Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The car hissed to a stop as it pulled up outside Tranquillity High School. This was Sapphira Witwicky’s first time in a public high school- her first time in a public school in a long time. For the past four and a half years, she had attended Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, a small private school for mutants in Manchester, New York, far from her sunny home of Nevada,

“Saph,” her father, Ron, called out, breaking her out of her reverie. “Come on, get out of the car, you’ll be late for your first day,” he joked, and Saph rolled her eyes at the balding man.

“Sure thing, Dad. Wouldn’t want to be late for my first day of high school,” she said dryly, hopping out of the car to stand next to her twin brother, Sam Witwicky. When you first glanced at the two, you couldn’t tell they were related, and no one in a million years would have guessed they were twins.

Sam slouched and tried to not draw attention to himself, while Saph stood tall and proud. Sam wore the basic t-shirt and jeans combo, while Saph wore high-waisted jeans and crop tops and bold colors- anything to draw attention herself. Sam had short, wavy, dark brown hair, Saph’s hair was a dark blue, curly and wild, and cut in a lob. Sam was quiet, Saph was fiery, Sam was awkward, Saph was charismatic, Sam was sullen while Saph glowed like an ember. Sam was content to back down, while Saph wanted to start a fight. But, they were alike in some way. They had the same golden skin and dark brown eyes, same height and small build, the uncanny way to mimic each other unconsciously, and the fierce urge to protect those they loved, no matter what.

“Come on, sis,” Sam called, pulling Saph away from their father to the prison-like building that laid in front of them. Saph wrinkled her nose as she saw a group of boys surrounding a smaller boy in the middle of the promenade. Her magic boiled inside of her, itching to be let out and wreak havoc on those who prayed on the weak. Quiet, she hissed, pushing down her magic, letting Sam guide her away from the scene.

“Not so tranquil here at Tranquility High, right?” she joked, and Sam snorted, leading her into the school. He looked back over his shoulder as if contemplating going back to help. But he only shrugged.

“Welcome to the public school system,” he replied, as they dodged a couple making out in the hallway. She made a noise of disgust and mimed puking. Sam laughed again, his brown eyes, twins hers, sparkling.

“I don’t remember public schools being this disgusting,” Saph hissed under her breath, as they stopped at Sam’s locker.

Sam rolled his eyes, and pulled some notebooks, as Saph leaned on the lockers. “Saph, the last time you were in a public school was middle school,” he retorted, and Saph huffed, crossing her arms. “A lot different from Xavier’s?”

Saph softened at the mention of her old school. In her mind, she saw the giant oak tree in the middle of the grounds, the brick of the mansion, her mentor Remy LeBeau, her best friend Jubilee, where she felt safe… “Yeah,” she replied, as Sam slammed his locker shut. “I miss it.”

Sam flashed her a look of sympathy and then turned to the locker next to him. “Want me to help you with you locker?” he asked, changing the subject abruptly.

She let out a sigh of relief, and nodded. “Yes, please,” she said gratefully, shifting next to her brother so she could see what he was doing.

“Oh my god who is this hot tamale?” came a voice behind them. Both Saph and Sam jumped, turning around at the same time to see what she would only describe a nerdier, less hot version of the stereotypical version of a Californian surfer. He had greasy, shoulder-length, blonde hair that wasn’t much longer than her own and murky blue eyes. Eyes that slowly looked her up and down that paused at her exposed skin between her high-waisted jeans and cream crop top. Eyes that traveled further up her body until they landed a little higher and-

Saph could feel her magic roiling inside of her, and she could see the light blue mist starting to form around her clenched fists. Sam’s eyes went wide at both her clenched fists and the mist forming around her- he knew the sting of both. “Miles,” he squeaked out, his voice rising several octaves. “That is my sister,” he hissed to the nerdy surfer boy.

The boy, Miles, eyes went equally wide and he gulped. Saph gave him a wicked smile, and stepped closer to Miles. “My name is Sapphira,” she purred, the blue mist settling around her head, clinging to her blue hair like how dust clings to an old book. “I’m Sam’s sister. And you’ll soon understand that I don’t appreciate-” she punctuated her words by hitting him in the chest, the smile that was on her face changing into a smirk. “-anyone ogling me. You understand?” she asked, cocking her head slightly.

Miles gulped again, and nodded vigorously. “Y-y-es ma’am,” he stuttered, backing away from you. Sam bit his lip to keep himself from laughing.

“Good,” she spat, stalking past Miles towards her first-period class. “See you in sixth period, brother,” she called out before her blue head disappeared into the throng of students.

