Saint Joseph School

[border]This story is a joint effort between myself and Vesper Fiend[/border]

Ves sat at the foot of Jacob’s bed and leaned against the wall. The door to his quad was standing open, but none of his roommates were in. “Are you all packed, yet?”

Jacob’s foot dangled over the edge of the bed as he sat at the other end. It felt like they might as well be a mile apart. “Yeah, I’m all set. You?”

She shook her head. “I don’t have a lot to do, though. Just stuff some stuff in a duffel bag, plus my backpack. I didn’t ask. Should I get some drinks or snack stuff? For on the bus?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Hey, uh, everybody still thinks we’re leavin’ tomorrow, right?” she asked quietly. “When are you gonna tell your parents there’s been a change?”

“I’m going to call them tonight.”

“You think they’ll call the school to check?” She was obviously more than a little worried.

Jacob seemed uncertain but he was far too determined to be worried. “No… I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” She paused, but before he could say anything, she jumped back in. “Maybe we should get someone to call ‘em, tell ‘em they don’t hafta sign anything else just to change the date. You know. Just to be sure?”

Jacob couldn’t afford to get in further trouble at school, what with the cheerleader incident so recently. Ves had carefully avoided trouble her entire time at SJS. Sure, she was occasionally late for curfew, but she always called ahead and let someone know exactly where she was and how late she’d be. An honest effort and a little communication made a big difference between a few lectures or demerits and detention. This, though, could be major trouble if they got caught.

Jacob nodded at her, "Yeah, to be sure."

Jacob felt weird about being so secretive about this whole trip. It was especially hard since his foster parents had told him they wanted to adopt him. He didn't like lying to them, but what was he supposed to say? Hey guys, you've been the most amazing parents I could ever hope for but I really want to go see my dad who used to beat the crap out of me and see if I can't find my mom who ran out on me six years ago on the off chance that she might still want me, but hey, if that doesn't work out I'm all yours? No, he couldn't tell them that. This was something he had to do even if he had to break a few rules to do it.

Over thirty hours. That's how long it would take the bus to get to Montgomery. They stopped counting the stops. Bus stations, rest stops, meal stops, every one of them added up and eventually just faded together. At times, the gravity of what this trip meant to Jacob and the looming possibility of being discovered kept them firmly grounded. At others, it felt like they were going on a grand adventure. They spent much of the ride in their own world, talking, watching the countryside and towns go by outside their bus window, just being with each other.

Late in the evening Jacob found himself reading the safety pamphlet again when Ves leaned in and spoke quietly so as not to disturb the other passengers, "Jake? Can I ask you something?"

Jacob looked up at her and stuffed the pamphlet back in the seat in front of him. "Yeah."

"What happened with your dad?"

Jacob swallowed hard and offered a heavy pause. "How do you mean?"

"Well you told me he's in jail now. I guess I'm just wondering, for lack of a better way to put it, how did you get out?"

He nodded slowly, and another long pause caused her to take one of his hands. "If you don't wanna talk about it, it's OK."

He shook his head, "No. It's ok. It's just... on the night I ran away, he was going to town on me. It was worse than it ever was before... and I... I couldn't take it anymore. He want to swing at me again, and I just lit up. The belt went right through me. It incinerated completely ya' know?"

When he didn’t add anything else, she prodded gently, "What did he do?"

"He... he went wide eyed. I knew at that point that he was never gonna hit me again, and I think he did too."

Ves simply nodded, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Is he in jail 'cause of what he did to you?"

Jacob nodded. "After the police were called and the fire trucks. They managed to pull him out."

"Fire trucks?"

"Yeah. I was inside, and I just lit up, and... I set his clothes on fire... and the floor around him."

For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to ask the next question on her mind. "On accident? Or didja mean to?"

He visibly swallowed "Yes. I don't know if I meant to, but when it happened," he paused for a heartbeat, "I wanted it to."

Ves looked down and was silent.

