CHAPTER SIX

BOXED IN

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Eleven years ago

"READY or not. Here I come~" My Dad, Steve Mycroft, shouts for everyone to hear.

    Jack, my dad, and I were playing Hide & Seek, since mom still wasn't home to go to the movies with us, we needed to pass the time. I was hiding in behind a big mirror that was leaning against the two walls and was in the corner of my parent's bedroom

    "Gotcha!" My dad shouts. I could hear Jack groan in disbelief, he was caught a bit quickly.

    "No fair! I'm big, I can't fit into small spaces anymore." The 7-year-old boy pouts.

    "Come on, champ. Don't be so grumpy, since your so big I guess I get to let you a few of my 'special' hiding spots."

    "Hey!" I scream at the unfairness, then realizing I gave myself up.

    It was quiet for a second, yet my dad jumped out at me when he pulled the mirror out of the way. "Found you!"

    I laughed as I made my way out, my dad then sets the mirror back down.

    "Dad says we can't hide behind the mirror anymore. It's dangerous," Jack sneered.

    All I did was stick out my tongue and giggled, which made Jack even madder.

    "Jack's right, you can't go there anymore," Our father says in a stern matter.

    "But daddy——"
    "No more."

    I gave a huff and crossed my arms. Jack only gave a prideful grin at me and walked away.

    "Here. How about we go to the gas station and get the candy to sneak into the movies before your mom gets home. And maybe spill some spots to hide," Steve tells us.

    "Isn't sneaking candy to the movies illegal?" Jack questions.

    "Not illegal. Just against the rules."
    "Won't we get in trouble?"
    "Not if we get caught, champ."

❅   ❅   ❅

    "Lux. Lux!"
I snapped out of my daydream mode and turn to Andy, who was calling me.

"Are you alright? You've been staring at those two for a second," He tells me.

I was confused as I turn to see a man holding a handmade bear, playing his daughter.

I shake my head. "Yeah. Just was in La-La land for a bit."

He looked at me and shaking off what he was about to say to me. "Could you pass me that blanket?"

I gave him the blanket as he folds and rolls it up, Lauren then came into view.

"Has Dad came yet?" She asked.

I shake my head 'no' and Andy did the same. I saw the body language on her, disappointed and a bit scared from what I can tell.

I try to cheer her up, "Look, they're gonna get him. Everything is gonna be o——"

"Andy? Lauren? Lux?"

The three of us turn our heads to see Reed Strucker, making his way to us.
Lauren and Andy quickly run to him, with me behind them.
As Mr. Strucker hugs his kids for dear life, I couldn't help but smile. He finally came home, everyone could relax for just a second now. As they let go, Reed came to me and hugged me. I was shocked by this but hugged him back.

"You're a part of this family too, Lux. You've always have been," He whispers to me.

I start to tear up as we let go of each other. He was here, he hugged me. He called me family.
He was finally home.

"Are you okay? We were so worried," Lauren asked her father.

Andy then said, "We thought you..." He didn't finish his sentence, instead, he pulled all of us kids in a big group hug with the Strucker dad, that moment felt like warm bliss for the first time in a while.

❅ ❅ ❅

The Strucker siblings and I gave a rundown on the headquarters' after the fight with Sentinel Services to the Strucker parents.

"It's not just the thing with dad. Sentinel Services shot Harry," Lauren informs the two adults.

I then said, "Everyone is in bad shape. I mean, they're doing everything they can, but——"

"Hey!" I was interrupted by a man, who was making his way toward Mr. Strucker. "What the hell? What do you think you're doing here."

"Let's talk about this," Reed civilly spoke to the angry man.

"We ain't got nothing to talk about!"

"What's going on? Stop it!" Cate shouts as the man pushes Reed away from us and against a wall.

"Dad!"
"No, Dad..."
Both Lauren and Andy were shouting to their father, I hold them back knowing it would only make it worse. But when I saw that guy punch Reed and I felt my powers start to rise up.

"You nearly got me killed," The man mutters as he turns invisible.

I see Mr. Strucker started to get beaten by the guy who was still invisible. I stopped holding onto the siblings and tried to make my way to them myself and protect the dad when I realize that things got extremely serious.
Andy, though, held me back.

