Ana hated funerals.

Crossing her arms, she dealt with the pain her classmates' family had to be going through. She felt their sidelong glances - disgust, pity, whatever it was, it was nothing to her. All she really felt at the moment was fear, and anger.

This wasn't fair, she kept thinking. She'd seen how her parents had ripped apart Alexandra's life by their disapproval - over something that Alex had no control over!

She'd always respected her sisters' decision, she thought, running her fingers through her hair that lay in a long plait over her shoulder. But, then again, she'd never thought she'd have to be put in that position.

Ana rose as the ceremony came to an end, and a light rain began to fall across the party...all dressed in black. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing out the sad visage of Yana's mother, looking at Ana's with something akin to jealously.

------

four days before

The plane had not been on the tarmac four two minutes before her parents and a slew of invesitgators came upon her. Ana's chocolate colored eyes were wide with fear - fighting to find the answers that they wanted, but she needed.

The questioning from the police and the torturous babying from her mother gave Ana no time whatsoever to find her sister's friend...Pacifica? Ana was panicked, constantly. She needed to find a phone, and fast, but no one would give her the opportunity to be alone.

After stumbling into Morocco, Ana had had the time to tell the Romanian Embassy what had occurred before she'd been shuffled off to agent after agent, then to her parents, and more agents. There were no bodies from the tour group - they'd been sucked into the desert, and from what little Ana had been able to tell them, they would not be coming back out, except, perhaps, by some miracle, like Ana had.

It wasn't until the night before the funerals, when her parents had decided to host a 'get-together,' as her father called it, 'to deal with the pain,' was Ana finally able to sneak away.

The phone call had been brief. "Pacifica, it's Ana...Alexandra's sister."

"Ana." Pacifica's voice was hard with distaste - no, it was more along the lines of distrust. "You are not supposed to call me unless it was a dire emergency. Is your head hanging onto your neck by barely a piece of skin?"

"I'm not in a damned Harry Potter book, Pacifica. I need to find Alex."

"She doesn't want to be found." Her voice was short, snippish.

Ana took a steadying breath. "I need her, Pacifica. I think I'm...a mutant..." She swallowed. That had been much harder to say than she thought it would be.

The other end of the line was silent for a few moments. When Pacifica spoke again, her voice was kinder, more understanding. "Give me a few days. I'll see what I can do."

Ana felt near to tears - again (she'd been crying a lot lately, much to her dismay). "Thank you," she breathed gratefully.

"Save it, Ana," Pacifica said, a smirk evident in her tone. "And, Ana - you're always welcome to the Underground."

"Thanks, Pacifica. I'll wait for Alex, though."

There was no response, just the click of the line going dead. Replacing the receiver back into it's cradle, Ana stood up straight, brushing her hands over her curly hair, checking her makeup in the mirror, before stepping out into the crowd once more.

-----

That had been last night, and yet, Ana could not seem to stay still. She knew Alex couldn't possibly show up so soon, but that undeniable sense of her tugged, and Ana felt less alone than she had the last four or five days. Help was coming. To help her do...whatever.

-----

Ana had opted to refrain from attending the dinner following the funeral.

Funeral. What a joke. They'd buried caskets, even if they'd had no bodies. An expense that had no purpose, really. Why could they not have settled for a plain memorial service?

Ana sat in front of her vanity, her lithe body sloping lazily into the wire chair. She raised her eyes to the mirror, carefully, as if afraid of what might stare back at her. But it was just her. Light caramel-colored skin, chocolate eyes, and deep brown hair that she'd piled on top of her head. Her deep blue pajama top fit her mood.

Somehow, she felt responsible for all those deaths. Surviving a sandstorm? The odds were slim to none. She'd beaten those odds, though, and all proof of that pointed to something mysterious, and beyond her control.

Though she'd made the call, said those words, Ana still didn't believe it herself. Sand. She'd moved with the sand? Nonsense. It was simply...the hand of...Ra. Ra sounded good. Yana and their guide had been discussing some hubbub about how Ra sometimes protected those he took a liking to.

That was it.

Ana had not tried controlling sand since, unable to get away on her own to do so. But it didn't matter.

She stared at her hand, almost willing it to make that odd transformation that made her body melt away into nothingness, but snapped her eyes back up. She moved across her room and flicked on her tv.

I'm not a mutant, she thought to herself. "I'm not a mutant," she repeated aloud for good measure before curling into her pillows.

