Sara ran her check list though her mind as she waited for school to get out at Milton’s acadamy. Alexandra’s real baby sitter was currently unconscious and hand cuffed to a bolted ring, in the cement in Sara’s garage. Pumped full of enough knock out gas to keep her asleep until Sara returned Airyn to her proper place. Sara left the poor woman with a blanket and mattress to keep her warm against the cold cement in her garage. Sara had taken the baby sitter’s car as proof that she was the baby sitting replacement. check.

Sara leaned sideways in the drivers seat to look at Katrina’s human illusion in the mirror. Today, Sara had a scarf that pulled her hair back away from her face. Airyn would hopefully recognize her from the day before. Her story? She was the replacement for the baby sitter who had a last minute emergency. check.

In Sara’s pat, her crimes hadn’t been planned. Most of her petty theft had been a last minute decision based on the fact that she simply needed to survive. They weren’t well thought. Out. This plan was well thought out. There was no way that Sara could plead the crime not being premeditated in court. She had checked the school out the night before. Miltons had security cameras at the entrance and a couple around the parking lot, but Sara chose a place that put the angle wrong to get a good view of her face. She had a cooler in the back seat with apple juice boxes, crackers, and cheese sticks in the back seat. A bag of pretzel sticks and sun chips sat at the foot of the passenger seat, left over from the stakeout the night before. Just incase Airyn was lacto intolerant. Sara’s crime was going to be stealing a child. Not denying Airyn good nutrition while she was with her. Double check.

It wasn’t that Sara intended not to get caught for stealing a child for the afternoon. She fully expected it. Alexandra was not an idiot. Her baby sitter would be returned to her either having woken up in Sara’s garage with hand cuffs, or missing a few hours and not remembering picking Airyn up. Not to mention Airyn would no doubt tell her mother that Sara had picked her up. Sara could hide her identity just as easily as she hid from the cameras, but she wanted Airyn to know who she was, when she picked her up. Sara could find a mutant to wipe the child’s memory, but that would take away the purpose as to why Sara was stealing her. Sara wanted her to remember who she met today. So that when Airyn got to the age, that she started asking real questions about her father, she’d be able to know or find out her own answers. If that severed what ever contact Sara had with Alexandra, well then so be it. The woman kept herself away anyways so Sara didn’t see that as a loss.

A man and a woman get together and that’s what it takes to make a baby. That’s biology 101, and knowledge that haunted Sara every day. Sara didn’t know what story Alexandra had told Airyn about her father. If the child thought he was dead or just a dead beat dad. Sam hadn’t always been the best in the dad department seeing as he had been to prison and had a price on his head. But he was a dad, who had been learning to become a father. Lies don’t live forever. Airyn was going to be smart, as crafty as her parents, and Sara was going to open the doors for her truth. For Airyn, and for herself, because no one had done that for her.

Sara ran her fingers through her bangs that stuck out from under the scarf that was wrapped around her head. Her eyes circled the edge of her face to be sure the illusion was still working in full before she looked her illusionary self in the eye. Kidnapping was a serious charge. She was probably ruining her future as a teacher at PAX. She might not be allowed to teach another class or even be in the same room with her students again. Could she live with that?

Children started running out of the school to their respectful rides. Airyn appeared in the crowd as Sara finished her mental list. check

Sara’s illusionary, human, face pulled into a smile and she waved the child over to her. “Hey Airyn.”

Airyn Leigh. Four years old. And currently bored. She didn’t like Milton Academy. At all. For the child, Milton’s meant time away from her home and time away from her mother. She didn’t like being away from her mother. But Airyn understood when mommy told her that she had work to do. And Airyn never questioned what mommy said because her mommy was the greatest that ever existed in the whole world. The girl sighed as she let her head rest on her hand. She wished her father would come too. Mommy always pictured him as great and everything but what Airyn didn’t get was why wasn’t he coming to visit her. Or why didn’t they go to whatever country he was in and be a happy family. Another sigh.