"I changed back... and I got dressed again... I went into his room and grabbed all the cash I could out of his sock drawer. I knew he kept some there." Jacob halted again. When he continued, his voice was distant, and his eyes stared off into the distance at nothing. "He screamed the whole time." Ves inhaled audibly, but was too shocked to say a word. "I... I climbed out through his bedroom window."

She couldn’t raise her voice above a whisper. "Were you still there? When the police, and the fire trucks..."

He shook his head. "I had everything in a duffle. I started to leave but I turned around and went back."

"Why?"

He was still someplace else as he spoke. "I was angry. I didn't understand how it could happen. I... I lit up again. And I set the church where my dad preached on fire. I mean I really lit it up."

After a moment of silence, she asked, "You said he preached hate? Right?"

"He didn't like metas, said they were given their power by Satan, kept talking about how power corrupts."

"Was that why you set the church on fire?" She was searching for reasons, trying to understand.

"I just wanted it gone. At this point the house was already burning up pretty bad. I just wanted to destroy all those memories, make them go away."

"Nobody else was hurt, right? It was empty?" Her voice was small and scared.

He nodded. "It was close to midnight by then."

"Then you left?"

He nodded again. "I got dressed for the second time that night, and I left. I hitch hiked, took busses, cabs, whatever I could."

"Where'd you go?"

"North. I didn't really have anywhere to go. A trucker gave me a lift off the side of the road and then took me to the nearest police station."

She smirked a bit. "That's the problem with hitch-hikin'."

Jacob nodded. "Yeah. the police got my name and my address and held me there for a bit."

"Lemme guess. They found out what happened, huh."

"I was scared out of my mind. They figured out I was a mutant. They figured out I had some kinda power to turn into plasma, although I think at the time they called it glowy hot stuff." Despite the serious nature of the discussion, Ves allowed a smile to slip onto her face at the description. Jacob did too. "Eventually I wound up at St. Joes. There was a lotta hassle with that, but I guess they all kinda decided if - I think what Moltar said was something like, 'If you had gone through that and one day could stop it, what would you do?' So they let me in under a lot of regulations and stipulations. Anyway... my dad survived, but was found guilty of child abuse, neglect and endangerment."

Ves nodded. "That was right before you came to St. Joe's, right? How long ago was that?"

"Almost two years."

"Did you hafta testify or somethin'? At his trial?"

"I gave a deposition to a lawyer"

She merely nodded again, and thought back to their last conversation about his father. "So, you haven't seen him since then, have you?"

"No. I - I saw a picture."

"You did?"

"Yeah. He... he was bad off. He suffered third degree burns over most of his body."

She absently rubbed the armrest with her free hand. "And they... they showed that to you?"

"It was a picture of the trial. the lawyer who brought it told me I didn't have to look. I wanted to though."

She swallowed, and the silence began to grow lengthy. She turned slightly to look at him and forced a little joviality into her voice. "OK, then, how'd your foster parents come into the picture?"

Jacob smiled, glad to change the subject. They continued to talk for over an hour before drowsiness set in. Ves curled up close to Jacob and rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and rested his head against hers. It was the first time they'd fallen asleep in each others arms and despite spending the evening reliving a nightmare their only dreams were pleasant ones.

By the time they reached the motel room the following night, they were both ready for a break from the confines of busses and cabs. Ves stood on the opposite side of the lobby and let Jake handle the check-in.

As soon as they got into the room, Jake opened his suitcase. "I think I’m going to change."

Ves simply nodded, and began fishing through her bag as Jake made his way to the bathroom. She was moving her backpack from one of the beds to the floor, when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. The bathroom door was slightly ajar. Ves took a step closer and watched as Jake tugged his shirt off.

She knew she should turn away. Jake had already told her he was uncomfortable being seen without clothing. He told her he carried scars from the years of abuse. Ves didn’t see the scars. She just saw… Jake.

As he picked up a fresh shirt, he happened to look in the mirror. His eyes met hers in the reflection, and before Ves could say a word, he twisted and quickly closed the door, almost slamming it in his haste. She winced and turned away feeling guilty for intruding. He had told her how he felt. She shouldn’t have looked. She should have turned away. She sat on the bed and waited, knowing he’d be upset at her.