(tag- Circe)

Alexandra had been wandering trough the Mondragon Labs aimlessly trying to gain the so much needed peace. The news of the registration act ending was making her feel odd. After all, that was the thing that changed her entire life. Yes, she had been a mutant for many years before and yet she had managed to live trough it. She had managed to even train and get used with her powers.
She stopped and sat down on the floor, her back glued to the wall. A sigh. Closing her eyes, she managed to remember every year in her life as a mutant. Her first power manifestation. The disapproval of her parents. The meeting with the Underground. The Registration Act. Her escape.
She opened her eyes suddenly. All the time she had been haunted by that cursed Registration Act she thought about her friends in the Underground. Those were about the only persons that cared for her. She needed to call them. Make sure they were fine. And then, that chapter of her life will be over as well. End of the Underground. Enter Kabal.
Her mind drifted off to her family. Rage filled her mind and she knew that if she ever met her parents again it won’t be a very nice ending. For them, of course. That’s why she could never go back to Romania. Because if she ever did, she’d make her parents pay. And it wasn’t fair to do this for her sister. She wondered what Ana was doing. Their relation wasn’t one of the greatest as each one of them had found their own path in life. Her mutation was like a huge abyss that turned the two sisters away from each other. Alexandra knew very well that the path of isolation she had chosen since finding out about the X-Gene in her DNA won’t be the greatest of them all but in that moment, it seemed like the only one possible.

~~~
For the last half an hour, she was trying to make herself call one of her friends in the Underground. Pacifica. She was the only one that escaped the Registration Act along with herself. But instead of fleeing to America, Pacifica hid in Romania. She was the most probable to know something about the Underground and her family.
With a heavy breath she formed the number and waited for the ringing tone. It seemed like an eternity until the female voice answered.
”Hello?”
“It’s Circe.” Was everything she said. A moment of silence on the other end then a relieved sigh.
”It’s so good to hear from you. I’ve been worried about you. We’ve been worried.”
It was Alexandra’s turn to breath relieved. If Pacifica used ‘we’ then the Underground had been reformed. Her former friends were fine. She heard Pacifica sigh on the other end. ”You’re coming back to the Underground Circe?”
The question sounded a bit too loud in her ears. It was hard for her to tell her why she had been calling.
“There is no coming back, Pacifica. My life is here now. I don’t think I’ll ever come back to Romania.”
There. She had said it. It wasn’t that hard. It was the truth. And what bothered her for the moment was that it was surprisingly easy to give up on her past.
“I just wanted to know you and the Underground were ok.” She added. She knew that Pacifica wouldn’t ask question, wouldn’t call her back the second time.
”I understand.” came Pacifica calm, but cold and somehow bitter reply. “Before you end this chapter, there’s something you need to know.”
She felt curious. What was so important? And when the answer to her question came, she found herself unable to talk.
“Your sister, Ana. She thinks she’s a mutant. She wants you to talk with her. Maybe you should give her a call. If you don’t wish to be bothered, then tell her that the Underground will take care of her.”
For a minute or two Pacifica waited calmly for Alexandra to find the strength to speak. And she didn’t bother to listen Pacifica’s proposition. Her cold thinking was back.
“Just tell her I’ll be there in a few days. I’ll contact you later and tell you the details.”
She hung up and put the phone back into place. She thought about it only for a few more seconds then completely emptied her mind. She would take care of this but now she had more pressing matters.

It was the nightmare again. She'd had it every night since the sandstorm. Ana's legs were knotted in her sheets as she twisted in an effort to escape whatever she was sure was after her.

She woke as her body tumbled into the nothingness at the side of her bed. She cried out, and it faded quickly into a whisper, then nothing as she fell to the floor and her body scattered into a million tiny granules of sand. If she could've screamed, she would've.

The sand shuffled somewhat with each breath she took as she calmed, became comfortable with the form.

It was true. Ana wasn't sure whether she should've been scared, angry, or ... happy? Following that moment, as she fluttered about her room, wrapping herself around each object, she felt ashamed. If her parents knew...she didn't want to think about that. Ana slipped in and out of a vase of flowers at the same time she wrapped about some of her clothes in the closet. Hm. There was a hole in her favorite sweater. The length of what would have been her arm slithered through the hole, most likely making it worse, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Her window was open a crack, and the cool night breeze beckoned to her. Wouldn't that be incredible? Just to ride the wind to...wherever? She could finally go to America, or better, the Mayan Civilization. Now that would be impressive.

