there any way we can get her to undo this bargain of hers?”
Amanda shrugged, but her expression was tight with anger towards her mother. “Actually, no,” she stated bluntly. “She’s already sealed the demon pact with her own blood.”
…just as Stefan did with me…
The thought passed by like a whisper, but it chilled him nonetheless. Amanda didn’t seem to notice. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she was scowling. “She knew what she was doing. But that’s her problem. It doesn’t have to affect us.”
Kurt frowned in confusion. “How can you say that?” he said. “Especially when you’ll have to follow the Winding Way with her?”
“I just won’t do it,” Amanda said simply, although her careless tone seemed forced. “If mother could leave the Way after a lifetime, surely I’ll be able to get out too. I’ve never gone in for all that mystical rubbish anyway. Now,” she said, straightening in her seat. “Let’s change the subject. We’ve got a lot of planning to do if we’re going to make it out of here by the weekend!”
Kurt nodded, but his nagging worries refused to fade. The thought of the blood sacrifice kept flickering through his mind, bringing back disturbing flashes of the consuming rage he had experience only minutes before. These terrifying feelings prompted him to wonder…what if the murderous demon Margali’s pact had unloosed actually resided within him? Could that be why Stefan had come to him all those years ago, forcing him to make that promise?
What was it his brother had seen when he’d looked into Kurt’s soul?
Until next time!!!
Sorry I've been so long with this, but apart from school/work stuff I've been having some serious computer issues. In fact, my family's ancient computer finally gave up the ghost last week and now I'm writing on an old laptop the library at my dad's school was planning to throw away. I kid you not. But at least I can post now!!!
So here at last is more of Steps and Leaps! Hope you like it!
The change in administration was immediately felt at every level of the circus. Amos Jardine was a large, loud, opinionated man who had ruthlessly manipulated his way out of poverty to become the cutthroat head of the multi-national business conglomeration that bore his name. And it was his goal to radically modernize Margali’s circus, transforming it practically overnight from a quaint, family run community to a flashy spectacular employing the very latest in stage effects technology.
Jardine had barely set foot in the convention center’s main arena before he began making changes. Taking a look around at the gathered performers, the heavy-set, middle-aged man immediately set the tone of his new management by proclaiming in his heavily accented English, “Heck, they done told me this was a hick circus, but I wasn’t expecting Ripley’s Believe it or Not! You!”
He pointed to Woodhead, his eyes narrowed in open disgust as he took in the old man’s humped back and craggy face. “What is it you do here?”
“I am the head of safety, mein Herr,” Woodhead replied calmly. “I supervise--“
“Not anymore, you don’t,” Jardine interrupted with a frown. “You’re a freak; you’re in the freak show.”
“But Monsieur Jardine,” said Nicolette, a former Olympic gymnast who had joined the circus three years before. “We do not ‘ave a freak show.”
“Then it’s about time I started one up, ain’t it,” Jardine snapped. “Next--you!” He pointed to Big Jake, who was holding hands with Bethica. The two of them had gotten married only eight months earlier, and they were now glaring at Jardine with matching looks of defiant hatred. “The little feller. What’s yer name?”
Bethica stepped forward before her incensed husband could come out with a biting retort. “Bitte, mein Herr, my husband is a talented magician,” she said. “He has achieved great popularity throughout Europe--“
“You’re fired,” Jardine announced bluntly, causing the jaw of everyone present to drop as one. “The both of you. I don’t need the likes of him to draw a crowd. From now on, this circus is going to run on talent, not curiosities. Nowadays the public wants flash, glamour! They want Vegas and Hollywood exploding from the center ring night after night. If they want to gawp at freaks, they’ll have to buy an extra ticket for the freak show. And I think I spy another freak just now…” he frowned, his steely eyes fixing on the broad, befuddled features of the affectionately nicknamed Haus--a favorite among the clowns.
“Hey you, the marshmallow at the back!” he called. “If you think I’m going to pay for you to stuff your face fifteen to twenty times a day, you’ve got another think coming, you hear me?”
Outraged and highly offended by Jardine’s grating intolerance, the performers rallied together to take their complaints to Margali, vowing to stand behind her if she should challenge Jardine’s orders. But Margali had been acting peculiar ever since her return from the police station. She seemed distant somehow…preoccupied. Frustrated by her seemingly disaffected attitude, the performers next turned to Amanda and Kurt for help. As the circus’s top headliner and most proficient acrobat, Kurt found--much to his surprise--that he actually had some pull with Jardine and his new team of managers. However, he knew he was playing a dangerous game using his fame to manipulate the shrewd businessman into re-hiring Bethica and Jake and reinstating Woodhead in his position. Sooner or later, Jardine was going to discover that the Incredible Nightcrawler’s trademark ‘costume’ consisted of nothing more a set of red and black spandex pajamas with pointed shoulders. Unfortunately, that moment came sooner than anyone expected…
*******
“I don’t get it,” Kurt scowled, flopping down on the TV lounge couch. He and Amanda were stealing a much-needed break from their grueling new rehearsal schedule. Jardine’s extensively advertised ‘Spectacular’ opened that Saturday, and Kurt and Amanda’s challenging new routine was the headlining act. “Why doesn’t Mama do something? Because seriously, if that man insults Woodhead one more time, I swear I’m not going to be responsible for my actions.”
“It’s not Woodhead I’m worried about,” Amanda said flatly, shuffling over and pushing his legs aside so she could flop down next to him. “He’s too tough and too smart to let a small-minded bigot like Jardine get to him.
“I know, but that’s not the point,” Kurt growled, tearing an angry hand through his hair. “Everything’s falling apart! Nicolette, Alexi, and Lukas have all left and Mama didn’t even say good-bye. She’s hardly even left her room since she got back from the police station. You’re the only person she’s really talked to.”
He sighed, turning his frustrated, golden gaze to his girlfriend. “What happened that day, ‘Manda?” he asked. “What really caused that explosion?”
Amanda pursed her lips, her expression conflicted. After a moment, she took Kurt’s hand, brushing her thumb absently over the thin scar hidden just under the fine fuzz on his wrist.
“Do you remember what Stefan told you about us, Kurt?” she asked quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on his wrist. “That night he took you camping?”
Kurt furrowed his brow, disturbed by the memory. He could still see his brother’s intense black eyes, boring into him as he begged him to promise…
“Of course I do,” he said, forcing the image away with a slight shudder. “And I guessed Mama was probably trying some magic spell or other. But that still doesn’t explain why--“
“It wasn’t just ‘some magic spell,’ Kurt,” Amanda broke in, her blue eyes intense as she raised them to his face. “That explosion was a sign. Mother has made a bargain to reclaim her place on the Winding Way. And when she goes, she won’t be alone. By virtue of blood, Stefan and I will be forced to follow that path as well, whether we want to or not.”
Kurt’s expression suddenly turned very serious. “What kind of bargain?” he demanded, concern warring with fear in his eyes. Amanda bit her lip and averted her gaze--a very bad sign, Kurt knew.
“To reclaim one’s place on the mystical Path requires a powerful sacrifice, Kurt,” she said softly, twisting her fingers together in her lap. “A blood sacrifice. And in all the books I’ve seen, that usually means someone has to die.”
Kurt felt his heart stop as his mind processed Amanda’s darkly spoken words. “You don’t think--“ he started, only to break off and start again in a horrified whisper. “Surely Mama isn’t planning to kill Jardine? The man is a monster, but still… Just thinking about it is-- She couldn’t--!“
But Amanda was shaking her head. “It’s not that straightforward, Kurt,” she told him. “The magic chooses its own victim. It might take months or even decades before the victim is known. But the person who initiated the spell has no control over that choice.”
Kurt felt a horrible chill shimmer up his spine, causing his tail to twitch reflexively. Taking both of Amanda’s hands in his, he leaned forward, searching her eyes as he asked his next question.
“Amanda,” he said, “is there any way we could--“
At that inopportune moment, the door to the TV lounge slammed wide open, causing the two of them to jump in place, their heads turning as one to face the intruder. To their dismay, the man blocking the doorway was none other than Amos Jardine. His broad, jowley face was smug but his eyes were cold and hard with barely contained contempt as he strode forward, allowing the door to bang shut behind him.
“I knew you two was havin’ a fling,” he smirked in his deep, Texas twang. “And now I’ve caught you red handed. Git over here, boy.”
Grabbing Kurt by the arm, he hauled the young man to his feet, straightening his back so he could look him straight in the eye.
“You kiss your girlfriend with that face?” he demanded, his voice as sharp as a drill sergeant’s.
Kurt frowned, not at all intimidated by Jardine’s disgusted scowl. Keeping his voice calm, he said, “Herr Jardine, Amanda and I were only--“
“I didn’t ask what you were only,” Jardine snapped. “I’ve been watchin’ you, boy. Watchin’ you for a good long time. And you know somethin’? I ain’t never seen you outta costume. Not once. Sure you change yer clothes, but that blue get-up always stays the same. So I got to thinkin’….maybe that there face of yours ain’t a costume after all.”
Amanda paled, shooting up from the couch in alarm, but Kurt just stood there, his features composed and his mouth set as he met Jardine’s glare with defiant silence. The shrewd businessman raised an eyebrow.
“Nothin’ to say, eh?” he sneered. “Well that’s all right. ‘Cause you see, I done figured it out. You’re one of them danged mutant freaks, ain’tcha? This crazy bunch of rubes adopted you as a sort of mascot until now you’ve got pretty much a free run of the place. But I tell you what, all that’s about to stop. Right here and right now.”
“Herr Jardine, I’m afraid you have it wrong,” Amanda broke in, coming forward to stand by Kurt’s shoulder. “Kurt is a true member of our family--“
“You stay out of this, little missy,” Jardine rumbled threateningly. “This is between me and your freak boyfriend. So you just stand back and be quiet, unless you want this here ultimatum to apply to you too.”
“What ultimatum?” Kurt demanded. Jardine shot him a look of pure loathing so powerful the teenager took an involuntary step back.
“You’re a sham, kid,” the Texan stated bluntly. “A great big walkin’ lie. You play a fixed game, and in my book that just ain’t right.”
Kurt and Amanda wore matching looks of confusion. “What are you talking about?” Kurt frowned.
“The public pays to see human talent!” Jardine explained angrily. “Ordinary humans doing extraordinary things--things they can marvel at and admire. But bring mutie powers into the act, and the public feels cheated. Take your jauntin’ trick fer example,” he said, his bushy eyebrows colliding as he narrowed his eyes. “Ask any Joe in the street, and he’ll tell ya more than half its appeal is tryin’ to figure out how it’s done. But if he ever found out you was just some mutie freak showin’ off his powers, your act would flop faster than you could say BAMF! What once seemed incredible would just be plain borin’! And why? Because it don’t take no human effort!”