“Good god,” Miles breathed, slumping onto the lockers next to Sam. “Your sister is utterly terrifying.”

“... Mr. Witwicky, you’re up.” Sam let out a muttered curse behind her, as he got up to do his presentation. He clumsily got out his stuff from his bag, dropping a few things.

“Sorry, I got a lot of stuff,” he apologized halfheartedly, he cheeks going red as he brought up their great-great-grandfather’s tools he used on his expedition.

“Watch,” Saph heard from behind her, and out of nowhere, a rubber band hit him on his cheek. The class broke out in laughter, and the teacher called them to order. She turned behind to see a stereotypical looking jock sitting next to a pretty brunette. The jock’s laughter died down as she glared at him, and he shifted uneasily in his seat. Saph turned back in her seat, a satisfied look on her face as she turned her attention back to her twin.

Saph shot him an encouraging smile, and Sam started his presentation. “So, for my family genealogy report, I decided to do it on my great-great-grandfather, who was a famous man, Captain Archibald Witwicky. Very famous explorer…” Saph started to zone out as her brother started to spin the tell of their grandfather. Sure it was an interesting tale, but it was one she had heard many times before, and one she had told many times as well.

She looked down at her hand, and summoned a little bit of her magic. The blue mist started to pool in her hand, looking like liquid sapphires. Her mutation was a peculiar one, one that even the Professor wasn’t even able to crack. At first, they vote she could control magic, like Wanda Maximoff or Illyana Rasputin. But, then her mutation, well, mutated. It went from spells and a rather controllable mutation to one of energy buzzing under her skin and chaos falling from her fingertips. “It’s like your mutation was taken down a different path than what it should have,” the Professor had said, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Almost as if it was something to do with your family’s genes or some outside force other than your own mutation.”

“... like this sextant here.” Saph was snapped out of her thoughts as the class burst out laughing. “$50 for this, which is a bargain.” Sam is trying to sell off our grandfather’s treasures, she realized, and groaned, burying her head in her hands. He then held up their grandfather’s glasses, the lenses glinting in the afternoon sun. “These are pretty cool,” Sam said excitedly, holding them up so everyone could see it. “These are my grandfather's glasses. I haven't quite gotten them appraised yet, but they've seen many cool things....”

The teacher groaned, glaring at her brother. “Are you going to sell me his liver?” he snapped, and the class burst out into laughter. Sam’s face turned red, and she groaned again. “Mr. Witwicky, this isn't show and sell. It's the 11th grade. I don't think your grandfather would be particularly proud of what you're doing,” he scolded, and Sam turned even redder.

“I know, I know,” Sam said quickly, trying to explain himself. “I'm sorry. I just, you know, this is all going towards my car fund.” Sam was shameless as he tried to sell their family heirlooms. “You can tell your folks. It's on eBay. I take PayPal. Cold hard cash works, too. And the compass makes a great gift for Columbus Day,”

“Sam!” the teacher snapped, banging his hand on the desk.

“S-s-orry,” Sam stuttered under his breath, trying to get back on track with his presentation. “My grandfather… um…” he trailed off, and looked desperately at you, trying to silently plead with you. C’mon, Saph, please do me this one solid… he seemed to say, and she sighed.

“Unfortunately,” Saph said, standing up, and moving towards the front of the class. I always have to clean up after your damn messes, she grumbled to herself, moving to stand next to her bumbling brother. “our great-great-grandfather went blind, and, like many other talented and gifted men,” she continued, her voice smooth and charismatic and enchanting, as she tried to pick up Sam’s mess. She spun a bit of her magic into her words, her eyes flashing blue for a brief second. Sam wasn’t the only one who wanted a car. “and slowly lost his mind before going completely insane, and was placed in a mental hospital by his daughter, our great grandmother who was the first mutant in our family, drawing these strange symbols and babbling on about some giant ice man that he supposedly discovered.”

The bell rang suddenly, and the students were broken out of her spell. “Okay, Might be a pop quiz tomorrow. Might not. Sleep in fear tonight,” he called to the students leaving, as Sam continued to try to peddle his merchandise.

“Here, you want?” he asked, holding out the various heirlooms to the leaving students. “Here, 50. 40? 30?”

Saph groaned again, elbowing Sam in the stomach. “Sam?” the teacher called, a disapproving look on his face.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Sam mumbled, walking back towards the teacher’s desk. He paused for a second, looking back at her. “Saph, just… Wait with dad, will yah?” he pleaded, biting his lip.

