Gateway
#2 on the list was “going to a concert”, but they saw a guy playing guitar on the street one day and Summer thought it counted. The guy was fairly good and she insisted on staying there, dancing to songs she didn’t know.
#14 was “learn to skate”, but Summer fell enough times to know to give that dream up. Better stick to floating, as she liked to call it.
Even though she had a couple of failed attempts on her, Summer was still exited to cross some more dreams from her list. More than that, she was eager. She had the whole world ahead of her, no longer hidden behind locked doors. She had a whole life to live, the prospect of it alone enough to put a smile on her face.
As she checked her reflex on her bedroom mirror, she stole a quick glance at her most prized possession: a photo strip. She had gone shopping a couple of times now, and she was able to purchase some things of her own, but nothing was as important as those four little photos in a paper strip.
She kept it right there in the mirror, a corner of the strip stuck in the mirror frame, holding it in place. She always stood there for longer than a quick glance; every time she checked herself, she looked at the strip, opened the biggest smile and remembered that day. She remembered Peter and how much she adored him.
Peter was one more reason to smile, as if she didn’t have enough of those. He did prompt her best laughs, but she also smiled effortlessly every time she saw him.
Every night, she’d lay in her bed and marvel at the fact that her cheeks hurt. She was not used to smiling that much throughout the day, but if it meant she was happier than she ever was, she welcomed the pain.
That bright smile really completed the look and Summer decided she was ready for number 9: have a picnic.
By this point, the list was not just her thing anymore. Her friends were way too invested now, always dying to know what was the next goal they would get to tackle together. So much so that, when she arrived at the entrance hall, everyone was already there, waiting for her. Jean, Scott, Kitty, Jubilee, Kurt, Ororo and Peter. Her eyes held onto that last one for a little longer, as her smile returned to her face.
The baskets were as ready as them, filled to the brim with as many delicacies as those teens and young adults could get their hands on, the institute’s fridge certainly feeling more naked now. With nothing else to detain them, they pushed the institute’s doors open. They were about to circle around the building, going straight for the spot by the lake they had picked for the picnic. They almost missed the commotion going on near the gates.
“What’s going on over there?” Kitty called out, drawing everyone’s attention. They really almost missed it. A large group of kids were standing in the pathway that led to the mansion, most of them staring ahead at the closed gates.
“Whatever it is...” Ororo said in a solemn tone, the one she always used. “We better go check it out”
Although Summer refused to join, her group of friends made up more than half of the X-men, if there was something shady going on, they’d better be checking it out.
As they approached the group of people that were facing the gates, it grew increasingly obvious that there was something bad going on. Not only could you feel it in the air, but also in the lack of laughter, a sound that seemed to always echo in the halls of the mansion.
Among the group of kids, they spotted Charles and Hank right away. It was hard not to notice those two.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Jean questioned softly. Hank turned to look at her, and his brows furrowed. His eyes ping-ponged from kid to kid and, even though he had not spotted the one he was looking for yet, he knew she was there.
“Get Summer out of here” He commanded, looking at Peter. Summer pushed past a few kids to get to the front.
“What? Why?” She questioned. She looked at Charles for answers, but his eyes had remained trained ahead. Summer followed his gaze to find… “Tracker” she sneered.
There was a good distance – and a gate - between them, that prevented her from chocking him to death in front of all this kids and his crew. The bastard met her gaze and had the audacity to wave at her, a sick smile dancing on his lips. She knew better than to react. A reaction was exactly what he aimed for. She felt Peter’s protective hand slide down her arm to her closed fist, silently begging for it to open up for him, so he could enlace their hands together – in a possessive, protective and reassuring way. His touch was soft, but his expression was stern. If he could shoot laser through his eyes like Scott, Tracker would’ve been dead already.
“What’s with the stupid helmets?” Summer asked no one in particular. The pristine white jumpsuits were part of the attire she was used to, but they were now sporting helmets she’s never seen before.
“It prevents me from accessing their minds” Charles answered.
“Good, so they know who they’re dealing with” Peter said, somehow content. And it was, in a way, a comforting thought. There was a lot of bad people on this world, but most of them knew better than to mess with Charles Xavier and his kids.
“They found me...” Summer trailed of. Peter squeezed her arm, before the storm could settle in her mind.
“Took them long enough” He mocked, feeling the need to lift the spirits.
But it hasn’t been long enough. It wasn’t nearly enough time for Summer to live, to do the things she wanted to. Sure, it was more time than she ever had, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She needed more. She wasn’t ready to leave her new life behind, to forget it all.
Her hand finally found Peter’s and she squeezed tight. She still hasn’t told him she loved him. He still hasn’t invited her on a stupid date. She didn’t want to lose him. It would hurt as much as losing her freedom.
“Actually...” Hank confessed “They’ve been doing rounds around the property for a couple of days now” Peter and Summer both looked at him with a mix of shock and anger
“Then why am I only hearing about this now?” Summer said sternly
“We didn’t want to bother you. We don’t think they’ll try anything,” said Charles.
“Still!” said Peter
“They’re trying to get to us” Summer said pensive, her eyes narrowed ahead. “Bother us. Pressuring us into a mistake” she turned to Peter “Let’s not give them the satisfaction” Silence followed for a couple of beats
“I made tuna sandwiches” Kitty offered, reminding them of their previous plans for the evening.
“Just what I wanted to hear.” Summer said, with a smile.