Kurt nearly broke his teeth he was clenching his jaw so hard. But although his glowing eyes were blazing almost white with outrage, he managed to keep his tone even and steady as he said, “I am no sham, Herr Jardine. You yourself can testify to how many hours I put in to training. I’ve worked damn hard to get where I am today, and I deserve--“
Jardine cut him off with a harsh laugh. “Deserve?” he scoffed. “This may come as news to you, mutie boy, but the world just don’t work that way. You’ve had a pretty cushy life up till now, what with havin’ such close ties to the previous owner and all…” He shot a crudely suggestive leer at Amanda, who would have charged him head-on if Kurt hadn’t held her back with his tail. “…But the truth of the matter is, unlike the reclusive Ms. Margali I don’t need you to make my circus work. If anythin’, you’re in my way.”
He took a step closer, getting right up in Kurt’s face. Kurt wrinkled his nose as the stink of stale cigar smoke that clung to the slightly shorter man’s clothes rolled over him. Jardine’s glare darkened.
“So now we come to the ultimatum,” he growled. “Either you pack up yer gear and leave--tonight--or I’m movin’ you to the freak show where you belong. And if you give me any of your lip, I’m gonna call every paper in the city and let them know what you really are. You’ll be outted, my fuzzy friend. And Lord only knows what the public will do to you once they realize they’ve been had by some upstart mutie fraud.”
Kurt stiffened, his eyes wide and fixed with a fury too great to express. Like a crystal balloon, the young man’s swelling outrage shattered, leaving behind something far more frightening. He felt it like a stab to the gut, writhing cold and solid--the realization that not only was he capable of killing Jardine…he wanted to! His muscular arms were shuddering with the raw need to take the loathsome man by the throat and slam him into the wall, pounding and bashing until all traces of his poisonous influence were gone. This murderous impulse was almost too powerful to control, but Kurt compelled himself to resist, horrified and sickened that he could posses such brutally savage desires. With a huge effort of will, he forced himself completely still, squeezing his hands into fists so tight the skin of his knuckles turned a bluish white under his fur. No longer able to move, he just stood there, detached and trembling, his muscles tense and his golden eyes staring as he struggled to regain his control.
Completely unaware of how close he had come to death, Jardine wrinkled his nose at the frozen Kurt in a contemptuous scowl. Suddenly afraid of what might happen if Jardine spoke again, Amanda blurted out, “At least let him have a week’s notice!”
“But the show opens on Saturday,” the businessman frowned. “And the last thing I want is for some mutie freak to be stealin’ the spotlight from the legitimate acts.”
With a nervous little laugh, Amanda quickly darted around Kurt to stand between him and Jardine.
“But Herr Jardine,” she said, “the public doesn’t know about Kurt’s powers, they just admire his talent as an acrobat. The Incredible Nightcrawler is pretty much a household name in these parts. You can’t just boot him out like this--“
“The hell I can’t,” Jardine retorted, shooting the unmoving Kurt a suspicious look. But Amanda wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
“Then let him have a farewell performance,” she pressed, close to desperation. But just then, she was hit with a sudden thought. Taking a new tack, she shot Jardine a crafty smile, saying, “Just think of the publicity a show like that would bring! Kurt’s popularity is far greater than you seem to realize. I promise you people will be lined up for miles to see his final act.”
It was a last ditch effort, but to her surprise, Jardine actually seemed to be considering it. There was a long, tense moment, but in the end the businessman nodded.
“All right, he can have one last show,” he rumbled. “But the moment the lights drop, I want him gone. He’s to be packed and on his way before the night is through. And after that, I don’t want to see his freak face around here again. You hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Amanda replied. Jardine fired her a sharp look, then with a last disgusted glance at Kurt, the stocky businessman turned on his polished heel and strode from the lounge.
The instant the door clicked shut behind him, Amanda turned her full attention to Kurt, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking hard.
“Kurt! Kurt come on, snap out of it! He’s gone!”
Kurt blinked blearily, then suddenly came to with a deep shudder.
“Oh my God, Amanda!” he gasped, still profoundly shaken by what he had just experienced. “Oh my God I almost-- Oh sweet God, I was just so--so angry…!”
“Hush, Kurt,” Amanda soothed, pulling him into a gentle hug, which he hesitantly returned. “I know, and it’s all right. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“But you don’t know, Amanda,” he half-sobbed, feeling suddenly weak all over. “I wanted to--I wanted--“
“But you didn’t,” she interrupted firmly, pulling back just far enough to look him sternly in the eye. “And it was the bravest thing I have ever seen.”
Kurt blinked, startled and even a little soothed by the firm sincerity of her words. “Really?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. Amanda nodded, touching his cheek with gentle fingers.
“It took the strength of a true hero,” she told him, “and I doubt I could do the same.”
Kurt stared, amazed that she would see it that way, but then he sighed, pulling away so he could pace across the room.
“But it still doesn’t change things,” he said. “He wants me out by Saturday night! And where am I supposed to go? The trapeze are my life! They’re all I’ve ever known, all I’ve ever wanted to do!”
He scowled, his tail lashing behind him as he spun around and started pacing back. “He can’t do this,” he stated. “He can’t make me leave. This is my home! Everything I care about, everyone I love…”
He trailed off, turning slowly to look deep into Amanda’s eyes. “I don’t want to leave you, Amanda,” he said, his voice sounding suddenly choked. “But I tell you now, there is no way I’m joining that man’s freak show!”
“Of course you won’t!” Amanda stated firmly. “You’re a great acrobat, Kurt. The best in Europe, if not the world. Once they find out you’re leaving this dump, circuses around the globe will be fighting each other to sign you on.”
“Not if Jardine calls the papers,” Kurt scowled, tearing a hand through his hair. Then he frowned, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. “Unless…”
Suddenly, he looked up, his golden eyes alight with sudden inspiration. “That’s it!” he exclaimed.
Amanda tilted her head, not following. “What’s it?” she asked.
Kurt smiled, taking her hands in his and giving them a quick squeeze.
“Amanda,” he said, “how would you like to see America?”
“America?” Amanda blinked in bewilderment, which only increased when Kurt dropped to one knee. “Kurt, what are you--“
“Come with me, Amanda,” he said, looking up into her eyes. “Let’s leave this place together. We can start our own circus, far away from Jardine. What do you say?”
Amanda stared down into his flushed, anxious features for a long, long moment, fully aware of what he was asking. Then slowly, ever so slowly, a smile spread across her face.
“Yes,” she said, taking his hand and pulling him back up to his feet. “Yes, of course I’ll come. It’s perfect! Between us, we know everything there is to know about running a world-class circus. Chester, Bethica and the others will be sure to join us. Besides,” she grinned, her eyes glinting with excitement, “I’ve always wanted to see America!”
Kurt grinned in delighted relief, bringing the knuckles of her hands to his lips and kissing them over and over until the two of them fell back onto the sofa in a gale of silly giggles. After a moment, however, Kurt’s expression darkened.
“What about Mama, though,” he said, suddenly worried. “Isn’t there any way we can get her to undo this bargain of hers?”
Amanda shrugged, but her expression was tight with anger towards her mother. “Actually, no,” she stated bluntly. “She’s already sealed the demon pact with her own blood.”
…just as Stefan did with me…
The thought passed by like a whisper, but it chilled him nonetheless. Amanda didn’t seem to notice. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” she was scowling. “She knew what she was doing. But that’s her problem. It doesn’t have to affect us.”
Kurt frowned in confusion. “How can you say that?” he said. “Especially when you’ll have to follow the Winding Way with her?”
“I just won’t do it,” Amanda said simply, although her careless tone seemed forced. “If mother could leave the Way after a lifetime, surely I’ll be able to get out too. I’ve never gone in for all that mystical rubbish anyway. Now,” she said, straightening in her seat. “Let’s change the subject. We’ve got a lot of planning to do if we’re going to make it out of here by the weekend!”
Kurt nodded, but his nagging worries refused to fade. The thought of the blood sacrifice kept flickering through his mind, bringing back disturbing flashes of the consuming rage he had experience only minutes before. These terrifying feelings prompted him to wonder…what if the murderous demon Margali’s pact had unloosed actually resided within him? Could that be why Stefan had come to him all those years ago, forcing him to make that promise?
What was it his brother had seen when he’d looked into Kurt’s soul?
Until next time!!!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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HoodedMan
- Administrator
- Posts: 2335
- Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2003 11:39 pm
- Title: Lord Sarcasmo von Snarkypants
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Wow. You really know the writer's characterised a character well when you're pissed off at him so very much! What's more, it could happen in real life. Some big corporations are like that. It reminds me somewhat of Bedlam's Bard and similar books in that series.
But I love the development (character aside) and I can't wait to see what can be had in America and what they meet there!
But I love the development (character aside) and I can't wait to see what can be had in America and what they meet there!
ACHTUNG! Alles touristen und non-technischen looken peepers! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.
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CurlyyHairGirl
- Swashbuckler
- Posts: 1503
- Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 4:52 pm
- Location: San Jose State University
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
*wide Grinch grin**rubs hands together in a most devious manner*
I am worried about this "winding Way" business...bad vibes, my friend. Bad vibes. *shudder*
In Kurt's position, I think I would have done the wrong thing and take the AoA route and teleport Jardine's oversized head off and thrown it a pit of hungry badgers...*blink* That dude got me all hot and bothered. There is now the odd feeling building up within my arm, like the need to puch a wall or something, but that would hurt too much, and I want to keep my fingers unbroken at the moment.
I love this story. I love how your stories eveoke emotions from the readers..even if I do so want to punch something...I think I'll cuddle with my puppies instead.
I really am surprised as to how much I like your version of Amanda, i really usually hate, no, loath her. Something about her characterization in this though, makes me happy.
Love to all!
~Navillus-O the Benevolent.
one name: Bruce Campbell
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Rowena
- Global Moderator
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- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Hi Everyone! And thanks Northstar and Curlyy for your comments!!!
Here’s a brief little update I’ve been working on. Much more will be coming relatively soon—after exams or even before depending on how much time I can scrape together. Until then, all I have to offer is this teeny bit. Sorry it’s so short, but I hope you like it anyway!
For the rest of the week, Kurt and Amanda were wholly consumed with bringing the Incredible Nightcrawler’s final show to vibrant life. The loyalty of the performers, staff, costumers, set-builders, and administrators to the Szardos family made certain that the planning and production for Kurt’s show took precedence over the rewrites for Jardine’s Spectacular. Jardine fumed about it, but without the support of his employees his displays of temper had little effect.
At last, after four straight days and nights of hurried phone calls, frantic fittings, and last-minute rehearsals, the big night arrived. As Amanda had forseen, the people of Hamburg were queued around the corner and down the street, willingly braving the chilly evening to witness the Nightcrawler’s last performance. A small, local toy manufacturer had even decided to take advantage of the hype and come out with a limited edition plush doll of the Nightcrawler, complete with his spaded tail and his distinctive red and black costume. When Kurt first saw them, clutched in the arms of the children filing into the stands, he didn’t know whether to laugh or die of embarrassment. Especially when Amanda came up beside him and tapped one against his cheek in a mock kiss.