When he finally opened the door, Ves jumped to her feet. "Look Jake…"

"I’m sorry…" Jake began.

"I’m sorry I…" Ves stopped, a little confused. "You go first."

He shook his head. "No, you started to say something."

"Please, Jake. What were you gonna say?"

"I’m… sorry you had to see that." He had his eyes cast down.

"What? I don’t…" She left the sentence unfinished. That was the last thing she expected.

"The scars… They’re ugly… and you shouldn’t have to see them. I’m sorry that you did."

"Oh, Jake." Ves stepped forward and took both of his hands in hers, ducking her head so she could look into his eyes. "I’m sorry I looked. You told me how you felt about it, and I shoulda respected that, and I didn’t, but they’re not ugly, and neither are you." She paused to take a breath and let that sink in. She shook her head to emphasize her next words. "You’ve got no reason to apologize to me. No reason at all. You hear me?"

He nodded, but it was obvious he wasn’t convinced. A few seconds ticked by in awkward silence. "Hey, uh, can we…"

Ves nodded suddenly and changed the subject for him. "Alright, so which bed do you want?" She let his hands go and went to stand next to the one that their bags were on, gathering the handles of hers.

He flushed just enough for Ves to notice. "Oh, I don’t care. Either one is fine by me. Which do you want?"

"I don’t really care, either. You sure you don’t have a preference?"

"No, you can pick one."

"How ‘bout if I take this one?" She nodded to the one next to her and announced the first reason that popped into her head. "It’s the closest to the bathroom."

By the time she changed into a t-shirt and shorts for the night, Jake had the television turned on and tuned to "Family Guy." Ves grinned at him as she climbed into her bed. In a way after being seated next to each other for so long on the bus, after falling asleep in each others arms, it felt strange being so far apart. Jake finally drifted off to sleep but that thought was still drifting in her head when she fell asleep an hour later.

Ves and Jacob stood outside in the waiting room. The cold concrete walls did nothing to alleviate his fear. Ves pressed against him as one of the prison guards walked by giving them a dirty look. Another prison guard came through a slate blue metal door. He looked at Vesper uncomfortably before looking at the small boy who's color was steadily draining from his face. "Jacob Carpenter?"

Jacob nodded at the man.

"Daniel Carpenter is in the next room. There is a glass wall that will be between the two of you. You may speak to him through the telephone provided. Do you have any questions?"

Jacob shook his head as a look of worry and fear began to take him over. He knew that even if his father somehow managed to figure out a way to come through that glass he could just light up and the old man would not be able to hurt him, but it didn't matter. He was still scared. It was almost as if he had reverted back to the twelve year old child who didn't want to speak too loudly out of fear of upsetting him.

Ves squeezed his hand once more and looked up at him, "You don't have to do this."

Jacob wanted to run, he wanted to turn around and leave and never come back to this awful place. He never wanted to see him again, but he knew she was wrong. He did have to do this. If anyone knew where his mother was it would be him. Jacob looked up from his shoes back at the petite gray skinned girl with him. "Yes, yes I do."

Ves nodded at him seeing that his mind was made up and gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go.

Jake entered the visitors' area and saw four booths, each with a glass wall, a chair and a telephone. His father, or what was left of him, was sitting in the only one occupied. He had taken to shaving his head since he could only grow hair in patches now. His face was deformed and scarred from the third degree burns. He wore an orange jump suit that covered most of the damage to his body but his arms and hands peeking out from the sleeves revealed that it was still there. He didn't smile when their eyes met. Neither did Jacob.

Jacob walked slowly and cautiously across the floor and sat down in the seat across from him. The man never took his eyes off of him for a second. Jacob sat there for a long time painfully remembering everything he had done, every bruise, cut, burn and welt the man had inflicted upon him. The hate in his eyes as he had done so. If metas were the spawn of Satan then Jacob was surely staring into the eyes of the devil.



Finally Jacob reached out to take the phone. His father after another brief pause did the same. Jacobs voice quivered as he spoke, "H-hello, Father."