John comes in and stops a punch that was aimed at Reed's face.
"That's enough!" He shouts.

The man, Fade, turned back in sight, with his fist held onto John's hand. Caitlin goes to her husband, check on him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"How about protecting us? Just so y'all know, last time I saw this son of a bitch, he was working for Sentinel Services," Fade announces to everyone.

The crowd mummers from this information. I loosened myself, which made Andy's hold loosen as well. My eyes went wide about this, he was taken from Sentinel Services, how could he be working from them? He must've been lying.

"Everyone, just calm down." John tried to control the situation a bit.

"Calm down? This dude's job was locking up people like us," Fade argues.

Lauren stepped in. "Just listen. My dad prosecuted mutants, okay. He did. When he found out about us, he stood up to Sentinel Services."

"Yeah. By wearing a tracker into my bar."

"Hey, back off my dad," The Strucker boy started to get fired up.

"Andy," Reed scolded.

Mr. Strucker walked up to the crowd, that had also included Fade. "I was doing what I had to do to get back to my family. I realized I was wrong——"

"'And I'm sorry.' Th-That's it, right?" The invisible mutant mocked.

"All right. Hey, just hear him out!" John comments.

Suddenly, we all hear a sharp scream, it was Harry, the mutant that got the bad bullet wound.
Cate stepped into best calm the situation. "Okay, stop. There are injured people here. Why are we attacked each other?"

"You go. You help them. Take Lux and Andy and Lauren with you. I... I'll work this out," Reed told his wife.

More screams came from Harry, which made me jump and hold onto Andy's hand. He held mine back.

"Caitlin, I need you in here, now," Clarice shouts to Mrs. Strucker.

"What he's saying is true," Reed admitted.

For a second I stopped breathing. Fade wasn't lying, he did work with them. But Reed was trying to get to us, he was trying to get home and with his family... I understood his side. That didn't mean I didn't understand Fade's side as well; they were both right and wrong.

Loudly, Harry groans in pain, which brought me back to reality.
"You go. I can handle this," Reed assured once again.

Cate sighs and walks away to where Harry was at. Lauren, Andy, and I followed her, with my hand still on Andy's.
We reached the vault, where Harry was laid on the metal table and Clarice holding a small cloth to stop the bloody wound.

"What happened?" Cate asked as she was tying her hair up.

"He was shot. I don't know, it won't stop bleeding."

Clarice stepped out of the way for Mrs. Strucker to try and talk to the injured mutant. "Hi. It's Harry, right? Harry, I need you to listen to me. I'm gonna take a look at your wound."

As Cate looked at the bloodied hole, Harry grunted, "It hurts..."

"I know. I need you to be strong for me." Caitlin turns to Clarice, "I need clean gauze. Towels will work, too. And painkillers. Dilaudid, Fentanyl, even Codeine, anything you can find."

With that, Clarice left to get the supplies. As Cate examines the wound and strategizing, the three of us were out of the way, standing by a corner.
I saw a girl by the door, looking from the distance. I sighed, "We're getting a lot of attention."

"Just ignore them," Lauren advises.

"Did you see the way they were looking at us? I think we should just get Dad and go," Andy tells us.

I turn to him. "And go where exactly? Paris?"

"I don't know, someplace where invisible guys don't attack us!"

"Andy, we need to get them to trust us," Lauren tells him.

Cate calls us, "Kids, I need some help over here."

I automatically walked to Mrs. Strucker, while Lauren and Andy were hesitant.

"Help with him?"
"Yes, Andy, with him. Come on. Let's put out that Scout first aid badge to work."

❅ ❅ ❅

After a short period, Clarice brought us the supplies and the blonde woman set them up.

"Are there any more I.V. bags?" I asked Andy, while I look at the almost empty one.

"You mean, those water things or the yellow pee-looking ones?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes at his 'description', Lauren even commented, "Could you be any more gross?"

"You really wanna ask me that?"

Cate went to my side and saw the I.V. bag for herself, seeing if the bag was going empty.

Andy came to us. "Um, I think we're out of both."