“Do you like him?” she asked, her eyes twinkling merrily. “We’re calling them ‘Bamfs’. Isn’t he just adorable?”
Kurt scrunched up his face in a pained grimace, taking the pint-sized toy and inspecting it at arms length. “Well…” he allowed reluctantly, “I suppose it is kind of cute.”
“Cute?!” Amanda snatched the doll back, cuddling it protectively in her arms. “Is that all you can say? After all the trouble Chester and I went through to get these ready in time?“
Kurt looked stricken. “You did?” he said. “I—I didn’t realize…”
Seeing the expression on his face, Amanda couldn’t keep up her act of indignance. “No, we didn’t,” she admitted with a laugh. “We hardly had anything to do with it, actually. The toy-guy called up to ask if it would be all right if he made about a thousand of these little fellows for the show, and we couldn’t refuse. I mean, just look at that face,” she said, holding the little Bamf barely an inch from Kurt’s nose. “Could you say no to a face like that?”
Kurt was still embarrassed, but he couldn’t help but crack a smile. “No, I guess not,” he said. “Can I—“
“Oh no you don’t,” Amanda frowned, slapping his hand away. “This is my Bamf. If you want one, you have to buy your own. Now,” she said, drawing herself up and cutting off Kurt’s protest. “If we’re going to start this show on time, I need to get dressed. But before I go, I do have something to give you.”
“Don’t tell me they’ve made a stuffed doll of you as well,” Kurt joked.(1) Amanda smiled, then leaned in close and kissed him sweetly on the lips.
“That’s for luck,” she said, stepping back and shooting him a playfully coquettish look over her shoulder as she turned for the door. “You’ll knock ‘em dead tonight, Kurt. We’ll give Hamburg a show they’ll talk about for decades to come! Jardine’s Spectacular will never live it down!”
Amanda’s prediction was right. Their last show in Germany would go down in Hamburg history—but not as a triumph. Amos Jardine had invested far too much money into his new Spectacular to allow his work to be upstaged by a mutant freak and his Gypsy girlfriend. Furious at the way the two had effectively usurped his power, the cunning businessman fell back on a method of revenge he had perfected while clawing his way to the top of his profession: the subtle art of sabotage.
1) According to comic canon, in later years when Kurt was an X-Man and Amanda was a flight attendant, Amanda would take a Bamf doll with her whenever she went away, leaving Kurt a little witch doll to keep him company until her return.
Here’s a brief little update I’ve been working on. Much more will be coming relatively soon—after exams or even before depending on how much time I can scrape together. Until then, all I have to offer is this teeny bit. Sorry it’s so short, but I hope you like it anyway!
For the rest of the week, Kurt and Amanda were wholly consumed with bringing the Incredible Nightcrawler’s final show to vibrant life. The loyalty of the performers, staff, costumers, set-builders, and administrators to the Szardos family made certain that the planning and production for Kurt’s show took precedence over the rewrites for Jardine’s Spectacular. Jardine fumed about it, but without the support of his employees his displays of temper had little effect.
At last, after four straight days and nights of hurried phone calls, frantic fittings, and last-minute rehearsals, the big night arrived. As Amanda had forseen, the people of Hamburg were queued around the corner and down the street, willingly braving the chilly evening to witness the Nightcrawler’s last performance. A small, local toy manufacturer had even decided to take advantage of the hype and come out with a limited edition plush doll of the Nightcrawler, complete with his spaded tail and his distinctive red and black costume. When Kurt first saw them, clutched in the arms of the children filing into the stands, he didn’t know whether to laugh or die of embarrassment. Especially when Amanda came up beside him and tapped one against his cheek in a mock kiss.
“Do you like him?” she asked, her eyes twinkling merrily. “We’re calling them ‘Bamfs’. Isn’t he just adorable?”
Kurt scrunched up his face in a pained grimace, taking the pint-sized toy and inspecting it at arms length. “Well…” he allowed reluctantly, “I suppose it is kind of cute.”
“Cute?!” Amanda snatched the doll back, cuddling it protectively in her arms. “Is that all you can say? After all the trouble Chester and I went through to get these ready in time?“
Kurt looked stricken. “You did?” he said. “I—I didn’t realize…”
Seeing the expression on his face, Amanda couldn’t keep up her act of indignance. “No, we didn’t,” she admitted with a laugh. “We hardly had anything to do with it, actually. The toy-guy called up to ask if it would be all right if he made about a thousand of these little fellows for the show, and we couldn’t refuse. I mean, just look at that face,” she said, holding the little Bamf barely an inch from Kurt’s nose. “Could you say no to a face like that?”
Kurt was still embarrassed, but he couldn’t help but crack a smile. “No, I guess not,” he said. “Can I—“
“Oh no you don’t,” Amanda frowned, slapping his hand away. “This is my Bamf. If you want one, you have to buy your own. Now,” she said, drawing herself up and cutting off Kurt’s protest. “If we’re going to start this show on time, I need to get dressed. But before I go, I do have something to give you.”
“Don’t tell me they’ve made a stuffed doll of you as well,” Kurt joked.(1) Amanda smiled, then leaned in close and kissed him sweetly on the lips.
“That’s for luck,” she said, stepping back and shooting him a playfully coquettish look over her shoulder as she turned for the door. “You’ll knock ‘em dead tonight, Kurt. We’ll give Hamburg a show they’ll talk about for decades to come! Jardine’s Spectacular will never live it down!”
Amanda’s prediction was right. Their last show in Germany would go down in Hamburg history—but not as a triumph. Amos Jardine had invested far too much money into his new Spectacular to allow his work to be upstaged by a mutant freak and his Gypsy girlfriend. Furious at the way the two had effectively usurped his power, the cunning businessman fell back on a method of revenge he had perfected while clawing his way to the top of his profession: the subtle art of sabotage.
1) According to comic canon, in later years when Kurt was an X-Man and Amanda was a flight attendant, Amanda would take a Bamf doll with her whenever she went away, leaving Kurt a little witch doll to keep him company until her return.
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
-
Rowena
- Global Moderator
- Posts: 886
- Joined: Fri Dec 19, 2003 12:55 am
- Location: Time And Relative Dimension In Space
- Contact:
Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Hi Everyone! Sorry if this bit sounds rushed, but I really needed to get it out of my head before classes start up again tomorrow. Since this chapter's getting absurdly long, I've decided to change this 6-part miniseries into a 7-parter. This bit will be the final section of Part Six. Part Seven will contain the creepy Stefan part, where the implications of the complicated mess I've started to describe here will be dealt with. It will probably take me a while to get to that, though, so thank you in advance for your patience with me!
And now, back to the show!
Everything was packed and ready; the suitcases were piled by the backstage exit and a taxi was parked by the door, the fare for two to the airport already having been paid with free tickets to the show for the driver and his family. In a little less than four hours, Kurt Wagner would be warming a window seat in coach, holding Amanda’s hand as, together, they watched Germany shrink away to tiny specks of light far, far below. They would sleep on the plane while it made a brief stop at Heathrow, and when they awoke, they would be in Canada. A whole new country, a whole new world lay mere hours away.
It was real. Kurt was quitting the Munich Circus for good, headed for adventure with his lady love by his side. Nothing could be more exciting….
Then why did he feel like he was going to throw up?
“Hey, Kurt! Five minutes to showtime! Quit powdering your nose, kid, and get out there!”
“Already gone, Karl. Thanks.”
Kurt stood as the slender stage manager continued on his way down the hall, leaning forward to give himself a long, hard look in the mirror. This was it. After tonight, he would no longer belong here. The home he had known since childhood was already gone, along with the protection it had afforded him. All that remained was this one show—and Kurt was resolved to make it the best performance the Munich Circus had ever produced.
Nodding once at his determined reflection, Kurt took a deep, decisive breath and BAMFed out of the room, leaving his fears for his future behind.
*******
Amos Jardine squeezed his bulky frame down the narrow aisle, earning several dirty looks from the patrons he shoved past on the way to his preferred seat in the second row. To his satisfaction, he saw his agent Brunetto was already there, waiting for him.
“Signore Jardine,” the shifty-eyed Italian smiled, rising briefly as the older man sat down.
“All is as you wished, sir,” he said, rubbing his bony hands together in wicked anticipation. “When the Nightcrawler’s finale comes, you will see—“
“Don’t tell me,” Jardine snapped coldly, keeping his eyes focused on the darkened arena ahead. “I don’t need to know what you did, just that it’s done. Now get lost. The show’s about to start.”
Brunetto stood with a slight bow of his head. “As you say, signore,” he said, sliding past the businessman to the aisle. “But don’t forget, I shall be returning to claim my payment, and I expect you to still be here when I do.”
Jardine turned his head, looking at the taller man for the first time. “Just where the hell do you think I’m goin’?” he frowned. “This here’s my circus, ain’t it?”
But Brunetto just smiled and walked away, vanishing into the shadows as the spotlights flashed on and the band began to play. Jardine snorted and settled back in his seat to watch the show, smug in the knowledge that when his trap was sprung, he would have the protection of full deniability.
*******
The show was going extremely well. Because they had been so short on time, Kurt and Amanda had asked the other performers to think up clever ways for the Nightcrawler to pop up in every act. That device had turned out to be a real success. The Nightcrawler’s mischievous antics had the audience in stitches. Margali smiled slightly as she watched Big Jake seemingly conjure the Nightcrawler out of a bouquet of blue carnations—apparently catching the startled acrobat in the middle of brushing his teeth. She knew that last touch had to have been Kurt’s.
Margali lowered her head with a sigh, but kept her gaze on the scrying pool before her. The sorceress hadn’t been out of her room since the incident with the police. She had been far too preoccupied to think of such earthly things as eating, sleeping…and love. And yet, it was love that had gotten her into this predicament in the first place. Out of concern for her children, out of worry for her friends, she had forced her way back onto the mystical path she had abandoned so long ago. She had turned her back on the human persona she had assumed when she had left her people and embraced her true form once again. Thick, curling horns, like those of a ram, now sprouted from beneath her frizzy, black hair. Her tanned skin had turned an olive green, and her long nails were now yellow. The transformation had allowed her to reclaim her full power, drawing it to her from the air and the ground and the very life-force of the people around her. And with that power, she had summoned a demon—a demon who, in return for a blood sacrifice, could rid her of Amos Jardine once and for all.
Since making the demon pact, Margali had been working day and night casting protection spells over the people of her circus. She knew the ways of demons, she understood their treachery. She had promised Belasco a life in return for his services, but she would die herself before allowing him to prey on her children, or her friends.
At that moment, a chilling breeze swept through the darkened room, causing the candlelight to flicker and dance. Margali slowly raised her head, listening for the three sharp raps on the door that would indicate the demon was near. Sure enough, as a distant burst of laughter rose from the arena, the knocks came. The sorceress scowled.
“Where have you been,” she frowned, lowering her levitating form to a chair. “You promised to take action tonight.”