Maybe this power wouldn't be so bad, she thought, slowly moving through the crack, careful not to let the window drop.

And then it all went to shit.

Ana's cell phone rang with the sudden chorus of Katy Perry's 'I Kissed a Girl,' making her jump in surprise - and for the second time, she felt the uncomfortable sensation of a million knives stabbing her body as the sand snapped back together into her solid, perfectly human state.

The window snapped shut, and she leapt away from it, trying to catch herself with her hands, and found herself minus one.

I kissed a girl and I liked it

Where her right hand should have started was a twisting, curling dust of sand. Her chocolate eyes were wide in a small taste of panic. She looked out the window.

I kissed a girl just to try it

A matching...duststorm? was twisting, beating against the glass impatiently as Ana picked up her phone, shoving to to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked as she simultaneously struggled with the window latch.

"Ana," came a slightly familiar voice. "It's Pacifica." A pause when Ana didn't respond. Why did it have to close?

"Yeah...yeah. Yes! Hi!" Ana said hurriedly.

"Are you alright?" Pacifica asked, her tone concerned.

"Yuh-huh...just having a few...technical difficulties." That was comical. She let out a giggle.

"Hm. I'm sure. Alright, Ana - I spoke to Circe."

Circe? Oh! Right...Alex. "Oh, good - what'd she say? She okay? What's going on?"

"Slow down, Ana. She's fine, from what she told me. She's going to come to see you in a few days. Can you last that long?"

Ana bit her lip, giving a hop of joy as the window squeaked open, and the sand darted inside. "Ow!" she said as it slapped into her wrist, finally combining with her body properly. "Uhm, yeah. That's great, Pacifica! Thank you so much," she said honestly, rubbing her wrist with her other hand.

Pacifica paused before replying. "Okay," she said doubtfully. "I'll talk to you soon, then. Keep me updated."

Alexandra Leigh, formerly known as Kettler watched the airport with a strange feeling. A week after her conversation with Pacifica she was landing in Bucharest in the Otopeni airport. She sighed and looked around, only a small bag in her hand. She didn't plan to stay long. She would only talk with Ana. Ask her to come with her in America. With some help and the right ammount of money she got a false passport and id for her sister. If she decided not to come... it won't be a second trip.
She looked around for the familiar face of Pacifica and when she came into sight she walked toward her with no further thinking. Pacifica would take her to the place her sister was waiting. Deep inside, she wondered what choice her sister would make... and hoped for the best.

Ana had gotten the message. She'd had to change clothes six times that morning - she was so excited, she kept separating, and popping a series of holes all throughout her clothes. After a cup of Jasmine tea, she finally managed to calm down enough to put on her last good pair of jeans - a dark wash that hugged her hips - her gold heels that Alex had helped her pick out...just before she'd left - and a deep green sleeveless babydoll top. She looked like she was ready to go clubbing, but for some odd reason, she felt a sense of power as she slipped on those heels, as if it meant something.

Ana grabbed up her messenger bag, opened up her window, took a deep breath, and let herself mist, as she called it, being sure she took her clothes and bag as well, before letting the wind catch her.

She drifted along until she reached the park, letting herself come back together slowly, concentrating particularly on the backpack and it's contents. Whole once more, she dropped to the grass with a grunt. "So need to work on that landing," she muttered as she stood up, brushing herself off.

Perching herself on the nearest picnic table, Ana waited quietly, pushing her earbuds into her ears, hoping to stay calm enough to avoid shredding this outfit. She was running out of them fast.

Alexandra closed her leather jacket as a cold wind blew, sending shivers down her spine. She has been informed about the place where Ana will be waiting for her. The meeting with Pacifica was colder than she expected. Clearly, the Registration Act left pretty deep scars into the heart of the Underground. She learned that many of the members fled away after being released. In little words, the Underground was dying. She felt bad about them. Mostly about Pacifica. She thought of extending her invitation to her old friend as well but knew that she won't be able to leave. At least not now.
This meeting between them... it might as well be the last. No, there wouldn't be any trips here anymore. Watching people around her, hearing her native language, seeing familiar places, Alexandra realized that she hadn't miss anything here. Her life as Alexandra Kettler has ended almost 9 months ago.