As I groan softly, he asked his mom, "Is he gonna be okay?"

"I'm not sure more saline would help. We need actual blood," Mrs. Strucker informs.

As Lauren grabbed more gauze to stop the blood, Andy got an idea. "Hey, I'm O negative."

We all turn to him. With hope in my eyes, he could be the solution to the problem.

"It's the universal donor, right?"

"Andy, you are a genius," I preached with a proud smile, quite impressed he remembered something from a subject he almost failed at.

"Oh, so you are surprised I actually remembered something from Biology?" He tells me.

"Yeah." Both Lauren and I say in sync.

The Strucker boy turns to his mom. "I can do it."

Cate sighs, "Okay. Come here, put your sleeve up."

As Andy and Cate start preparing for the blood, I couldn't help but look at Andy.

I was thinking about how I felt about him. He was my best friend, yes, but——
"Lux, hold this." Mrs. Strucker says, holding the now empty I.V. bag while cutting the little tube connector from it.

I set the bag down and saw the needle already prepared and was ready for the injection.

"Just take a deep breath. Stand there, don't move your arm. And gravity will do the rest."

❅ ❅ ❅

Four years ago

"I'll be back next week guys," Dad said, with his suitcase in hand.

"Where you going, daddy?" I asked.

"Dallas. You know me, always busy, busy, busybody," He jokes, smiling at me.

Jack told me that his trip was important to dad, especially with the company he works for. He was stressed out and very nervous about it.

Dad turns to my brother. "You're the man of the house, champ."

Jack simply nodded and hugged Dad, then I came in too.

"Your taxi is here, Steve." My mother came in.
Jack and I let go as mom and dad hug and kiss each other goodbye.

"I'll be back before lunch."
"I know."
"We already know who's turn to pick for movie night?"
"Yes, it's your turn."

"I love you."
"I love you too."

They kissed goodbye again and dad left after giving Jack and me a kind smile goodbye.

This would be the last time I'll have ever seen him.

❅ ❅ ❅

"Are you okay?" Andy asked his mom, with his arm up to keep the blood flowing through the tube.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I turn to see Cate in an almost nervous-like state.

Harry then gasped and hyperventilated, which turned our attention to him.

"You need to hold him still!" I shout as I hold Harry down, with the help of Lauren and Caitlin.

"What's wrong with him? What's he doing?" Andy panics.

Cate tells him, "We're running out of time. We're gonna have to remove the bullet, okay?"

Harry shakes his head 'yes'.

"Can you take the bullet out?" Lauren asked her mother.

"I don't know. I-I'm not a surgeon. But we can't wait any longer. I'm just gonna have to take the chance."

"The bullet's lodged deep," I state.

"Then I'm gonna have to make a midline incision. Lux, step into Lauren's place, keep pressure on that entree wound."

I nodded as I go to where Lauren was and held the gauze to the bullet wound. Lauren stood back a bit, giving everyone room.

"Ready," Cate muttered as she cuts the knife through Harry's stomach a bit.

I gag as the mom began to search for the bullet in the man's body. I looked at Andy and mouthed to me, "You're okay".
I nodded with a weak smile as Cate muttered that she found it and grabbed the pliers to remove it. She shakily held the pliers that had the blooded bullet at the other end.
"Got it."

"Badass," Andy comments.
We all smile at our accomplishment, yet my eyes widen from the blood.

"Shit," I whisper, seeing the blood pouring out, even having a big touch my hand.

"Mom. Mom, what's happening?" Lauren then started to freak out.

"He's hemorrhaging and artery must have——"

"We-We need to make it stop." I then panic, trying to put a stop to the intense bleeding.

"It's—I can't stop the blood. Not without a cross-clamp."

"Where's the artery?" Lauren asked.
"What?"

"Show me."
"Lauren, I——"
"Mom, show me!"

Cate then points to it. "There. The bleeding is coming from that artery right there."

I start to hyperventilate as Harry's blood started to pool onto my hand. He is losing a lot of blood.

"Okay, stand back. I'm gonna try to get pressure on it," Lauren says.

The blonde teen made her shield small, as she directs it down to the open artery.
"I think... I think I got it."