“So I did,” the demon’s sly, serpentine voice replied from the flickering shadows. “And so I shall. But you know I do nothing without payment. Once I collect my fee, I shall do as you requested. Jardine will leave Hamburg, never to return, and you shall have your chance to take back what was taken from you. But you must be patient a little longer.”
“Everything I have built is falling apart,” Margali hissed angrily. “Even my children are planning to leave me. I cannot wait any longer. You must act now!”
“I shall act when I deem the time right,” the demon replied, his smooth voice seething with menace. “You have been too long among humans, Margali. I will not suffer your petulance.”
“Don’t forget I summoned you,” Margali snapped. “That means you work for me until the task is done. I must be rid of Jardine tonight! It is the only way to save what I have lost.”
The demon snorted. “You are a fool,” he said. “But if you return what you have stolen from me, I shall do as you say.”
“I will not return the Soulsword,” Margali stated. “It is a part of me now, and you will never touch it. You will do as I say because that is our pact. Now leave me, and don’t come back until the deed is done!”
“If you truly understood what you ask, you would not be so hasty to see it done,” Belasco said, darkly. “But very well. I have chosen my sacrifice. No matter the obstacle, I will return to claim what is mine. Until then, fool, farewell.”
Margali shivered despite herself as the chill draft fluttered the candles once again, heralding the demon’s departure. Putting his threats out of her mind, she leaned back over her scrying pool, anxious to see the conclusion of the show. For the grand finale, Kurt and Amanda had planned to partner up on the trapeze, where they would perform without a net. Margali had been unable to talk her daughter out of such a risky move when she had come to visit her, and she was still angry at this open defiance of her wishes. But even so, she knew she had to watch. This was their show, Amanda and Kurt’s, and despite everything, she was very proud of all they had accomplished in such a short time. She owed it to them to watch, even if it was from her room.
*******
Kurt was already in position on the platform when the lights lowered, the spotlight snapped on, and the announcer’s deep voice announced the Incredible Nightcrawler’s final act. He waved to the crowd, then turned his eyes to the door, grinning broadly as he waited for Amanda to make her entrance. To his surprise, however, it was Chester Vogel who ran out from the sidelines. The jaunty, dark-haired man jogged over to the announcer and whispered something in his ear. Then he grinned up at Kurt with a wink.
Utterly confused, Kurt watched his friend run backstage, then turned a questioning look on the announcer, as curious as the audience to find out what was going on.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” the announcer cried, beckoning Amanda to come over to him with a theatrical flourish of his cape. To Kurt’s surprise, she was dressed in her regular clothes, as if she had expected something like this. Jardine also seemed surprised, even a bit angry as he sat forward in his chair. But he kept his mouth shut, choosing to wait and see what would happen as the announcer continued.
“There has been a change in the program! The lovely Amanda Szardos has graciously decided to step aside from this performance, but only so she could introduce you all to a man who is a legend among acrobats. Amanda, they’re all yours.”
“Thank you,” Amanda smiled, taking the microphone and shooting Kurt a half amused/half apologetic glance. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a real treat for you tonight. We weren't sure if he was going to be able to make it at such short notice, but when we told him that this was going to be the Nightcrawler’s final performance with the Munich Circus, nothing could keep him away. So tonight, it is with enormous pleasure and pride that I introduce to you the man who taught the Nightcrawler everything he knows. Please welcome, all the way from his native Hungary, the amazing, the astonishing, the legendary Sabu Vogel!”
As the crowd burst into riotous applause, Kurt gasped, his face breaking into a delighted grin as his old mentor strode out from the sidelines and began climbing up the rope ladder, his gray-streaked mustache still as imposing as ever.
“Sabu!” he exclaimed, reaching out a hand to help the older man up onto the platform with him. “I can’t believe it! How—why— What are you doing here?”
Sabu laughed, pulling Kurt into a powerful embrace. “You think I would let you leave for the Americas without coming to wish you well?” he asked in his familiar accent, stepping back to look his former pupil affectionately in the eyes. “You look good, Kurt. You have grown up quite a lot since Yvonne and I left the circus life. Truly, I could not be prouder if you were my own son.”
Kurt lowered his head, suddenly bashful in the face of Sabu’s frank remarks. The older man laughed again and slapped Kurt on the back.
“Come on, kiddo,” he said. “Let’s see what you’ve got. So far I have seen you act the clown. Now it’s time to see how well you have been keeping up with your art!”
“Oh, I’ve been keeping up,” Kurt grinned back. “And I’ve come up with a few new moves too.”
“So I have heard,” Sabu nodded. “Amanda has filled me in on a great deal. In fact, I will be taking her part tonight. Together, we will give these people out there something to remember, yes?”
“You bet!” Kurt grinned, leaning over the side to shoot Amanda a grateful glance as Sabu climbed into place on the ladder. Grabbing the trapeze that was hooked nearby, the veteran acrobat took a deep breath, then jumped. He swung in a wide arc, every muscle in his body under his complete control as he swung back, then used his momentum to launch into a perfect double, reaching out at the last moment to grab the second, stationary trapeze and pull himself up onto the bar.
As the audience erupted into cheers, Kurt caught the swinging trapeze and turned his attention to climbing into position himself. However, at that moment, Kurt felt a peculiar uneasiness creep through him. Looking over his shoulder at Sabu, he was just in time to see his mentor’s trapeze give a tense, sickening jolt. At first, he thought it was a trick of the light…maybe his eyes were playing tricks. Trapeze just didn’t jerk around like that, and they certainly didn’t grow longer. But then, the sabotaged wires gave way all together and Sabu was falling--!
Kurt didn’t have time to question, only to react. Activating his power, he jaunted off the ladder, already reaching for his mentor through of the rapidly dissipating smoke. But he was too late. That moment of hesitation on the ladder had cost him. Sabu hit the ground with a sickening sound, his body twitching once…twice…then growing still. Kurt landed hard on his feet, dropping into to a desperate crouch by his mentor’s side. Somewhere far away, the panicked crowd was screaming, the horrified announcer calling futily for calm. But for Kurt, all this was muted by his own shocked denial. This had not just happened. There was no way it could be real. Nothing so terrible could happen in real life—it just couldn’t! It couldn’t!
“Oh…oh God! Oh no, please God no!” It was Amanda’s voice, hoarse with tears, but the words refused to register. Kurt could only stare blankly at Sabu’s still body, at the thin trickle of blood oozing from his nose, the side of his mouth. It just didn’t make sense. None of it made any sense! Sabu couldn’t—he just couldn’t be…dead…
Over in the stands, Jardine was bellowing his outrage into the ears of anyone who had not already fled the terrible scene. As the rows emptied, he caught sight of his agent Brunetto, hovering like a ghoul in the shadows behind the circle of performers that had gathered around Sabu. Fuming, the beet-faced businessman marched over and grabbed his arm, spinning the tall Italian around to face him.
“You moron!” he shouted, too furious to watch his words or care who heard them. “What the hell am I paying you for? You were supposed to take out the girl!”
Brunetto glared down at Jardine through dark eyes, his thin face pinched with annoyance. “The change in cast was unexpected,” he scowled. “This man was not supposed to die tonight.”
“No shit, Sherlock!” Jardine roared, getting right up in the Italian’s face. “This ruins everything! I told you I want the blue freak for my sideshow! All you had to do was—“
“Silence!” Brunetto snapped, his sharp eyes flashing a sudden gold in his fury. Jardine took a startled step back, not quite sure what he’d just seen. The Italian continued, clearly speaking more to himself than to Jardine.
“She has thwarted me,” he hissed, his thin nostrils flaring as his glowing eyes narrowed into slits. “Denied me my proper sacrifice! But I shall make her pay.” He growled, a chilling, dangerous sound. “The girl may have been spared, but there is still another. I will have my payment yet!”
“What is all this crazy talk?” Jardine demanded, struggling to hide the tremble in his voice with his usual display of bluster. “What do you mean by ‘sacrifice’? I told you I was gonna pay in cas--”
“Enough, human!” Brunetto glared. “Your money is worthless to me. Go attend to that mess.” He gestured to Sabu. “I have business elsewhere.”
With that, the disguised demon left Jardine to fume, vanishing in a flash of sulfurous smoke that was eerily akin to Kurt’s.
*******
Far to the south, in the isolated mountain village of Winzeldorf, Stefan Szardos shot up in bed. His thin blanket pooled to the rough, stone floor of his bare cell as he hugged his knees to his chest, rocking slightly in silent fear.
Something was different. Something had changed. He could feel it, deep, deep inside. A power was awakening within him, bringing with it a coldness unlike anything he had ever felt before.
With an uncontrollable shudder, the young monk knelt in the center of his cot, clasping his hands together in desperate prayer. Beads of sweat ran down the sides of his face as he trembled there in the dark, whispering the familiar words over and over. But even as the dark sensations began to fade, he knew they’d return before long.
The moment he had dreaded since childhood had come at last. The battle for his soul had begun.
_________________________
Next time: Kurt leaves the circus for good, but not as he had intended. Stay tuned for the final chapter of Small Steps, Great Leaps, coming soon to a computer screen near you!!
And now, back to the show!
Everything was packed and ready; the suitcases were piled by the backstage exit and a taxi was parked by the door, the fare for two to the airport already having been paid with free tickets to the show for the driver and his family. In a little less than four hours, Kurt Wagner would be warming a window seat in coach, holding Amanda’s hand as, together, they watched Germany shrink away to tiny specks of light far, far below. They would sleep on the plane while it made a brief stop at Heathrow, and when they awoke, they would be in Canada. A whole new country, a whole new world lay mere hours away.
It was real. Kurt was quitting the Munich Circus for good, headed for adventure with his lady love by his side. Nothing could be more exciting….
Then why did he feel like he was going to throw up?
“Hey, Kurt! Five minutes to showtime! Quit powdering your nose, kid, and get out there!”
“Already gone, Karl. Thanks.”
Kurt stood as the slender stage manager continued on his way down the hall, leaning forward to give himself a long, hard look in the mirror. This was it. After tonight, he would no longer belong here. The home he had known since childhood was already gone, along with the protection it had afforded him. All that remained was this one show—and Kurt was resolved to make it the best performance the Munich Circus had ever produced.
Nodding once at his determined reflection, Kurt took a deep, decisive breath and BAMFed out of the room, leaving his fears for his future behind.
*******
Amos Jardine squeezed his bulky frame down the narrow aisle, earning several dirty looks from the patrons he shoved past on the way to his preferred seat in the second row. To his satisfaction, he saw his agent Brunetto was already there, waiting for him.
“Signore Jardine,” the shifty-eyed Italian smiled, rising briefly as the older man sat down.
“All is as you wished, sir,” he said, rubbing his bony hands together in wicked anticipation. “When the Nightcrawler’s finale comes, you will see—“
“Don’t tell me,” Jardine snapped coldly, keeping his eyes focused on the darkened arena ahead. “I don’t need to know what you did, just that it’s done. Now get lost. The show’s about to start.”