“Fine,” she snapped, grabbing her backpack, heading out the door. “You owe me. Twice.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Sam yelled joyfully, hopping in the backseat behind her. He had a triumphant look on his face, clutching a paper in his hand.

“So?” Ron asked, and he twisting back to look at them.

“A-. It’s an A, though,” he smirked, and she rolled her eyes at her brother.

“Thanks to me, though,” she muttered under her breath, and their dad snatched the paper out of her brother’s hand. Ron’s eyebrows rose as he read the paper, and then nodded slowly, turning back into his seat.

“So I’m good?” Sam asked anxiously, his brown eyes wide.

“You’re good,” Ron admitted, and Sam let out a whoop of joy, which died out after a second, turning to face Saph.

“But, what about Saph?” Sam questioned, and she snorted, rolling her eyes again.

Ron laughed. “Sam, this was never about your sister. She, we knew had good grades. You, on the other hand…” Ron shrugged, and she burst out laughing, as Sam slumped into his seat. She stuck out her tongue at him as their father pulled out of the school parking lot. Sam rolled his eyes, and huffed, crossing his arms.

“Why do you get a free pass? What’s so special about you?” Sam hissed, but she could tell he didn’t mean his anger. This happened regularly between them. Sam would get butthurt because he was held to higher standards than she was, and Saph would just laugh.

Saph shrugged enigmatically, a secretive smile on her face. “Sam, darling,” she purred, her blue hair glinting in the sunlight. “I’m already in the clear. You weren’t.”

Sam huffed again, but he didn’t have enough time to brood. “I’ve got a little surprise for you two…” Ron called out suddenly, his eyes meetings hers in the rearview mirror.

“What kind of surprise?” she instantly replied, bouncing a little in her seat. Saph loved surprises, and had ever since she was a little kid. It was the mixture of nerves excitement that made her heart race, and her hands sweat a little.

“Yeah, a little surprise…” Ron said, before pulling into a Porsche dealership. Both twins mouths fell upon, and they met each other's eyes with excited smiles.

“No, no, no, no! Dad!” Sam groaned excitedly, smashing his face against the window to look at the gorgeous cars. Saph, too, had pressed her face against the window, her magic buzzing busily in her veins. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Yeah, I am,” Ron replied, driving out of the Porsche dealership, into the used car dealership next door. Both twins sunk back, identical scowls on their faces. “You’re not getting a Porsche,” Ron added, chuckling.

“You’re a cruel man,” Saph muttered, crossing her arms, her brown eyes flashing angrily.

“You think that’s funny?” Sam added, his fingers gripping the seat in front of him, glaring at their father.

Ron nodded, chuckling again as he pulled into the used car dealership. “Yeah, I think it’s funny.”

Saph gaped at him. “You’re sadistic,” she said coldly, her eyes turning blue for a second. The air was tinged with the smell of vanilla, and Ron rolled his eyes, familiar with her hissy fits. They pulled into a parking spot, and Ron turned around

“Don’t get pissy with me, young lady,” he threatened, pointing a finger at her. Saph rolled her eyes, scooting closer to her brother. “Besides, do you think I'd really get you a Porsche for your first car?”

“I don’t want to talk to you for the rest of this whole thing,” Sam shot back, and Saph let out a choked laugh, raising her hand for a high five. Sam’s hand met hers with a slap, and they turned back to their father, a united front.

Ron sighed, and looked up at the sky, as if asking God what he should do. “Oh come on,” he finally said, opening his door, and getting out. “It was just a practical joke.”

“It’s not a funny joke,” Saph retorted, getting out of the car, and slammed the door.

Sam wandered around the dealership, a look of disgust on his face. “Here? No, no, no, what is this?You said... You said half a car, not half a piece of crap, Dad.”

Saph nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Dad, we’re paying for half of the car, and you supposed to give us a working car,” she added. The cars here looked rundown and dusty and didn't look used- they looked broken.

“When I was your age, I'd have been happy with four wheels and an engine,” Ron replied, his cool tone a stark contrast against the heated tones of the twins. Saph snorted, and Sam looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.

“Okay, let me explain something to you. Okay?” Sam snapped, steepling his hands in front of his face. While Saph tended to blow up in an argument, her “tantrums” consisting of muttered curses and fire and cold stares, but tended to end quickly when she ran out of fire. Sam, on the other hand, controlled his temper in a way, and his “tantrums” consisted of sarcastic remarks and stumbled arguments and anger, but he could hold a grudge. And this seemed to be a very Sam-like “tantrum”. “You ever see the Forty-Year-Old Virgin?”