Yet again. She didn’t like Milton’s. Besides the fact that time passed way too slow for the four years old girl, she had the slight impression that Milton’s didn’t like her either. Well, not the building, but the teachers and the other kids. Teachers were harsher with her. The kids avoided being around her. Why? She didn’t know exactly, because everyone here was pretending that nothing is wrong but Airyn had an idea on that. Basically, everything started that day when she decided to practice her target on one of her classmate’s pencils. Of course, she aimed for the pencil and she never wanted to ice up half of the girl’s head but she wasn’t perfect. Ever since then… the other kids were looking at her like she was some kind of monster under the bed. Not like those even existed anyway. Maybe she should have just listened to her mother when she said not to use her powers if she wasn’t at home. But Airyn couldn’t understand why! It was fun. What was the use of being ‘special’, like mommy said if you don’t get to use your special talents? Well, Airyn had gotten to one conclusion: mommy was always right. Or at least so it seemed.

When the classes finally ended, Airyn felt pure joy. She got to go home. Unfortunately, she didn’t get to see her mommy yet as she had business to attend. That’s why she was picked up today by her babysitter, Jenny. Jenny was cool. It would do until her mother got back home. While other kids were running to meet their parents, chatting excitedly, Airyn silently and slowly walked amongst them. When mommy was picking her up, she was feeling better. Most of the kids were picked up by one parent, but occasionally the father would come too. She glanced over where a kid ran to hug his mother and father. Like she said, she didn’t like Milton. With another sigh, she searched in the crowd for Jenny. She panicked when the familiar face of her babysitter couldn’t be seen anywhere. Was she alone now? No mommy? Not even Jenny?

“Hey Airyn!

Jenny? It certainly didn’t sound like Jenny. Airyn glanced in the direction where she heard her name being called. She half expected not to find anyone, thinking that everything was just her mind playing tricks on her but instead she found a rather familiar face. Well, if you can call a person you’ve seen once in your whole life familiar. Her eye met Sara’s as she recognized as being the woman that accompanied her uncle Slade last night. “Hi?” Airyn said in an unsure voice. She didn’t understand why Sara was here instead of Jenny but she was glad at least someone was here.

Sara smiled as the little girl greeted her back. Good. There was recognition there. Sara slowly opened the driver’s side door and unfolded herself out of the seat so she could open the back door for Airyn to climb in. Now what was that baby sitters name? Sara remembered back to the ID she had checked in the baby sitter’s wallet. It read Jennifer but Sara got the impression, from listening to her conversation on the phone, just before the feline had administered the sleepy time gas, that she went by a shorter version.

“Jenny had a last minute emergency. Nothing big, but she called me to pick you up.” Sara explained. If you can call being given knock out gas from something that looked like an asthma inhaler then currently in lala land, hand cuffed in some weird cat lady’s garage and emergency… Yeah I guess that would register as an emergency in most people’s books. “Jenny even leant me her car so I wouldn’t embarrass you in my old beat up station wagon.”

Sara unlatched the car door and opened it so the little girl could climb in the back, here the cooler sat. “After you miss.” Sara said acting like a snoopy limo driver and quite gracefully to the four year old with an elegant movement of her hand.

Airyn blinked. Once. Twice. Oh, third time too, as she looked to the open door of Jenny’s car. Jenny had an emergency? Jenny never had any emergency. She was there whenever her mother wasn’t. But seeing Jenny’s car was a bit comforting. Jenny wouldn’t give her car to someone she didn’t know. She wondered why her mother didn’t mention anything to her this morning. Oh, maybe Jenny got the emergency just minutes before having to show up to pick her up from school and mommy didn’t know about that in the morning. With a slightly suspicious look, well if you can say a four year old could even be suspicious, Airyn’s eyes shifted form the car to Sara.