Brunetto stood with a slight bow of his head. “As you say, signore,” he said, sliding past the businessman to the aisle. “But don’t forget, I shall be returning to claim my payment, and I expect you to still be here when I do.”
Jardine turned his head, looking at the taller man for the first time. “Just where the hell do you think I’m goin’?” he frowned. “This here’s my circus, ain’t it?”
But Brunetto just smiled and walked away, vanishing into the shadows as the spotlights flashed on and the band began to play. Jardine snorted and settled back in his seat to watch the show, smug in the knowledge that when his trap was sprung, he would have the protection of full deniability.
*******
The show was going extremely well. Because they had been so short on time, Kurt and Amanda had asked the other performers to think up clever ways for the Nightcrawler to pop up in every act. That device had turned out to be a real success. The Nightcrawler’s mischievous antics had the audience in stitches. Margali smiled slightly as she watched Big Jake seemingly conjure the Nightcrawler out of a bouquet of blue carnations—apparently catching the startled acrobat in the middle of brushing his teeth. She knew that last touch had to have been Kurt’s.
Margali lowered her head with a sigh, but kept her gaze on the scrying pool before her. The sorceress hadn’t been out of her room since the incident with the police. She had been far too preoccupied to think of such earthly things as eating, sleeping…and love. And yet, it was love that had gotten her into this predicament in the first place. Out of concern for her children, out of worry for her friends, she had forced her way back onto the mystical path she had abandoned so long ago. She had turned her back on the human persona she had assumed when she had left her people and embraced her true form once again. Thick, curling horns, like those of a ram, now sprouted from beneath her frizzy, black hair. Her tanned skin had turned an olive green, and her long nails were now yellow. The transformation had allowed her to reclaim her full power, drawing it to her from the air and the ground and the very life-force of the people around her. And with that power, she had summoned a demon—a demon who, in return for a blood sacrifice, could rid her of Amos Jardine once and for all.
Since making the demon pact, Margali had been working day and night casting protection spells over the people of her circus. She knew the ways of demons, she understood their treachery. She had promised Belasco a life in return for his services, but she would die herself before allowing him to prey on her children, or her friends.
At that moment, a chilling breeze swept through the darkened room, causing the candlelight to flicker and dance. Margali slowly raised her head, listening for the three sharp raps on the door that would indicate the demon was near. Sure enough, as a distant burst of laughter rose from the arena, the knocks came. The sorceress scowled.
“Where have you been,” she frowned, lowering her levitating form to a chair. “You promised to take action tonight.”
“So I did,” the demon’s sly, serpentine voice replied from the flickering shadows. “And so I shall. But you know I do nothing without payment. Once I collect my fee, I shall do as you requested. Jardine will leave Hamburg, never to return, and you shall have your chance to take back what was taken from you. But you must be patient a little longer.”
“Everything I have built is falling apart,” Margali hissed angrily. “Even my children are planning to leave me. I cannot wait any longer. You must act now!”
“I shall act when I deem the time right,” the demon replied, his smooth voice seething with menace. “You have been too long among humans, Margali. I will not suffer your petulance.”
“Don’t forget I summoned you,” Margali snapped. “That means you work for me until the task is done. I must be rid of Jardine tonight! It is the only way to save what I have lost.”
The demon snorted. “You are a fool,” he said. “But if you return what you have stolen from me, I shall do as you say.”
“I will not return the Soulsword,” Margali stated. “It is a part of me now, and you will never touch it. You will do as I say because that is our pact. Now leave me, and don’t come back until the deed is done!”
“If you truly understood what you ask, you would not be so hasty to see it done,” Belasco said, darkly. “But very well. I have chosen my sacrifice. No matter the obstacle, I will return to claim what is mine. Until then, fool, farewell.”
Margali shivered despite herself as the chill draft fluttered the candles once again, heralding the demon’s departure. Putting his threats out of her mind, she leaned back over her scrying pool, anxious to see the conclusion of the show. For the grand finale, Kurt and Amanda had planned to partner up on the trapeze, where they would perform without a net. Margali had been unable to talk her daughter out of such a risky move when she had come to visit her, and she was still angry at this open defiance of her wishes. But even so, she knew she had to watch. This was their show, Amanda and Kurt’s, and despite everything, she was very proud of all they had accomplished in such a short time. She owed it to them to watch, even if it was from her room.
*******
Kurt was already in position on the platform when the lights lowered, the spotlight snapped on, and the announcer’s deep voice announced the Incredible Nightcrawler’s final act. He waved to the crowd, then turned his eyes to the door, grinning broadly as he waited for Amanda to make her entrance. To his surprise, however, it was Chester Vogel who ran out from the sidelines. The jaunty, dark-haired man jogged over to the announcer and whispered something in his ear. Then he grinned up at Kurt with a wink.
Utterly confused, Kurt watched his friend run backstage, then turned a questioning look on the announcer, as curious as the audience to find out what was going on.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” the announcer cried, beckoning Amanda to come over to him with a theatrical flourish of his cape. To Kurt’s surprise, she was dressed in her regular clothes, as if she had expected something like this. Jardine also seemed surprised, even a bit angry as he sat forward in his chair. But he kept his mouth shut, choosing to wait and see what would happen as the announcer continued.
“There has been a change in the program! The lovely Amanda Szardos has graciously decided to step aside from this performance, but only so she could introduce you all to a man who is a legend among acrobats. Amanda, they’re all yours.”
“Thank you,” Amanda smiled, taking the microphone and shooting Kurt a half amused/half apologetic glance. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a real treat for you tonight. We weren't sure if he was going to be able to make it at such short notice, but when we told him that this was going to be the Nightcrawler’s final performance with the Munich Circus, nothing could keep him away. So tonight, it is with enormous pleasure and pride that I introduce to you the man who taught the Nightcrawler everything he knows. Please welcome, all the way from his native Hungary, the amazing, the astonishing, the legendary Sabu Vogel!”
As the crowd burst into riotous applause, Kurt gasped, his face breaking into a delighted grin as his old mentor strode out from the sidelines and began climbing up the rope ladder, his gray-streaked mustache still as imposing as ever.
“Sabu!” he exclaimed, reaching out a hand to help the older man up onto the platform with him. “I can’t believe it! How—why— What are you doing here?”
Sabu laughed, pulling Kurt into a powerful embrace. “You think I would let you leave for the Americas without coming to wish you well?” he asked in his familiar accent, stepping back to look his former pupil affectionately in the eyes. “You look good, Kurt. You have grown up quite a lot since Yvonne and I left the circus life. Truly, I could not be prouder if you were my own son.”
Kurt lowered his head, suddenly bashful in the face of Sabu’s frank remarks. The older man laughed again and slapped Kurt on the back.
“Come on, kiddo,” he said. “Let’s see what you’ve got. So far I have seen you act the clown. Now it’s time to see how well you have been keeping up with your art!”
“Oh, I’ve been keeping up,” Kurt grinned back. “And I’ve come up with a few new moves too.”
“So I have heard,” Sabu nodded. “Amanda has filled me in on a great deal. In fact, I will be taking her part tonight. Together, we will give these people out there something to remember, yes?”
“You bet!” Kurt grinned, leaning over the side to shoot Amanda a grateful glance as Sabu climbed into place on the ladder. Grabbing the trapeze that was hooked nearby, the veteran acrobat took a deep breath, then jumped. He swung in a wide arc, every muscle in his body under his complete control as he swung back, then used his momentum to launch into a perfect double, reaching out at the last moment to grab the second, stationary trapeze and pull himself up onto the bar.
As the audience erupted into cheers, Kurt caught the swinging trapeze and turned his attention to climbing into position himself. However, at that moment, Kurt felt a peculiar uneasiness creep through him. Looking over his shoulder at Sabu, he was just in time to see his mentor’s trapeze give a tense, sickening jolt. At first, he thought it was a trick of the light…maybe his eyes were playing tricks. Trapeze just didn’t jerk around like that, and they certainly didn’t grow longer. But then, the sabotaged wires gave way all together and Sabu was falling--!
Kurt didn’t have time to question, only to react. Activating his power, he jaunted off the ladder, already reaching for his mentor through of the rapidly dissipating smoke. But he was too late. That moment of hesitation on the ladder had cost him. Sabu hit the ground with a sickening sound, his body twitching once…twice…then growing still. Kurt landed hard on his feet, dropping into to a desperate crouch by his mentor’s side. Somewhere far away, the panicked crowd was screaming, the horrified announcer calling futily for calm. But for Kurt, all this was muted by his own shocked denial. This had not just happened. There was no way it could be real. Nothing so terrible could happen in real life—it just couldn’t! It couldn’t!
“Oh…oh God! Oh no, please God no!” It was Amanda’s voice, hoarse with tears, but the words refused to register. Kurt could only stare blankly at Sabu’s still body, at the thin trickle of blood oozing from his nose, the side of his mouth. It just didn’t make sense. None of it made any sense! Sabu couldn’t—he just couldn’t be…dead…
Over in the stands, Jardine was bellowing his outrage into the ears of anyone who had not already fled the terrible scene. As the rows emptied, he caught sight of his agent Brunetto, hovering like a ghoul in the shadows behind the circle of performers that had gathered around Sabu. Fuming, the beet-faced businessman marched over and grabbed his arm, spinning the tall Italian around to face him.
“You moron!” he shouted, too furious to watch his words or care who heard them. “What the hell am I paying you for? You were supposed to take out the girl!”
Brunetto glared down at Jardine through dark eyes, his thin face pinched with annoyance. “The change in cast was unexpected,” he scowled. “This man was not supposed to die tonight.”
“No shit, Sherlock!” Jardine roared, getting right up in the Italian’s face. “This ruins everything! I told you I want the blue freak for my sideshow! All you had to do was—“
“Silence!” Brunetto snapped, his sharp eyes flashing a sudden gold in his fury. Jardine took a startled step back, not quite sure what he’d just seen. The Italian continued, clearly speaking more to himself than to Jardine.
“She has thwarted me,” he hissed, his thin nostrils flaring as his glowing eyes narrowed into slits. “Denied me my proper sacrifice! But I shall make her pay.” He growled, a chilling, dangerous sound. “The girl may have been spared, but there is still another. I will have my payment yet!”
“What is all this crazy talk?” Jardine demanded, struggling to hide the tremble in his voice with his usual display of bluster. “What do you mean by ‘sacrifice’? I told you I was gonna pay in cas--”
“Enough, human!” Brunetto glared. “Your money is worthless to me. Go attend to that mess.” He gestured to Sabu. “I have business elsewhere.”
With that, the disguised demon left Jardine to fume, vanishing in a flash of sulfurous smoke that was eerily akin to Kurt’s.
*******
Far to the south, in the isolated mountain village of Winzeldorf, Stefan Szardos shot up in bed. His thin blanket pooled to the rough, stone floor of his bare cell as he hugged his knees to his chest, rocking slightly in silent fear.