With a deep breath she looked around the picnic tables, her eyes searching for her sister. And she quicly spotted her. Or to be more clear, her long, brown, unmistakeable hair. She made her way to that place and stopped behind her, silent for a moment. And then, she cleared her throat to get Ana's attention.

Ana tugged on her hair nervously, trying desperately to stay calm. The effects of the tea had long ago worn off, and her stomach growled it's hunger. Every so often her hands misted, as she called it, and she called them back into being, most often accompanied by a cry of pain as she did so when they jumped back into place.

She'd been sitting in the cold there quietly, hugging her coat around her shoulders when she heard a cough behind her. At that point, Ana lost it. As she turned, her clothes fell in a heap as she disappeared with a cry of excitement that drifted into nothingness.

Shit, Ana thought, putting aside her excitement at seeing Alex again to concentrate on getting back into her...damnit...tattered clothes. She did so successfully, albeit slowly, before she could hug her older sister. "I've missed you so much, Alex!" she said as she pulled away to put her coat back on.

Alexandra found herself taken aback by the sudden and unexpected display of powers from her sister, and by the hug that quickly followed.
"I've missed you so much, Alex!"
Alexandra stood there without being able to make a move for a few moments but finally managed to wrap her arms around her sister's body. Yeah, in truth she missed her sister.
As they split, Alexandra found herself smiling.
"I missed you too, sis." she said. And she meant it. "I guess you have problems with controlling your powers?" she asked with a small laugh. Seeing her sister, she began to remember on how hard it was for her when she first discovered her powers. When she didn't know what to do to turn them on or off. And she made a promise to herself that if Ana was going to come with her, she would try her best to help her.

A blush touched the younger girl's cheeks. "Yeah. It's gotten better, though. One night...well...I nearly made it onto the side of a milk carton because I couldn't snap back together." Her skin itched at the memory. "It hurts coming back together, so sometimes I get nervous and can't do it because I hate that pain."

It felt so good to talk openly about her power, but also awkward. Ana wrinkled her nose. "Sorry. Babbling. Where have you been? I missed you!" she repeated, tears threatening to spill over.

Alexandra laughed as her sister told her about her experiences with her powers, and the pain that came with forming back from sand to human. And she was glad she was here, for her sister to talk about it. Cause back then, when she needed to share they joy of succeeding in controlling a manipulation, the excruciating pain in her head in the first months of her powers, the deception of failure, there wasn't anyone to listen.
In a twisted way, she envied Ana. Not in the bad way, just that since finding out, she sometimes found herself wondering what would have happened if she hadn't been the first to discover her mutant powers.But there was no need to go there. Time has passed and the past couldn't be changed. That was how it was written and she wasn't planning to live her life asking herself everytime 'what if?'.
"Sorry. Babbling. Where have you been? I missed you!" Said Ana out of a sudden. Alexandra's attention turned back on her sister and saw the tears shining in her eyes. Alexandra sighed.
"Mostly America, sis. Had to flee from here with the Registration Act and all..." Alexandra explained. She shrugged, and smiled. " Anyways, there's no need to remember that so tell me about yourself... What have you been up to? How did you discover your powers? Pacifica was really brief on everything."

"Mostly America, sis. Had to flee from here with the Registration Act and all..." Alexandra explained. She shrugged, and smiled. " Anyways, there's no need to remember that so tell me about yourself... What have you been up to? How did you discover your powers? Pacifica was really brief on everything."

"There was a school trip to Northern Africa, and we got caught in a sandstorm." Ana shrugged. "Next I knew I was in Morocco, alone...and just..." She stopped, taking a steadying breath as she shook her head. "Not a big deal, though. Once I got back, I just...I dunno. No one would leave me alone for any amount of time. When I finally got hold of Pacifica, you have no idea how much I relaxed. Something was...happening, other than just sitting here."

Ana slid back onto the picnic table, looking at Alex carefully. She looked different, more confident - happy, even. Ana could relate. "Can I come with you?" she asked suddenly. "I swear I won't be trouble. I just...I miss you, and with this," she held up her hand, which was a few simple dancing particles of sand, "things won't exactly be easy. Wherever you are, it seems you're better off. Do you think I could be, too?"

She listened. Just listened. She and her sister had many things that needed to be discussed. But there wasn't the place or the time. She smiled mentally as she was just about to extend an invitation to her sister to join her but she got ahead of her. It happened sometimes, when she was living here. Great minds think alike, she thought back then. And now she had the same opinion.