Mommy always said that she shouldn’t be speaking with strangers, and most likely not be driven home by a stranger but… but Sara wasn’t a stranger. Last night, mommy and Sara had talked quite a lot about something called pas or cas, or… she didn’t remember well because playing with her uncle was much more interesting from the four years old girl’s point of view. And mommy always said that it wasn’t nice to eavesdrop on conversations the adults had. So if mommy talked with Sara then she trusted Sara. Uncle Slade seemed to trust her as well. The final conclusion: Airyn could trust the woman standing in front of her too.

As she shifted her weight from one leg to another as she was thinking about that, Airyn finally decided to move. “O-ok.” she said in a shaky tone. She just wished her mother was there to assure her everything was fine. She sighed, climbing into the car and waited for her new baby sitter to get in too. “What happened to Jenny? she asked, as soon as she gathered the necessary amount of courage to talk.

Sara couldn’t believe how easy this kidnapping was. The child got in the vehicle with her even though Sara could see that there were questions in her eyes. At least Sara knew the kid wasn’t completely stupid but the very fact that Sara was having this easy of time, gave Sara the creeps inside. Airyn climbed in the back seat, as Sara sighed, shutting the door as the child safety lock automatically clicked and Sara folded herself back into the driver’s seat.

“What happened to Jenny?”

Oh Sara was a sly cat. She prepared for that question too as she continued to play limo driver. “you know how Jenny Wears braces? Well one of the wire ends on her upper jaw popped out of it’s holder and started poking her in the cheek, a few hours ago. By the time she contacted me it was hurting her so much she couldn’t talk straight. So she’s at an emergency orthodontist appointment.” It was a good lie. It meant Sara had to be close enough to Jenny to know she had braces, and it explained why the plans had changed in the middle of the day, while Airyn was at school. Sara was an expert liar in the fact she knew how to control her body while not telling the truth. Her voice staid casual while letting some actual concern for Jenny slip through. Though the concern wasn’t actually for the girl’s mouth, but for what will probably run through her head when she wakes up.

Sara buckled her seat belt, checked her rearview mirror to make sure Airyn had done the same, before she pulled away from the parking spot and started heading away from the school. “We’ll call your mom to let her know what’s up, once I get us to a phone.” Sara explained. Hoping that would put the girl more at ease. “Mean while there’s some snacks in the cooler next to you, if you’re hungry.” Oh look. Another nono. Not only was Sara getting a kid to go with her who was a complete stranger, she was hoping they’d accept food from her too. Even though she kept herself completely cool on the outside, on the inside Sara was repeatedly kicking herself.

If Airyn had been enrolled in PAX, this would have never happened.

Airyn listened to what Sara was saying about Jenny. Well, she understood most of it. The orthodontist part was a mystery but didn’t want to do any further questioning. Her face leaned on the cold window of the car as she watched the buildings and the people they were passing by. She politely refused the snacks. She didn’t feel hungry, she wanted to get home and have a nice day playing with her toys. She’s just have to ask mommy for others. She had broken most of them while playing with her powers. Mommy knew about some of them. The others… or well, the pieces that were left of them were hidden under the bed. She would have to tell her mom about them soon or she won’t have any toys to play with soon. And she didn’t seem mad when she saw the broken toys anyways.

Her eyes were watching with interest everything outside and expected for something familiar to show up. Mommy and Jenny were always going trough the same places but now she wasn’t familiar with anything. With worried eyes and starting to feel fear, Airyn looked at Sara. “How much until home?” she asked in a weak voice.

Sara was a little disappointed that her juice boxes and cheesy whatnots weren’t accepted but part of her was relieved as well. At least the kid wasn’t taking food from strangers just climbing in a car with one. Sara stopped at a read light, then reached in the back seat to the cooler for a juice box, for herself. The straw popped through the top just a the red light turned green and Sara sipped once. Then dropped the juice box into one of Jenny’s cup holders and the car eased back into gear.