Something was different. Something had changed. He could feel it, deep, deep inside. A power was awakening within him, bringing with it a coldness unlike anything he had ever felt before.
With an uncontrollable shudder, the young monk knelt in the center of his cot, clasping his hands together in desperate prayer. Beads of sweat ran down the sides of his face as he trembled there in the dark, whispering the familiar words over and over. But even as the dark sensations began to fade, he knew they’d return before long.
The moment he had dreaded since childhood had come at last. The battle for his soul had begun.
_________________________
Next time: Kurt leaves the circus for good, but not as he had intended. Stay tuned for the final chapter of Small Steps, Great Leaps, coming soon to a computer screen near you!!
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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Rowena
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Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
How long has it been since I updated this? Far, far, FAR too long!!! Well, I figured it's about time I did something about that. My goal for today was to write out the first part of Chapter Seven--the final chapter--so that's what I did! Please let me know what you think of it!
Part Seven
Scene One
The heavy pounding of the doorknocker echoed down the stone corridors of the ancient monastery, louder even than the thunder that rumbled across the nighttime sky. Brother Gottfried shivered under his cloak, braving the puddles and the chilling draft to unlock the heavy iron door. Heaving it open with a powerful tug, the gaunt-faced monk gasped as his eyes fell upon the pitiful sight of the sopping figure shivering in the heavy rain.
“Oh my,” he exclaimed, hurrying out into the downpour to offer the exhausted man some support. “My son, you must be frozen! Come now, I’ll take you straight to the kitchens.” Wrapping his arm around the trembling stranger’s slender shoulders, he guided him through the seeping stone corridor to the welcome warmth and dryness of the main building. “Brother Radulfus has been preparing his special sausage stew—it’s just the thing to warm you up!”
“Th—thank you,” the man stammered through chattering teeth, reaching up with a gloved hand to pull his hood down lower over his shadowed face. “I-I’ve been walking for thr-three days, and—“
“Three days?” Brother Gottfried exclaimed. “Why, whatever happened? Were you in an accident?”
“You could say that,” the young man said, hunching his shoulders even further. “I came most of the way by train, but I—“
“Never mind, never mind,” the monk said, hurrying his sopping charge down the curving stairs and past a wide, open space filled with long, wooden tables to an even larger room that had to be the monastery kitchen. “You can tell me all the details later. Right now, though, we’ve got to get you out of those wet things before you catch your death of pneumonia. Brother Radulfus, come help me—”
“No!” the stranger exclaimed with such alarmed urgency he startled even himself. “I-I mean, no, please…” He cringed a little, clutching his dripping hood with both hands. “If you don’t mind, I would like to keep my hood on. The wetness doesn’t bother me, really!”
“But your clothes are completely drenched! Let me just hang your jacket over the stove—“
“Oh, leave him be, Gottfried.” A tall, heavy-set monk with a coarse, gray-streaked beard strode over to them, his rumbling voice tinged with an intrinsic good humor. “The secrets our visitors bring are their own to keep. It’s not our business to pry, just to offer aid where we can.”
Brother Gottfried shot the taller man a look. “Would it be considered prying then, Radulfus, if we were to ask the boy his name?”
“Well, that’s up to the boy, isn’t it?” The large cook turned his warm, expectant brown eyes to the stranger. The young man seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he spoke.
“It’s Kurt,” he told them. “Kurt Wagner. I came here because I was hoping you might be able to help me.”
“Help you how, lad?” Brother Radulfus asked, gesturing for Kurt to take a seat at the small, square table that was pressed up against the uneven stone wall. Kurt sat down willingly, never taking his hand from his hood.
“I’m looking for my brother,” he explained. “Stefan Szardos. He left home about five years ago to join a monastery and I was hoping you might be able to tell me where I could find him.”
The two monks shared a startled look. “So, it’s young Szardos you’re looking for?” Gottfried winced slightly. “I’m afraid that could be a little difficult.”
Kurt tilted his head, suddenly wary. “Why’s that?” he asked.
“Well you see, lad,” Brother Radulfus explained, “Brother Stefan has not left his cell in over a week, and he has accepted only the plainest foods. I’m afraid the poor boy is deeply troubled, both in spirit and in mind.”
”It’s said he has night terrors,” Brother Gottfried added in a hushed voice. “They haunt him so badly even prayer will not calm his mind. We’ve all heard him screaming in the night—howling that a demon is trying to take over his soul!”
“That’s enough, Gottfried!” Radulfus frowned. “Don’t frighten the boy with your superstitious nonsense. The abbot assured us it’s a fever, nothing more. If you ask me, a visit from his brother would surely go a long way to speeding his recovery.”
Kurt looked from one to the other, worried and uncertain. “Does that mean I can see him?” he asked.
“We’ll have to ask the abbot,” Radulfus said kindly, “but I’m sure he’ll agree. Here now, you look like you’re ready to collapse, lad. How’s about I get you some nice, filling soup? You too, Gottfried. You look pretty drenched yourself.”
“Well, it’s horrible hound weather out there,” the monk frowned, squeezing a small stream of water from the flowing, brown sleeves of his cowl. “Don’t worry, Kurt. As soon as we’ve both dried off a bit, I’ll take you to see Abbot Martin.”
“Thank you,” Kurt said, gratefully accepting the steaming bowl of sausage stew Radulfus handed to him and inhaling the rich, spicy fragrance. “Ahh,” he smiled, taking the spoon awkwardly in his gloved hand. “Thank you! I haven’t eaten in so long…”
Gottfried frowned, curiously. “You say you’ve been walking for three days?” he prompted. “Didn’t you pass through any towns?”
“Actually, I was trying to avoid them,” Kurt replied automatically through a large mouthful of soup. Then, realizing how peculiar such a statement would sound to the two monks, he swallowed hard, covering up his discomfort with a brief spate of coughing. “Erm,” he said, “sorry, but did Stefan ever tell you where he was from? You know, what he did before he came here?”
“Oh yes,” Radulfus grinned, his brown eyes twinkling. “He was with Margali’s circus. I used to go every season, before they joined up with the Munich Circus and left the rural circuit behind.”
Kurt blinked. “Did you really?”
The large monk nodded, fixing his guest with a broad smile. “There was one act in particular that stood out above the rest,” he said. “They had this boy they’d dress up all in blue—the Blue Lightening, I believe he was called. He was the most talented acrobat I’ve ever seen, and funny to boot.”
Kurt squirmed under his wet jacket, uncomfortable under the monk’s knowing gaze. “Yeah, well…”
“The reason I bring him up,” Radulfus continued, “is this boy was a good friend of my cousin, Gregory. You see, my cousin serves as a priest in the village, and once he told me of this boy he’d met with the body of a demon and the heart of a saint. Having seen the Blue Lightening myself, I knew he could only be referring to him.” The monk winked, leaning in to catch Kurt’s startled golden eyes with his own. Gottfried straightened in surprise.
“Wait, do you mean this young man is the famous Blue Lightening?” he asked, an excited smile spreading over his thin face.
“Well, he must be if he’s Stefan’s younger brother,” Radulfus nodded, his eyes still fixed on Kurt. “So you see, lad, there’s no need to hide behind that wet coat now. We don’t need two brothers catching fever, now do we?”
Kurt hesitated, frightened and unsure. “Wait,” he said, “I don’t know if I—“
“Listen to me, my boy,” Radulfus said. “We may look like sheltered hermits to you, but we do keep up with current events. Your circus has been all over the newspapers this past week.”
“Oh, God,” Kurt groaned, pressing a hand against his forehead. “Then…then you know—“
“Yes, we know about the tragedy,” Gottfried said. “But we also know it was an accident, no matter what those cheap tabloids might say.”
Radulfus nodded his agreement. “Kurt, if you need our help you only have to say so,” he said. “You have friends here, and if anyone gives you any trouble you have me to vouch for you.”
Kurt stared into the faces of the two monks for a long time. Then, slowly, he reached up and pulled back his hood, unfurling his long tail from around his waist as he blinked up at them through the wiggly straggles of his wet, indigo hair.
“My God,” Gottfried breathed, his pale eyes wide. “The Nightcrawler indeed…”
Kurt averted his face, staring blankly down into his soup. Radulfus frowned at Gottfried, then slowly sat down next to Kurt on the rough bench, placing a large hand on his shoulder.
“Do you know the difference between angels and demons, my son?” he asked gently. Kurt shrugged. Radulfus gave his clammy shoulder a brief squeeze.
“Intent,” he said. “Both serve as messengers, both can appear fair or misshapen. It is not looks that make a demon, son. Looks only serve to mask the truth.”
Gottfried nodded thoughtfully. Kurt looked up, his golden eyes shadowed with the pain and stress of the past few weeks. Radulfus smiled.
“I know you, Kurt Wagner,” he said. “I know who you are. And I promise, as long as you stay here you will have nothing to fear from us. Now, finish your soup and then we’ll see about getting you in to visit your brother.”
Gottfried grinned warmly. “Welcome to Winzeldorf, Kurt Wagner,” he said, taking Kurt’s dripping coat. “I’ll go hang this up for you.”
*******
Stefan was kneeling at the edge of his bed when the door to his cell squeaked open, his breathing shallow and his eyes closed tight.
“Brother Stefan,” Abbot Martin said softly, walking across the darkened room to touch the young monk on the shoulder. “Brother Stefan, you have a visitor.”
Stefan jumped, scrambling across the narrow bed to get away from the abbot’s gentle touch. “Stay away,” he warned, his dark eyes wide and wild. “Please, you don’t know…you don’t know how hard it is—“
“Brother Stefan,” the abbot frowned. “I told you before. If you would just take your medicine—“
“No, no, no pills!” Stefan shook his head. “I don’t want to sleep. When I sleep, I can’t control him. I can’t relax, not for a moment. He’s always watching, waiting…waiting…waiting…”
Abbot Martin sighed, then turned back to the shadowy figure standing awkwardly by the doorway. “As you can see, your brother is still feverish and suffering from delirium,” he explained sadly. “I’m so sorry, Herr Wagner.”
“…Herr Wagner…” Stefan’s head snapped up and he stood, bobbing gently up and down in the center of the bed. “Kurt! Kurt, I see you there! I see your tail! As ordained, you’ve come to be my salvation!”
The abbot winced, closing the door slightly and taking Kurt aside. “I’ve called for a psychiatrist to examine him,” he whispered, “but he won’t be able to make the trip for another two days. The local doctors say he’s suffering from acute insomnia, but Stefan refuses to take the sleeping pills they’ve prescribed. He’s known, even when we’ve mixed them with his food. I’m hoping you will be able to get through to him, Herr Wagner. If you can get him to relax enough to sleep even for an hour, you will be doing him a world of good.”