"Jacob."

Jacob had spent months imagining what he'd say to his father if he'd ever had the chance. Now all he could do was sit there and stare at him. He opened his mouth a few times but no words would come out. His father narrowed his eyes at him. "Cat got your tongue, Boy?"

"N-no, Sir." He slipped back into his old role as he spoke. No, Sir. Yes, Sir. I'm sorry. It'll never happen again. Jacob inhaled and collected himself. "No. I came to tell you that-" Jacob's voice cracked slightly and he paused to collect himself again. "I came to tell you that my new foster parents have offered to adopt me."

"I don't know why you're telling me, Boy. I gave up custody a long time ago."

Jacob found himself stuttering again as he spoke, "I-I'm l-looking for Mom. I thought- I thought that you might know where she is."

Jacob's father's face fell, "Why are you looking for her?"

"I need to talk to her before I make up my mind about the adoption." Jacob paused waiting for an answer and when none came he added, "Do you know where she is?"

His father kept staring downward as he spoke, "Yes but there's no point in going looking for her Jake. She ran out on us."

Jacob stared through the glass in disbelief. He knew where she was and he wasn't going to tell him. She ran out on us? Jacob felt the fear inside him melting away into anger. He nearly screamed into the phone, "She ran out on you!"

The burnt man kept his head lows as he looked up at him with his eyes. The florescent light hanging above cast his face in shadows. "Watch your tone, Boy."

"Watch my tone? You ran her off, Dad! What happened, did you find out she was a mutant and then decide you didn't love her anymore?"

"You think of it how you want, but she didn't take you with her."

Jacob swallowed hard, and spoke quietly once more, "Dad, please. If you know where she is. I just... I need to talk to her."

His father hung his head once more. After a long pause he finally spoke, "2802 Henry St. Auburn, Alabama."

Jacob looked up at him, "Auburn?" He quickly pulled out a notebook from inside his jacket and wrote the address down.

"Save yourself the heart ache, Boy. Forget about her. She's too good for the likes of us."

Jacob looked up after he finished writing down the address. "Yeah, well Dad, I have to say, you're probably half right."

Jacob hung up the phone and walked back outside.

Vesper took Jake's arm as they left the prison. "Is Auburn near here?"

Jacob nodded. "It's about an hour or so east of here. Do you think you could fly that?"

"I can do that."

"We'll hit a gas station. I'll get changed there."

Soon they were in the air flying towards the still rising sun. An hour and a half later they were standing outside a small white house with the number 2802 in black cast iron next to a screen door. Despite being the middle of December it was still almost seventy degrees outside. The grass had long since turned a golden brown and peeked up through the paved walkway leading to the front porch. Jacob had dressed at a nearby gas station and they walked the rest of the way. He looked at Ves who was standing on the side of the road near the pathway. "Maybe you should wait here."

Ves nodded and gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "You'll be fine."

Jacob nodded and walked towards the house. He felt a lump growing in his throat with each step he took. He stepped up the concrete steps onto the porch and hesitated a moment before knocking on the screen door. At first he thought maybe she wasn't home. A combination of disappointment and relief overtook him. Then he heard a rustle from inside followed by footsteps. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat but only found it to get worse each time he did so. The door opened in front of him and a woman in her late thirties with long blonde hair cascading past her shoulders stared at him through a screen door.

Jacob looked up at her wide eyed, finding himself unable to speak. It took her a moment before she covered her mouth. "Jacob?"

He nodded finally finding himself able to clear his throat. "Hi, Mom."

She frowned slightly. "What are you doing here, Jacob? How did you find me?"

"Dad, he told me where you're living now. He had an address. I-"

"Jacob. You shouldn't be here."

Jacob's mouth hung open a second not sure if he'd just heard what he'd heard. "What?"

"Jacob. I- I've moved on with my life. I'm sorry for what your father did to you but it's been six years since I've seen you."