“Actually we’re making a side trip.” Sara said. Her voice was always kept casual but her eyes glanced in the rear view mirror to see if the 4 year old would have a big reaction to this next change in plan. “I saw your ability with ice in the café yesterday. I thought I’d take you to see a friend of mine, who also manipulates ice. He might have some pointers for you.”

And now she panicked. Fear was making her heartbeats to go faster by second. Side trip? Airyn wasn’t feeling fine with this situation. Mommy was right. She shouldn’t have talked with stranger and clearly she shouldn’t have accepted the ride home. They weren’t going home, after all. The fact that mom and uncle Slade were talking with this woman didn’t mean she was trust worthy. Airyn should have known that. But now, it was too late.

Tears began to form into her eyes and her breaths became sobs. Where was this woman taking her? Her small body began to shake as she gripped the car seat as tight as she could. “Please, just take me home.” she said, trying to fight off the tears and not show that she was scared. She wanted to be brave. But she was so afraid. Mommy. she called out in her thoughts. As if her mother could have heard it.

Sara’s feline ears, under her illusion flicked back as she listened to the child’s heart beat increase. Oh great. Now she’d done it. There was a wash of relief in the back of Sara’s mind. To know she wasn’t completely getting away with this, but at the same tie, Sara started mentally preparing herself. She had known Sam for many years now. His mutation was a powerful one and even if this child was not in full control of the ice element she could still do damage to those around them in the other vehicles, to Sara, or even to herself.

Under the illusion, Sara’s pupils shrunk down till they were tiny slits. Paper thin so that they didn’t let any light in. Automatically her 6th sense kicked in and a 3D map traced it’s self out in her head. The car she was driving was connected to the road, that went out in a grid a head of her, and even the cars around her had their own paths. It was sort of like when you’re a kid and you grab a fist full of markers to draw with, all at once. Threw the 6th awareness Sara measured the distance between cars for possible escapes should she need to take them. She also paid attention to additional paths to be added to the tires, in case the child had learned how to ice them yet. If others could see the way Sara’s 6th awareness moved in her mind, they would probably thing of water pipes running through a wall, or high way maps. Sara had years of practice reading it even if, theoretically, she was driving blind.

Sara made her way to the right side of the road, and slowly eased the car next to the curb. She leaned her head forward slightly so she could rub her eyes as her pupils went back to their normal size. She then turned in her seat to look at Airyn. “Do you know what a pinky promise is?”

Airyn’s eyes looked around panicked as the car began to slow down and finally came to a stop and Sara turned around to face the child. As the woman spoke, Airyn pushed herself in the backseat. She didn’t understand what she was talking about. She knew what pinky promise was but what it had to do with the fact that she wasn’t going home? She didn’t want to see any friend the woman might have had, and Airyn finally agreed with her mother. She shouldn’t have used her powers.

She nodded in response to the woman and her little hands were curled up in fists as she was gripping on the backseat even tighter. Small ice crystals began to form in the immediate area that surrounded her palms. Her eyes weren’t the usual dark brown color Airyn had, but a silver – grey color that appeared when she was using her powers. But the four year old wasn’t even aware that she had been icing up half of the backseat already.

The child nodded but Sara could see she was freaking out. Sara probably had her more scared than the child had ever been. Sara’s lips pressed together as her illusion’s light brown eyes looked right into Airyn’s that had turned to a ghostly grey. She had to do something to comfort Airyn somehow.

Sara twisted in her seat so her right shoulder was leaning against the head rest and her left arm could reach, comfortably, back to Airyn. Her delicate digits folded back and she stuck her pinky out to Airyn, waiting for her to hook her pinky around Sara’s. “Then you know a pinky promise is the most powerful of promises.” Sara hoped the girl wasn’t too panicked to listen to her. “I promise that I will either have you with your mother, or take you home, by 4:30, today, or you can sit on my head and fart on me.”