“I understand, Father Abbot,” Kurt nodded, glancing over the smaller man’s wispy, white hair to take a good look at his brother. Stefan was thinner than he remembered, and much paler. His narrow jaw was dark with bristles, and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Kurt swallowed a hard lump in his throat. His brother, the boy he had idolized all through his childhood, looked like a wraith, a haunted shadow of his former self. As shocking as it was to see him like that, it was even more disconcerting to realize this was another example of how all things he had taken for granted in his life, everything he had believed solid and real and safe, were crumbling all around him. His home, his family, his career, his friends—everything was gone. All he had left was Stefan, and even he was fading away…
Nodding his thanks to the abbot, Kurt stepped into his brother’s dim cell and closed the door. Stefan was still standing on the bed, still bobbing to his own surreal rhythm. Kurt attempted a smile.
“Hey, Stefan.”
Stefan frowned, his eyes darkening at once. “Who are you?” he demanded, bending down until his arms were pressed against his knees. “You’re not Kurt.”
“Of course I’m Kurt,” Kurt said, somewhat baffled. “Looking like this, who else would I be?”
Stefan shook his head, still standing in that oddly contorted position. “No, no, you’re too tall,” he declared. “Too tall. The Kurt I know was small, you’re tall.”
“Stefan, it’s been five years,” Kurt frowned, starting to feel eerily uncomfortable. “I grew up.”
“It’s a trick!” Stefan shouted. “Kurt is fourteen! You can’t fool me! I won’t be fooled so easily!”
“Oh, God…” Kurt stared up at his brother with helpless eyes, confused and horrified and desperate to get through to him. “Stefan, Kurt is nineteen. I’m nineteen, OK? I’m going to be twenty in a few months. Here, look, take my hand. Take my hand and you’ll see it’s really me!”
Stefan tilted his head, then slowly straightened up, reaching out to take Kurt’s hand in his own. Kurt waited patiently while his brother carefully examined each thick finger, tentatively petting the soft fur. Then, turning his hand over, Stefan traced the lines of his palm, following them down to his wrist. There, he stopped, closing his eyes as he slowly ran his fingers across the thin scar he found there. Kurt giggled despite himself at the touch. Stefan’s eyes shot open.
“I’m sorry,” Kurt gasped, startled. “It’s just, it tickled and I—“
”…Kurt?”
“Yeah, Stefan?”
Without letting go of Kurt’s hand, Stefan jumped down from the bed and turned his unblinking stare straight into Kurt’s eyes. Kurt tried to take a step back, but Stefan squeezed his hand tighter, drawing him in.
“I see it now,” he whispered. “Not so bright…you’re not so pure… Love and hate and pain and fear, but still you’re there…you’re always there….”
“Stefan, please… I don’t understand what you’re saying—” Kurt winced, his tail lashing as Stefan’s nails began to dig into his palm. “Please let go, Stefan— Ach, you’re hurting me…”
Stefan blinked, his glazed, wild eyes beginning to clear. Suddenly, he stepped back, releasing Kurt’s hand as if it had burnt him.
“Huh,” he snorted, walking over to his narrow window. “That was odd.”
“Odd?!” Kurt frowned, incredulous, staring down at the four small, crescent-shaped cuts on his palm. “Stefan, you cut me!”
“So, that’s what did it.”
“Did what?” Kurt demanded, thoroughly frustrated. “What are you talking about?”
Stefan smiled, turning to face him once again. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Kurt.”
“Oh, so now you recognize me,” Kurt frowned. “What’s going on with you, Stefan? That can’t have been an act just now…”
“No, it wasn’t,” Stefan said simply. “Tell me, Kurt, how is Mother? And my dear sister, how is she?”
Kurt sucked in his cheeks, his golden eyes blazing with pain at the memory of the last time he had seen Amanda. She had come to him in the night, fully dressed, her make-up impeccable. At first he had thought she meant to leave with him after all, to try their luck in Canada. But then she had kissed him, and he’d known… She was leaving, all right, but not with him. She was going to accompany Margali on the Winding Way. The demon the sorceress had released was still on the loose, and Amanda meant to help her mother capture him. Intellectually, Kurt knew that she had most likely made the right choice, but that didn’t help the pain in his heart—or his anger towards Margali for making that demon pact in the first place.
“I can’t tell you,” he said at last, his voice tight and hard. “Because I don’t know. All I know is that they’re gone, both of them. And I can’t follow.”
“The Winding Way is a harsh road to travel,” Stefan observed, his lips tilted in a strange little smile. “If one is to advance, the person ahead must perish. It’s survival of the fittest seen in its truest form: raw and wild, and completely merciless.”
“Quit with the riddles, Stefan,” Kurt scowled. “I’m not in the mood, OK.”
”You loved her, she left you,” Stefan shrugged. “It’s a story so old you don’t even have to tell me the details. Power usually wins over love.”
“Don’t,” Kurt snapped, his eyes flashing. “Don’t talk about Amanda that way! She had to leave. Margali was right, there was no way she could have controlled her powers without training. They would have devoured her, body and soul. In the end…she didn’t have a choice.”
“Perhaps,” Stefan allowed. “But my sister knew the price. Sabu is dead. Jimaine’s life was spared. Another soon will perish in her stead.”
Kurt looked up, a chill creeping down his spine and causing his tail to twitch uncomfortably. Stefan just turned his back to the window, his expression oddly serene.
“I’m going to shave,” he announced suddenly, striding across the room to his sink. “And then I’m going for a walk in the garden. Want to come, Kurt?”
Kurt blinked, startled. “Wait, Stefan,” he said, “are you sure you’re up to a walk? What about your fever?”
“I’m feeling much better now, thank you,” he smiled through his shaving cream. “Now that you’ve come, I believe I will finally be able to sleep.”
To Be Continued…
Please Review!
[Edited on 21/5/06 by Rowena]
Part Seven
Scene One
The heavy pounding of the doorknocker echoed down the stone corridors of the ancient monastery, louder even than the thunder that rumbled across the nighttime sky. Brother Gottfried shivered under his cloak, braving the puddles and the chilling draft to unlock the heavy iron door. Heaving it open with a powerful tug, the gaunt-faced monk gasped as his eyes fell upon the pitiful sight of the sopping figure shivering in the heavy rain.
“Oh my,” he exclaimed, hurrying out into the downpour to offer the exhausted man some support. “My son, you must be frozen! Come now, I’ll take you straight to the kitchens.” Wrapping his arm around the trembling stranger’s slender shoulders, he guided him through the seeping stone corridor to the welcome warmth and dryness of the main building. “Brother Radulfus has been preparing his special sausage stew—it’s just the thing to warm you up!”
“Th—thank you,” the man stammered through chattering teeth, reaching up with a gloved hand to pull his hood down lower over his shadowed face. “I-I’ve been walking for thr-three days, and—“
“Three days?” Brother Gottfried exclaimed. “Why, whatever happened? Were you in an accident?”
“You could say that,” the young man said, hunching his shoulders even further. “I came most of the way by train, but I—“
“Never mind, never mind,” the monk said, hurrying his sopping charge down the curving stairs and past a wide, open space filled with long, wooden tables to an even larger room that had to be the monastery kitchen. “You can tell me all the details later. Right now, though, we’ve got to get you out of those wet things before you catch your death of pneumonia. Brother Radulfus, come help me—”
“No!” the stranger exclaimed with such alarmed urgency he startled even himself. “I-I mean, no, please…” He cringed a little, clutching his dripping hood with both hands. “If you don’t mind, I would like to keep my hood on. The wetness doesn’t bother me, really!”
“But your clothes are completely drenched! Let me just hang your jacket over the stove—“
“Oh, leave him be, Gottfried.” A tall, heavy-set monk with a coarse, gray-streaked beard strode over to them, his rumbling voice tinged with an intrinsic good humor. “The secrets our visitors bring are their own to keep. It’s not our business to pry, just to offer aid where we can.”
Brother Gottfried shot the taller man a look. “Would it be considered prying then, Radulfus, if we were to ask the boy his name?”
“Well, that’s up to the boy, isn’t it?” The large cook turned his warm, expectant brown eyes to the stranger. The young man seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he spoke.
“It’s Kurt,” he told them. “Kurt Wagner. I came here because I was hoping you might be able to help me.”
“Help you how, lad?” Brother Radulfus asked, gesturing for Kurt to take a seat at the small, square table that was pressed up against the uneven stone wall. Kurt sat down willingly, never taking his hand from his hood.
“I’m looking for my brother,” he explained. “Stefan Szardos. He left home about five years ago to join a monastery and I was hoping you might be able to tell me where I could find him.”
The two monks shared a startled look. “So, it’s young Szardos you’re looking for?” Gottfried winced slightly. “I’m afraid that could be a little difficult.”
Kurt tilted his head, suddenly wary. “Why’s that?” he asked.
“Well you see, lad,” Brother Radulfus explained, “Brother Stefan has not left his cell in over a week, and he has accepted only the plainest foods. I’m afraid the poor boy is deeply troubled, both in spirit and in mind.”
”It’s said he has night terrors,” Brother Gottfried added in a hushed voice. “They haunt him so badly even prayer will not calm his mind. We’ve all heard him screaming in the night—howling that a demon is trying to take over his soul!”
“That’s enough, Gottfried!” Radulfus frowned. “Don’t frighten the boy with your superstitious nonsense. The abbot assured us it’s a fever, nothing more. If you ask me, a visit from his brother would surely go a long way to speeding his recovery.”
Kurt looked from one to the other, worried and uncertain. “Does that mean I can see him?” he asked.
“We’ll have to ask the abbot,” Radulfus said kindly, “but I’m sure he’ll agree. Here now, you look like you’re ready to collapse, lad. How’s about I get you some nice, filling soup? You too, Gottfried. You look pretty drenched yourself.”
“Well, it’s horrible hound weather out there,” the monk frowned, squeezing a small stream of water from the flowing, brown sleeves of his cowl. “Don’t worry, Kurt. As soon as we’ve both dried off a bit, I’ll take you to see Abbot Martin.”
“Thank you,” Kurt said, gratefully accepting the steaming bowl of sausage stew Radulfus handed to him and inhaling the rich, spicy fragrance. “Ahh,” he smiled, taking the spoon awkwardly in his gloved hand. “Thank you! I haven’t eaten in so long…”
Gottfried frowned, curiously. “You say you’ve been walking for three days?” he prompted. “Didn’t you pass through any towns?”
“Actually, I was trying to avoid them,” Kurt replied automatically through a large mouthful of soup. Then, realizing how peculiar such a statement would sound to the two monks, he swallowed hard, covering up his discomfort with a brief spate of coughing. “Erm,” he said, “sorry, but did Stefan ever tell you where he was from? You know, what he did before he came here?”
“Oh yes,” Radulfus grinned, his brown eyes twinkling. “He was with Margali’s circus. I used to go every season, before they joined up with the Munich Circus and left the rural circuit behind.”
Kurt blinked. “Did you really?”
The large monk nodded, fixing his guest with a broad smile. “There was one act in particular that stood out above the rest,” he said. “They had this boy they’d dress up all in blue—the Blue Lightening, I believe he was called. He was the most talented acrobat I’ve ever seen, and funny to boot.”