Ron paused for a second, a look of confusion on his face, before replying. “Yeah, sure.”

“Okay that’s what this is-” Sam pointed to a beaten down looking car, with a few scratches. “-and this the Fifty Year Old Virgin.” The next car Sam pointed at didn’t even seem like it was a car even more. “You want me to live that life?” Ron shrugged, and they both sighed.

“No sacrifice, no victory,” Saph said sarcastically, and Sam gave her a fist bump.

Ron blinked a few times, and waved his hand. “Yeah, no victory. You know, I got it,” he mumbled, and she rolled her eyes.

“The old Witwicky motto, Dad,” Sam added sarcastically, raising a thick eyebrow.

Ron waved his hand again, dismissing them. “Right.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” an African-American man in a tan fedora came swaggering up to them. He wore a loud Hawaiian shirt, had blindingly white teeth, and sweat dripped down his forehead. “Bobby Bolivia, like the country, except without the runs.” Saph let out a surprised laugh, and Bobby winked at her. “How can I help you?”

“Well,” Ron spoke up, puffing his chest out a little bit. “My kids here are looking to buy their first car,” he said rather proudly.

Bobby nodded, giving them another blindingly white smile. “You had to come see me?” he asked charmingly, laying it on a little thickly. There was something about him, but Saph couldn’t put her finger on it.

“We had to,” Sam answered dryly, and Saph laughed again, gently bumping him with her shoulder.

“That practically makes us family,” he purred, holding out his hand for them to shake. His palms were sweaty, and Saph wiped her hand on her pants when he wasn’t looking. “Uncle Bobby B, baby. Uncle Bobby B. And what shall I call you?”

“I’m Saph, and he’s Sam,” she jerked her head over to Sam, who gave “Uncle” Bobby a weak smile.

“Well, Saph, Sam, lemme talk to you,” Bobby put his two hands on their shoulders, and led them towards some cars. “Sam, Saph, your first enchilada of freedom awaits underneath one of those hoods,” he whispered conspiratorially, and she had to hold back a laugh. “Let me tell you something, kids. A driver don't pick the car. The car'll pick the driver. It's a mystical bond between man and machine.” Sam caught her eye, and they both laughed at this strange salesman. “Kids, I'm a lot of things, but a liar's not one of them. Especially not in front of my mammy. That's my mammy. Hey, Mammy!”

An older black woman saw sitting in the shade, saw Bobby, and then proceeded to flip him off. Saph giggled, and Bobby’s grip momentarily tightened on their shoulders. “Don't be like that. If I had a rock, I'd bust your head, bitch,” he shouted at the older woman, before plastering a fake smile on his face. “I tell you, man, she deaf, you know?” Bobby led them to a small group of cars, and spread out his arms. “Well, over here, every piece of car a man might want or need.”

Most of the cars were dinged up, and looked like they were broken, but one caught her eye. It was yellow, dusty car, and had black racing stripes on it. Saph caught Sam’s eye, and they both grinned. “That ain’t bad,” she mumbled to him, and they walked over to it, admiring it.

“Yeah, it’s got racing stripes,” Sam said dreamily, running a hand over the hood.

“It's got racing…” Bobby swore under his breath, and started yelling at one of his employees, but Saph tuned him out.

The car was, was, beautiful. Despite it being a little rusty and a little worn down, it was beautiful. Saph opened the door, and jumped into the driver’s seat. Sam slid into the passenger side, and they both took a moment to evaluate it. The seats were a nice leather, but a little dusty. The whole thing was a little dusty.

She called up her magic, and a flash of blue rushed through the car, scattering dust and cleaning it out. The car seemed to groan a little, and Sam swore under his breath. “You always scare me when you do that,” he hissed, and Saph laughed, her brown eyes bright and happy.

Saph moved her hands to the steering wheel, and Sam flicked the stuffed bee that was hanging off of the rearview mirror. Bobby came over, and leaned on the car. “Whatcha think about it?”

“Feels good,” Saph admitted, and Sam nodded.

“It has character,” Sam added, Saph’s eyes going to the stuffed bee, and nodded in agreement.

Ron walked over, and had a smug look on his face. “How much?” he asked, his eyes flickering over the car.

“Well,” Bobby sighed, appraising the car. “considering the semi-classic nature of the vehicle, with the slick wheels and the custom paint job…”

Sam snorted, and threw a hand up. “Yeah, but it’s faded.”