Airyn watched with distrustful eyes how Sara stuck out her pinky at her and telling her that the pinky promise was the most powerful promise in the world. Of course she knew pinky promise was the most powerful promise in the world. When mommy pinky promised her something, she always did what she said and never, not even once she broke her promise. Airyn had learnt the power of the pinky promise too, and knew that she would never pinky promise something and then break her word. So if anyone said something pinky promising it, it was the most logical thing to think that it would do it no matter what.

Of course, Airyn couldn’t understand why Sara was saying that she would allow Airyn to fart on her head if she didn’t get her home by 4:30 or if her mom won’t be with her by that time. Fart on her head? That was rude. And really not that graceful, in Airyn’s mind and she had always been taught to be a little young lady, just like her mother. Airyn’s own pinky moved a bit as she was still debating on whether trust the pinky promise power or not. Unconsciously, she had stopped using her powers, just like she started them. The ice faded away completely when Airyn intertwined her pinky with Sara’s. Her mind was only registering the fact that Sara promised that her mother would be with her soon, one way or another.”Pinky promise?” she asked, her crystal like voice now sounding a bit more confident in herself.

The ice seemed to slip slowly, back into Airyn and Sara suddenly felt even more sorry for her. If she didn’t know when she was making ice all of the time, school must have been hard. At least at Miltons. Again Sara thought of PAX. There the classes were mixed between mutants and children. The kids might poke fun, but there was taught an understanding.

“Pinky promise.” Sara said reassuringly. Her pinky bent around Airyn’s lightly, before she held her pinky back up sealing the deal. “Can you make me a pinky promise back? I want you to promise that you wont forget today.” Both in the games kidnappers play, and the man Sara wanted Airyn to meet.

Her pinky stood waiting for the promise to be sealed.

As they sealed their deal, Airyn felt a bit more relaxed about the situation. And then followed the more confusing part, when Sara asked her to pinky promise in return that she won’t forget this day, holding up her finger again. Airyn blinked. She didn’t know what Sara was talking about. Sure she won’t forget this day for a long time, the fear she has been experiencing, the fear of loosing her mother would make sure of that. But it didn’t sound like Sara was talking about that. She seemed really serious about it.

Airyn’s mind began to wander off trying to find suitable reason for this new pinky promise. Some ideas passed trough her mind but they did it so quickly that Airyn forgot them as soon as she thought about them. That, until the four year old fount the perfect reason for this. Sara picking her up, the detour, everything. They were having a surprise for her. Airyn’s lips almost widened into a smile but quickly forced her self not to do it, as it would only give away the fact that she had found out their secret. She imagined that mommy and Jenny were setting things up while Sara was sent to get her from school and drive her around until they finished everything. That explained even Jenny’s car being in Sara’s possession. Her nanny went with her mother’s car and borrowed the car to Sara, because, as she had mentioned before hers was beat up. Yes. That was it. That was why Sara was even asking her not to forget this day; she didn’t want her to forget that she helped with everything.

They were surely picking up some of her friends and then they would go home where mommy and Jenny was. Most probably uncle Slade would be there too and she’ll get to play with him again. Her finger shot up, quickly hooking it up with Sara’s. She even let out a small smile. “Pinky promise!” she said in an excited voice. As they sealed their deal once again, Airyn began to think on what the surprise would be. A party? Giant teddy bear? Both? Sighing with a content look on her face, Airyn wished time would go faster. She wanted to be home and see what her surprise was.

Airyn started to get relaxed again, witch was both a relief to Sara and a worry to her. The girl wasn’t supposed to relax when she didn’t know what was going on. Sara wasn’t quite sure what was running through the child’s head, but at least she wasn’t panicking and accidentally using her powers. So their travels would be safe.

Sara smiled and turned back around in her seat. She buckled herself back in, and started driving to the x-men’s mansion. On the way, she did another bad influence thing. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Sam’s number.

“Sam. I have a surprise for you. She’s Circe’s daughter, she manipulates ice, and we’ll be at the mansion in 15 minutes.”