Kurt squirmed under his wet jacket, uncomfortable under the monk’s knowing gaze. “Yeah, well…”
“The reason I bring him up,” Radulfus continued, “is this boy was a good friend of my cousin, Gregory. You see, my cousin serves as a priest in the village, and once he told me of this boy he’d met with the body of a demon and the heart of a saint. Having seen the Blue Lightening myself, I knew he could only be referring to him.” The monk winked, leaning in to catch Kurt’s startled golden eyes with his own. Gottfried straightened in surprise.
“Wait, do you mean this young man is the famous Blue Lightening?” he asked, an excited smile spreading over his thin face.
“Well, he must be if he’s Stefan’s younger brother,” Radulfus nodded, his eyes still fixed on Kurt. “So you see, lad, there’s no need to hide behind that wet coat now. We don’t need two brothers catching fever, now do we?”
Kurt hesitated, frightened and unsure. “Wait,” he said, “I don’t know if I—“
“Listen to me, my boy,” Radulfus said. “We may look like sheltered hermits to you, but we do keep up with current events. Your circus has been all over the newspapers this past week.”
“Oh, God,” Kurt groaned, pressing a hand against his forehead. “Then…then you know—“
“Yes, we know about the tragedy,” Gottfried said. “But we also know it was an accident, no matter what those cheap tabloids might say.”
Radulfus nodded his agreement. “Kurt, if you need our help you only have to say so,” he said. “You have friends here, and if anyone gives you any trouble you have me to vouch for you.”
Kurt stared into the faces of the two monks for a long time. Then, slowly, he reached up and pulled back his hood, unfurling his long tail from around his waist as he blinked up at them through the wiggly straggles of his wet, indigo hair.
“My God,” Gottfried breathed, his pale eyes wide. “The Nightcrawler indeed…”
Kurt averted his face, staring blankly down into his soup. Radulfus frowned at Gottfried, then slowly sat down next to Kurt on the rough bench, placing a large hand on his shoulder.
“Do you know the difference between angels and demons, my son?” he asked gently. Kurt shrugged. Radulfus gave his clammy shoulder a brief squeeze.
“Intent,” he said. “Both serve as messengers, both can appear fair or misshapen. It is not looks that make a demon, son. Looks only serve to mask the truth.”
Gottfried nodded thoughtfully. Kurt looked up, his golden eyes shadowed with the pain and stress of the past few weeks. Radulfus smiled.
“I know you, Kurt Wagner,” he said. “I know who you are. And I promise, as long as you stay here you will have nothing to fear from us. Now, finish your soup and then we’ll see about getting you in to visit your brother.”
Gottfried grinned warmly. “Welcome to Winzeldorf, Kurt Wagner,” he said, taking Kurt’s dripping coat. “I’ll go hang this up for you.”
*******
Stefan was kneeling at the edge of his bed when the door to his cell squeaked open, his breathing shallow and his eyes closed tight.
“Brother Stefan,” Abbot Martin said softly, walking across the darkened room to touch the young monk on the shoulder. “Brother Stefan, you have a visitor.”
Stefan jumped, scrambling across the narrow bed to get away from the abbot’s gentle touch. “Stay away,” he warned, his dark eyes wide and wild. “Please, you don’t know…you don’t know how hard it is—“
“Brother Stefan,” the abbot frowned. “I told you before. If you would just take your medicine—“
“No, no, no pills!” Stefan shook his head. “I don’t want to sleep. When I sleep, I can’t control him. I can’t relax, not for a moment. He’s always watching, waiting…waiting…waiting…”
Abbot Martin sighed, then turned back to the shadowy figure standing awkwardly by the doorway. “As you can see, your brother is still feverish and suffering from delirium,” he explained sadly. “I’m so sorry, Herr Wagner.”
“…Herr Wagner…” Stefan’s head snapped up and he stood, bobbing gently up and down in the center of the bed. “Kurt! Kurt, I see you there! I see your tail! As ordained, you’ve come to be my salvation!”
The abbot winced, closing the door slightly and taking Kurt aside. “I’ve called for a psychiatrist to examine him,” he whispered, “but he won’t be able to make the trip for another two days. The local doctors say he’s suffering from acute insomnia, but Stefan refuses to take the sleeping pills they’ve prescribed. He’s known, even when we’ve mixed them with his food. I’m hoping you will be able to get through to him, Herr Wagner. If you can get him to relax enough to sleep even for an hour, you will be doing him a world of good.”
“I understand, Father Abbot,” Kurt nodded, glancing over the smaller man’s wispy, white hair to take a good look at his brother. Stefan was thinner than he remembered, and much paler. His narrow jaw was dark with bristles, and there were deep purple shadows under his eyes. Kurt swallowed a hard lump in his throat. His brother, the boy he had idolized all through his childhood, looked like a wraith, a haunted shadow of his former self. As shocking as it was to see him like that, it was even more disconcerting to realize this was another example of how all things he had taken for granted in his life, everything he had believed solid and real and safe, were crumbling all around him. His home, his family, his career, his friends—everything was gone. All he had left was Stefan, and even he was fading away…
Nodding his thanks to the abbot, Kurt stepped into his brother’s dim cell and closed the door. Stefan was still standing on the bed, still bobbing to his own surreal rhythm. Kurt attempted a smile.
“Hey, Stefan.”
Stefan frowned, his eyes darkening at once. “Who are you?” he demanded, bending down until his arms were pressed against his knees. “You’re not Kurt.”
“Of course I’m Kurt,” Kurt said, somewhat baffled. “Looking like this, who else would I be?”
Stefan shook his head, still standing in that oddly contorted position. “No, no, you’re too tall,” he declared. “Too tall. The Kurt I know was small, you’re tall.”
“Stefan, it’s been five years,” Kurt frowned, starting to feel eerily uncomfortable. “I grew up.”
“It’s a trick!” Stefan shouted. “Kurt is fourteen! You can’t fool me! I won’t be fooled so easily!”
“Oh, God…” Kurt stared up at his brother with helpless eyes, confused and horrified and desperate to get through to him. “Stefan, Kurt is nineteen. I’m nineteen, OK? I’m going to be twenty in a few months. Here, look, take my hand. Take my hand and you’ll see it’s really me!”
Stefan tilted his head, then slowly straightened up, reaching out to take Kurt’s hand in his own. Kurt waited patiently while his brother carefully examined each thick finger, tentatively petting the soft fur. Then, turning his hand over, Stefan traced the lines of his palm, following them down to his wrist. There, he stopped, closing his eyes as he slowly ran his fingers across the thin scar he found there. Kurt giggled despite himself at the touch. Stefan’s eyes shot open.
“I’m sorry,” Kurt gasped, startled. “It’s just, it tickled and I—“
”…Kurt?”
“Yeah, Stefan?”
Without letting go of Kurt’s hand, Stefan jumped down from the bed and turned his unblinking stare straight into Kurt’s eyes. Kurt tried to take a step back, but Stefan squeezed his hand tighter, drawing him in.
“I see it now,” he whispered. “Not so bright…you’re not so pure… Love and hate and pain and fear, but still you’re there…you’re always there….”
“Stefan, please… I don’t understand what you’re saying—” Kurt winced, his tail lashing as Stefan’s nails began to dig into his palm. “Please let go, Stefan— Ach, you’re hurting me…”
Stefan blinked, his glazed, wild eyes beginning to clear. Suddenly, he stepped back, releasing Kurt’s hand as if it had burnt him.
“Huh,” he snorted, walking over to his narrow window. “That was odd.”
“Odd?!” Kurt frowned, incredulous, staring down at the four small, crescent-shaped cuts on his palm. “Stefan, you cut me!”
“So, that’s what did it.”
“Did what?” Kurt demanded, thoroughly frustrated. “What are you talking about?”
Stefan smiled, turning to face him once again. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Kurt.”
“Oh, so now you recognize me,” Kurt frowned. “What’s going on with you, Stefan? That can’t have been an act just now…”
“No, it wasn’t,” Stefan said simply. “Tell me, Kurt, how is Mother? And my dear sister, how is she?”
Kurt sucked in his cheeks, his golden eyes blazing with pain at the memory of the last time he had seen Amanda. She had come to him in the night, fully dressed, her make-up impeccable. At first he had thought she meant to leave with him after all, to try their luck in Canada. But then she had kissed him, and he’d known… She was leaving, all right, but not with him. She was going to accompany Margali on the Winding Way. The demon the sorceress had released was still on the loose, and Amanda meant to help her mother capture him. Intellectually, Kurt knew that she had most likely made the right choice, but that didn’t help the pain in his heart—or his anger towards Margali for making that demon pact in the first place.
“I can’t tell you,” he said at last, his voice tight and hard. “Because I don’t know. All I know is that they’re gone, both of them. And I can’t follow.”
“The Winding Way is a harsh road to travel,” Stefan observed, his lips tilted in a strange little smile. “If one is to advance, the person ahead must perish. It’s survival of the fittest seen in its truest form: raw and wild, and completely merciless.”
“Quit with the riddles, Stefan,” Kurt scowled. “I’m not in the mood, OK.”
”You loved her, she left you,” Stefan shrugged. “It’s a story so old you don’t even have to tell me the details. Power usually wins over love.”
“Don’t,” Kurt snapped, his eyes flashing. “Don’t talk about Amanda that way! She had to leave. Margali was right, there was no way she could have controlled her powers without training. They would have devoured her, body and soul. In the end…she didn’t have a choice.”
“Perhaps,” Stefan allowed. “But my sister knew the price. Sabu is dead. Jimaine’s life was spared. Another soon will perish in her stead.”
Kurt looked up, a chill creeping down his spine and causing his tail to twitch uncomfortably. Stefan just turned his back to the window, his expression oddly serene.
“I’m going to shave,” he announced suddenly, striding across the room to his sink. “And then I’m going for a walk in the garden. Want to come, Kurt?”
Kurt blinked, startled. “Wait, Stefan,” he said, “are you sure you’re up to a walk? What about your fever?”
“I’m feeling much better now, thank you,” he smiled through his shaving cream. “Now that you’ve come, I believe I will finally be able to sleep.”
To Be Continued…
Please Review!
[Edited on 21/5/06 by Rowena]
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
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Rowena
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Small Steps, Great Leaps (COMPLETE!!!)
Never was a feather
And No One knew the rules
And that's how all the cherries went
To squish in squishy pools.
Never ain't forever
And cherries are no fools.
When it's time for spinning tales,
They're ready with their spools.
Cha cha cha
"There are worlds out there where the sky is burning, where the sea's asleep and the rivers dream, people made of smoke and cities made of song. Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice and somewhere else the tea is getting cold. Come on, Ace, we've got work to do."
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei
~The Doctor, Survival
"There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes."
~The Doctor, Robot
"If this isn't civilization, why am I standing in a bomb crater?"
~Hawkeye Pierce, M.A.S.H.
Rowena Zahnrei's Stories: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/526713/Rowena_Zahnrei