“Yeah, but it’s custom.” Bobby retorted weakly, glaring at her brother.

“It’s faded custom?” Saph snapped, and Bobby turned his glare to her.

“It’s your first car I wouldn't expect you to understand,” Bobby snarled, his teeth flashing white in the bright sun. “Five grand.”

Ron snorted, and crossed his arms. “No, I'm not paying over four. Sorry.”

Saph and Sam gaped at their father, her grip tightening on the steering wheel. “Kids, come on, get out. Get out the car,” Bobby barked, roughly yanking the driver’s side door opened.

Sam glared at him over Saph, his nostrils flaring. “No, no, no,” he protested. “You said cars pick their drivers.”

“Well, sometimes they pick a driver with a cheap-ass father. Out the car,” he said roughly. Saph exchanged a look with Sam, before they mutually agreed to get out of the car. Saph could feel her magic boiling inside of her as Bobby took them by the shoulders again to look at a different car.

Bobby pointed to a small, ugly looking red car with black racing stripes, a weak replica of the car the fell in love with. “That one's my favorite, drove all the way from Alabammy…”

A sudden, ear piercing, a siren-like noise went off, and Saph’s training kicked in. She roughly pushed Bobby to the ground, and covered Sam and Ron with her own body. Her magic exploded out of her, creating a shimmering shield a blue energy around them, just as the windows in all the cars shattered. Except for her car.

“$4,000.”

“We’ll take it.”

Chapter Text

“I don’t know, Jubes,” Sapphira, holding her phone as she got out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. “I’ll skype you in a few minutes, okay?”

“Okie dokie, artichokie,” Jubilee sang, and the phone went dead.

Saph let out a big sigh, rubbing her head. After the explosion, her father had quickly paid for their new car, before they high-tailed it out of there. Saph had driven it home, with Sam sitting in the passenger seat. The car felt right. The steering wheel had felt smooth and warm in her hands, and could feel the engine rumbling through her seat. And- and she felt something else. Something that made her magic poke its head up in interest.

Sighing again, Saph shucked off her old clothes, and changed into something more comfortable. Her shorts were loose fitting, the shirt baggy and soft. She caught her reflection in the mirror and smiled at it.

Saph was on the taller side for women, the same height as Sam to be exact, and had shorter legs and a longer torso. She was curvy, with a near perfect hourglass figure- one that she loved most of the time, and on occasion hated. Her hair was a deep, bright blue, matching her magic, and had been blue ever since she went through mutation. It was big and curly and unruly; Sam liked to joke it was just like her. Her eyes were smaller and almond shaped, and were a pretty hazel color that appeared brown most of the time, standing out against her olivey tinted face. Yes, she could see Sam in her face. In her dark eyebrows and high cheekbones, in her mischievous smile and heart shaped face… Yes, she could see him.

The ringing of a Skype call broke her out of her thoughts, and she flung herself into her computer chair. In a few seconds, the face of her best friend appeared on her computer screen. Saph could feel the stress of the day melt off of her at the happy look on Jubilee’s face. Jubilee was always happy, but Saph wouldn’t haven’t any other way.

Saph had been best friends with Jubilee since the first day she came to Xavier’s. When Saph had shown up there, scared and out of place without her twin, her other half (the other half she wasn’t like anymore, the other half she’d never be like anymore), Jubilee had decided that Saph was her’s now, and she’d protect her no matter what. They had bonded between the similarities between their two powers; the way the energy shot out of them, the way they felt isolated by their families (accidental by Saph’s family, purposeful by Jubilee’s), and the way they sometimes felt that their mutation was controlling them, not the other way around. Jubilee had been there when Saph’s powers had mutated and twisted into something that was frightening and chaotic, but Jubilee had never abandoned her.

Saph missed her energy sister.

“So, what got you so upset?” the other mutant asked, cutting right to the chase. Saph smiled a little at the contrast between Jub’s tone of voice and appearance. Her thick, black hair was pulled back into two ponytails, her lips painted a neon pink said party, while her tone of voice screamed business.

“Well,” Saph began, hesitating slightly. “Either my powers misfired somehow, or it was a freak occurrence, but we were at the car lot this afternoon, and all the windows in the cars exploded, except for the one Sammy and I wanted.”

Jubilee’s eyes went wide, her mouth opening slightly. “Oh my god,” she breathed, and Saph nodded grimly. “Are you alright?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

“Yeah,” Saph said, then frowned. “It was just so weird,” she added, looking out the window at her new car. The yellow paint caught the late afternoon sun, juxtaposed with the black stripes that reflected the light and heat. While there wasn’t anything outwardly wrong with the car, something seemed off. The way the car trembled when she used her magic, the way the car had felt, and the way it survived the explosion.

