Songfics

Okay, I'm going to try my hand at a songfic. Please try not to laugh too hard.
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Reflection (Mulan Soundtrack)

Look at me
You may think you see
Who I really am
But you’ll never know me
Every day, is as if I play a part

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Rayne sighed looking at the mountain of paperwork before her. Finally she shook her head and pushed back her chair. Standing up she asked, “Sarah, can you finish up today’s adoption forms for me? I need a break.”

“What you need is a vacation.” A brunette woman standing at a nearby counter looked over at her, a wide grin on her face. Rayne gave her a resigned look.

“I don’t have time for vacations.”

“Uh huh. Why don’t you go home and make this an early weekend. I’ll close up here.”

“You sure?”

The girl rolled her eyes and walked over to Rayne. “Yes, I’m sure. Go!” She emphasized the order by handing Rayne her purse and pushing her toward the door. “Shoo! Shoo!” Rayne giggled, and departed the animal shelter.



Rayne giggled. From her purse she pulled a new photograph of her family; a tall, blonde-haired, grey-eyed young woman stood between an older couple, a man and woman who looked amazingly alike, and all three wore bright, happy smiles. She hung the photo on the wall next to a framed certificate that read, ‘Animal Shelter of the Year - Rayne’s Rescue Ranch’. With the picture placed Rayne departed the animal shelter.

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Just outside the door, Rayne paused. She glanced at her reflection in the lobby window. A young woman stared back, an odd sadness in her grey eyes.



Rayne took a deep breath and made her way across the field behind the shelter. Ten minutes later she opened the back door of her house and stepped into her kitchen.



Out of habit she flicked on the kitchen TV, then began rummaging in her cabinets for a small snack.

“The picketing of one of the local food banks continues for the third day today, as members of the Church of Humanity continue to refuse to allow any homeless population to enter their doors unless they can prove beyond a doubt that they are not mutants. While the Church itself has always claimed to be peaceful, with no harmful intentions toward mutants, many claiming to be of this denomination have been known to take such claims to an extreme. This appears to be a group of such zealots.”

Rayne shook her head and turned off the TV. She stood still for a moment, head bowed. Finally she turned and again walked through the back door.



She made her way to a greenhouse across the yard. Inside, she took a deep breath, taking in the fresh smell of flowers and plants, almost intoxicating in cleanness. She sighed, this time happily, and turned on the sprinklers. Water misted from the greenhouse ceiling, softly drenching both her and the plants. A flutter of color in one corner caught her eye. A pair of bright yellow swallowtail butterflies hung on tightly to the sunflowers, to wait out the man-made rain.



Pausing for a moment to look around, and be sure no one was around, Rayne closed her eyes. Her blonde hair seemed to wash clear of color, then turn a dull shade of violet. When she looked up, her eyes were a pale purple as well. Carefully she drew closer to the butterflies. She held out her hand, and a purple gem sent rainbows of colors dancing across the greenhouse ceiling. The sprinkle of water began to change it’s flow. It came down around the butterflies in a curtain, leaving them dry, but still drenching the flowers with the life-giving fluid. Drops of water sparkled in the light, creating a rainbow in the mist. A soft smile lifted the corners of Rayne’s mouth.

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A sound outside the greenhouse startled her. Quickly she tensed. Her hair washed back to blonde, and her eyes again returned to grey. The gem vanished from her hand.

And older woman poked her head in the door. “Oh! Rayne, sweetie, I didn’t know you were home yet. I was just coming to water the garden myself.”

“Sarah made me take off early, Tia.”

The older woman grinned. “Good. You finish up here, and I’ll go help your Tio Max with the horses.”

“All right. I’m going to take a shower before starting dinner.” The woman nodded and stepped out, closing the door. Rayne sighed heavily, again letting her gaze linger on the ground. She turned off the water, and headed back inside, and into the bathroom.

She turned on the hot water, full blast, undressing as steam filled the room. She pulled her shirt over her head, shaking out her hair, when her gaze landed on the mirror. Sparkles of color glinted at her, from on her back. The target-like tattoo, and the five stone imbedded in it, were the only hint as to what she truly was. She turned away from the mirror, her grey eyes dulled.



Half an hour later she stood over the counter, preparing to chop garlic cloves. She pulled out a knife, then reached for the cutting board, stuck between the microwave and the wall. A brochure fell out as she pulled. Leaning down she picked it up. Xavier’s School for the Gifted, read the title. Curious she opened it, and found a letter folded inside, addressed to her guardians, Max and Carol.



She scanned the letter quickly. She quickly realized that someone else knew what she was. Not only that, they wanted to help her and others..... like her.....



Quickly she refolded the letter and brochure and replaced them, and returned to her chopping. But now her hands were shaking visibly.



Nearly a year later, Rayne found herself inside her truck, parked before a gate, looking across the massive grounds, at a mansion. The emotions on her face, and in her heart, were mixed.

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She got out of the truck, and made her way toward the gate[/color]