Ana was right... she was better off. And yes she thought that Ana would be better off as well. She had her doubts, and before talking with Ana about going to America, she had to clear them up. Taking a deep breath, she spoke what was on her heart.
"Look, Ana, my situation there is a bit complex. I can't give you the details, but there are two options."
She looked at her sister, her face deadly serious as she continued.
"First. I can get you settled in an apartment and give you money until you decide what to do."
Her second option was the hardest. She thought of extending an invitation to join the Kabal to her sister but Ana discovered her powers recently and she wasn't sure she could handle missions. She didn't want her sister to be in any danger. She wasn't sure if Slate wished to have beginners on his team or train Ana, but if she wished to work with her, she would train her herself until she reached the needed level. And she wasn't sure if Ana was capable of doing the things she did or was about to do. Only time would tell.
"And the second," she continued, carefully scanning her sister's face "is to work with me. And that would imply you doing things that can't be cataloged as 'good'." she finished. She breathed and paused, waiting to hear Ana's opinion before saying anything else.

"Look, Ana, my situation there is a bit complex. I can't give you the details, but there are two options."
She looked at her sister, her face deadly serious as she continued.
"First. I can get you settled in an apartment and give you money until you decide what to do."
"And the second," she continued, carefully scanning her sister's face "is to work with me. And that would imply you doing things that can't be catalogued as 'good'." she finished. She breathed and paused, waiting to hear Ana's opinion before saying anything else.

Ana paused, brows drawing together. "Define 'good'?" She didn't want to hurt anyone for no reason at all. If they were...evil, in some way, that might be reason enough.

It disturbed her on a certain level to know that her sister might be doing something ...bad? If it wasn't good, wouldn't it be bad? Ana couldn't really think straight, at least not along the lines her sister was drawing.

She shook her head. "I know I want to leave, Alex - that's about all I've figured out."

"Define 'good'."
Ana's look spoke volumes. Alexandra somehow expected this. She had her reason to be capable of doing something evil. Her sister didn't. She sighed as she watched her sister shook her head.
"I know I want to leave, Alex - that's about all I've figured out."
Alexandra gave her a brief smile and just shrugged. She pulled out the fake papers she got for her sister and handed them to her.
"Here. These will be your identity if you come with me." Taking a deep breath, she continued. "Ana, I won't be able to be with you all the time there. You'll be left alone much of the time. And," she closed her eyes for some seconds, thinking on how to say what she was about to say "And you have to keep a secret the fact that we're sisters. In fact, if you'd see me on the street, you'd just have to pretend you don't know me, that you never saw me before in your entire existence."
It was hard to tell her sister this without giving any explanation, but then again, she wasn't sure if Ana would understand what she was doing.

"What?!" Ana exclaimed. "Why? Alex, I just found you, and...and now I have to forget you??" Ana's head was spinning. She set her jaw, feeling her feet begin to disintigrate. "I don't see why," she said, a slight bit calmer, somehow. Sand fluttered about Alex's feet.

Ana tossed her long hair over her shoulder, trying to stay calm, even as she took the papers Alex offered her. "Ana Parsons? Really? You couldn't come up with anything better than that?" She felt her calm disintigrating as tingles enveloped her body. "I'll be right back. Don't move." And she disappeared.

The breeze caught the sand particles, moving up and around the treetops, letting the salty smell of the sea that wound that high breeze through her and calm her carefully. She needed to get a handle on these powers. She slowly weighed her options. Here. Alone. America. Alone. Or...doing not-so-great things with Alex...and others of her kind. If she was around Alex, then she'd probably be able to learn to control her powers, faster, too, with someone she trusted. But did she want to do whatever it was Alex did?

Her mind shifted over the different scenarios. The top choice was obvious. Seeing her sister again had had more affect on Ana than she'd thought it would, and she didn't want to lose the opportunity again.

It hadn't been more than ten minutes later that she swooped down, curling around Alex and filling in her own clothes with that ever-painful snap.

She winced, her chocolate brown eyes pricking with tears as she watched Alex carefully. She really was concerned. Ana combed her fingers through her curled, and now slightly ratty, hair. "I'm coming with you. With you, Alex. I'll do what is necessary." Her tone was determined now.