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school,
when a boy likes you, he pulls your hair. Or he is just generally mean to you,”
I said, like a well-informed documentarian.
    “Not funny, Izzy. I am leaving the
romantic entanglements to you and Kennan. I don’t have time for that. Besides,
I hate him. Like, hate him, hate him. The Corporation, or Ian, if forced to
choose, I may just go back to the Corporation. I honestly don’t know which of
the two is worse,” she grumbled.
    “You know which one is worse. Don’t
lump Ian in with them. I love you Molly, but he deserves better than that. Even
if he did turn you into a rainbow cheetah.”
    “I know. I am just so stressed with
everything. He doesn’t understand that I don’t operate like you. I need calm
and space, not hijinks and pandemonium. He thinks that he can pull me out of my
depression by making me laugh. I just need to be sad for a while. I don’t really
think there is anything wrong with that. She is my mom. She might have been a
horrible one, but she is the only one I have,” Molly said as tears started to
gather in her eyes.
    I could feel her loss keenly. I
wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug. I realized how foolish I
had been. I should have been there for her instead of being wrapped up in my
romantic bliss. I felt like someone had punched me in the gut.
    “I should have been here for you
more. I am sorry for abandoning you to Ian. But you have to know that he cares
and that is the only reason he is doing the stupid stuff he is. I’ll talk to
him. Maybe I can get him straightened out.”
    We walked into the drug store and
made our way to the meager hair dye selection. I held up multiple boxes to her
face until we decided on a brownish red color. It was dark enough to cover the
colorful disaster without turning her into a Goth wannabe. We walked up to the
counter and made our purchase. As we headed out the door Molly started in on
the questions. I knew I couldn’t fool her.
    “So, what is really going on, Izzy?
You didn’t come all this way for a social visit. Spill it,” Molly said,
sounding more like herself.
    “I’ve been having dreams again.
They are becoming more frequent. When I told Kennan he freaked and made me call
Isadora. I can’t explain it. I feel like there is something bad coming though.
Something worse than what happened before.” As the words left my mouth I
realized it would be worse than before. Whatever was coming our way carried
with it a darkness the likes of which I had never seen before.
    Just as the words finished leaving
my mouth I was sucked into a vision. Molly moved us to a bench knowing exactly
what was about to happen. I was grateful she had not let me face-plant on the
sidewalk. With that, my awareness slipped away completely.
     
    **********
     
    I was looking over a barren
landscape. I had seen this place before. This was the Badlands. Why in the
world was I standing in the middle of the Badlands? I looked around and saw a
man standing off in the distance as if he were waiting for someone. Slowly I
made my way over to where he stood. I hid myself behind one of the rock
formations, trying to be as silent as possible. I wasn’t sure if he could see
me or not. I wouldn’t risk it.
    When I finally got a closer
look, my breath caught in my throat and my legs threatened to give way. My
heart beat quickly as I looked upon the man that had haunted my nightmares for
so long. My eyes refused to believe what they were seeing. Xavier was there, in
absolute perfect health. Was this the past? Was it the future? Why didn’t these
stupid visions come with a date and time stamp?
    A hazy figure appeared and moved
towards Xavier. I could tell it was a woman, but beyond that I could not see
anything. It was as if she was shielded from me. I could hear her and I could
tell where she was, but beyond that, all of my senses were dulled. She
approached Xavier and began talking in a voice that was somehow familiar to me. I couldn’t place it.
    “Hello