"Can you sew him up?" I ask Mrs. Strucker.

The woman nodded and hurried, Lauren's hand was shaking from holding on to that shield. I saw Cate sew up the cut quickly as possible.

"Okay, let me tighten it, okay there."

Lauren lets go and no more blood was spilling out.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" I asked, looking at Harry, who was quietly gasping.

"I think so. I think he'll be alright."

"It's over."
"So cool."

I relax, sighing and having a small smile on my face.

"Dad's not gonna believe this," Andy comments, as I chuckle softly. We both made eye contact as we smile at one another.

❅ ❅ ❅

Our long day came to an end as everyone sat at the dinner table.
We were waiting for Reed to come back from a mission that Cate vaguely explained to us.

We all heard footsteps stopping in front of us. We look over to see Reed, he looked okay from what I could tell. Everyone smiled ear to ear.

"Do you want some dinner?" Kate snickers, softly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do," He says, before pulling his wife close and kissing her.

Andy squirmed in his chair as he saw and I nudged him to stop with my smile still on. The two adults sat down and tried to make a little small talk.

Reed compliments, "All of this looks great."

"Yeah. If you told me 3 weeks ago I would be this happy to eat a rib-shaped barbecue pork patty, I would've said you were insane."

We all chuckle as we east the food, it wasn't as bad as expected, in my opinion.

"You know what? It's not bad," Mr. Strucker confessed.

"Mm. It's terrible. This is the best terrible meal I have ever had."

I continue to eat until Andy asked a question that hasn't really been brought up until now.

"Say what? Are-Are we going to Mexico or whatever?"
The adults were silent, not giving Andy a response.

I joined in a bit onto the conversation. "That was the plan, right? Leave the country, lose mutant laws, you know to go to Mexico."

"I heard Cancún's pretty cool," The teen boy adds.

"Very humid, though."

Caitlin says, "Well, I don't think we have to worry about any of it just yet. It's still not safe to travel."

"It's not just that. I've been talking to some of the people here, and they have questions about the Sentinel Services and what they're doing, and... I can help them with that," Reed further explains.

"So, we're just... here," Lauren clarifies.

"Right now, yeah. But you guys and your mom... you saved lives today. They could use us here. The most important thing is we are all together. Right?"

Today, we did save lives, mostly Harry's. To that I felt good about, I felt good about saving a person that had friends and a family to save alive for.

We then quietly ate at the dinner table, with only peaceful silence covering us whole.

❅ ❅ ❅

Two years ago

I was walking in the rain, with a backpack on my back and my hood up. I was walking back home from hanging out with Andy just a few hours ago. I was stupid enough to walk around and stay at the park a bit more, yet it started to run. I couldn't call my mom, she was on a business trip.

As I walked I heard a car slowly roll past me. I stuffed my hand in my hoodie pockets, ready to freeze somebody if they attacked me. I felt the car right by my side as I tried my hardest not to look at the person in the car.

"Lux?"

I turned my head in confusion, to see Reed, in his suit driving the car, most likely getting back home from work.

"H-Hey, Mr. Strucker," I awkwardly smiled too.

"What are you doing? Get in, I'll take you home."

I sighed as I got in the car, with my soaked wet self sitting in his car seat.

"What the hell you are doing out this late and in the rain?" He questioned me.

"I was making my way home from the park. You remember, Andy was hanging out with me today?"

"That was hours ago."
"I know."

"So, you waited hours for your mom to pick you up?"

"I-I mean... she's in another state. She's not gonna come back until Saturday," I admitted.

I heard the thunder echo in the sky, as we drove on the wet roads.

"Come on, you're spending the night. I don't like the fact that you'll be by yourself, alone in a house," He says as he turns a road.

"I can walk Mr. Strucker. It's not a big deal, really. I can take care of myself."

"Lux, I'm not having you walk all the way to your house in weather like this."

I sigh in frustration at the stubborn man. He kept on driving to his place, as I looked out the window to see the rain that was pouring like cats and dogs outside, complemented by the sound of thunder.
In honesty, I was glad he came to pick me up, I didn't want to be at home alone again.

"Thank you, Mr. Strucker."
"No problem."

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