"But-" A movement caught Jacob's eye as a small boy with dark mussed up hair peeked out from behind her skirt. He looked up at him with a look of curiosity and fear. His mother peered around Jake's head to see the young grey skinned girl at the end of the walk. Ves tried to offer a wave and a friendly smile. Quickly she pushed the child back behind her and taking her eyes away from Jacob and Ves only briefly told him to go play. After the boy disapeared back to the living room she looked back at Jake. She spoke softly and reassuringly to him, "Jacob, I'm sorry for what you are. I know it's not your fault. If you're father had been honest with me about what he is this all could have been avoided."



Jacob blinked a few times tearing up. He stuttered as he spoke, "W-what?"

"Shhhh. It's not your fault. When I found out what Daniel was..." She paused momentarily and spoke softly, "When I found out what you were..." she trailed off as if that was enough.

Tears ran down Jacob's face. They felt cold in the winter air. "You left... because I'm a mutant?"

"I never wanted this for you. If Daniel had just been honest with me."

Jacob found himself yelling, "You'd what? You never would have had me?"

A look of fear over took her face. "Jacob. I think you should go."

Jacob bit his lip and stared at the ground. He looked back up at her and spoke softly almost pleading with her, "But... it's not supposed to be like this."

"Jacob, if you don't leave right now I'm going to call the police."

Jacob turned and walked quietly watching his own feet take each step slowly. It felt like a dream. He heard the door close behind him and lost it. He collapsed on his knees half way down the walk way. In an instant Vesper was there beside him holding him close. He wept into her shoulder and hair. She winced with each painful muffled wail into her shoulder. She tried to think of something to say but there were no words. She held him and let him cry.

Jacob found himself a few hours later in front of that same small glass window. His father stared back at him for the second time today. For the second time in almost two years.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a mutant?"

His father hung his head briefly. "Would you have believed me?"

Jacob hesitated and then shook his head. For a long time there was silence before Jacob finally spoke into the telephone again, "How can you hate mutants so much if you are one?"

His father lowered his eyes once more and took a deep breath. "Jacob... I'm going to tell you a story. I've never told you this story before. It's about your grandfather. Your real one."

He paused as Jacob stared back at him. Finally he looked back up and locked eyes with him once more. "You're grandfather was a drifter and a criminal. He would go from town to town taking what he wanted, and who he wanted. He could do this because he was stronger and faster than any normal person ever could be. He could do this because he had powers."

He let that sink in before continuing. "He happened upon a young couple as they were leaving a restaurant. He demanded their money and when the young man reached for his gun the drifter disarmed him and broke both of his arms. The young man was forced to watch as this thing raped his wife. He was your grandfather Jacob. He raped your grandmother and I am the result. There was nothing anyone could do because he had all the power. No one should have that kind of power, Jacob. No one."

Jacob stared at him wide eyed. He tried to speak but he couldn't.

His father finally broke the silence, "When I found out what I was I hid it from everyone. I didn't want anyone knowing what evil was in me."

Jacob finally was able to protest, "He was one mutant. He was a despicable disgusting mutant but it doesn't mean they all are."

His father spoke softly in return, "He was evil. His blood ran through my veins and I too became evil. I tried to stop it but I couldn't." He paused momentarily and then sat up straight as he used to when he would quote scripture, "And the sins of the father will be passed down to the son even unto the third and fourth generations."

Jacob yelled at him, "No! What you did to me you can't blame on anyone but yourself!"

His father sighed, "That evil's in you Jacob. I should know. I felt the full wrath of it and it made me realize what is in store for us."

"What I did was out of fear, it was out of self defense!"

"I saw your eyes, Boy. There was no fear there. You burned me up good. Then you set the church, God's house, on fire and left."

"And I have repented for those sins."

"You can't repent for a sin you can't change, Jacob. Some people do evil. Some people are evil."

Jacob looked at his father a look of bitterness sweeping over his face, "No. It stops now. It stops with me. No one is evil by blood. Only by choice. You've made your choice, Father, and so have I."

Jacob hung up the phone and left the room. He made sure to throw the door open wide enough that his father could see as he took Ves's hand and walked out the front door.

END