“Do you think it could have been your powers?” Jubilee asked, breaking Saph out of her reverie.

Blinking, Saph thought for a second, before shaking her head. “I don’t think so,” she said, biting her lip. “I know when my magic, my energy, is used. It feels like something is trickling out of me, but this wasn’t me. I even threw up a shield to protect us.”

Jubilee nodded thoughtfully, her eyebrows furrowing. “Do you think it could have been another mutant?”

Again, Saph thought for a second. “Maybe,” she admitted, biting her bottom lip. “But usually you can tell when someone is using their power. Well, at least I can tell. My magic usually can tell,” she added, laughing a little.

Jubilee smiled at her friend, before going back to being serious. “So, the windows just exploded all on their own?” she asked doubtfully.

“I know, it sounds crazy,” Saph replied, rolling her eyes. “Of course, the car dealer had blamed me after I saved his life,” Saph gritted her teeth, and Jubilee made a sound of sympathy. “But, I used a bit of my magic to convince him otherwise,” Saph eyes flashed blue, and her friend sighed.

Saph had been notorious at Xavier’s for using her powers to get out of trouble. Of course, she was always caught, but she still did it anyways. When my fists fail me, I can always count on my powers, Saph always said, her brown eyes turning blue and mischievous. Saph wasn’t really the good girl her family thought she was. Sure, she got good grades and her teachers adored her, but she got in fights regularly and would be sent to the Danger Room for extra hours with Wolverine. Of course, that’s what she wanted (and of course, sometimes she got in fights just to get in fights).

Saph always wanted more training; more weapons training, more hand to hand training, more survival training, more magic training, more, more, more. She wanted to be powerful like Remy, her mentor, like Psylocke, the mysterious former X-Woman turn successful politician, like Wanda Maximoff, who she had always admired and feared. All of who controlled their mutation, their powers over energy and magic, who turned it into a weapon. Saph wanted to control the raging beast inside of her so she could return to normal, so she could go to college, so she could fight for the rights of those like her.

“I miss you,” Jubilee said suddenly, and Saph started. Her best friend’s big eyes were filled with tears, and Saph’s heart ached.

“Me too, JuJu,” Saph admitted quietly, her softer side showing. To the rest of the world, she was fierce and argumentative, fire incarnate, but to those who knew her best, to those she loved the most, she was loving and protective, loyalty incarnate.

“I still don’t get why you left!” Jubilee whined, throwing her hands up. Her friend frowned at her, her eyes still swimming with tears. “You were happy here! You had me, and Remy, and Rogue, and Kitty, and Amara, and you had Kurt-”

“I know, I know,” Saph sighed, avoiding meeting her eyes. “But I needed to come here, Jubilee. I needed to come home-”

“-so I can pretend to be ‘normal’ again so I can pass as a human so I can graduate high school so I can college so I can come back to New York to be with you so I can major in Inter-Species Relations and International Relations so I can be a politician, a lawyer, an activist, so I can protect everyone I love. I know, Blue,” Jubilee snarled furiously. “I know,” she said again, but this time her voice was quiet and soft, as the fight started to drain out her. The mutant slumped in her computer chair, and Saph felt her heart ache again.

Saph gave her friend a weak smile, pressing her hand against her computer screen. “Jubilee, you know I love you,” she said, a slight teasing tone to her voice.

Jubilee sighed, before returning the smile, and pressed her hand against her screen as well. “I know, and I love you too,” she replied, and both friends grinned at each other.

“Energy sisters forever,” they said together, and they both laughed, breaking the serious mood.

“Love you, JuJu,” Saph crooned, waving her hand in goodbye.

Jubilee waved back, her smile faltering slightly. “Love you too, Blue. No matter what.”

Saph walked outside, smiling at the late afternoon sun (it helped to banish the melancholy feeling left over from her conversation with Jubilee). Moving back to Nevada from New York was a bit of a system shock. New York was sunny, sometimes, but Nevada was sunny all the time. And extremely hot, too. Already, her skin had gone from a light, olivey tone, to almost matching her brother’s tan, olive skin.

Saph went into the garage, and picked up up a bucket, some soap, and a couple of sponges. Filling the bucket up with water, she squinted at her new car. She saw a few more dents that she hadn’t seen before, and made a face. “Who hurt you, baby?” she cooed, bring over the bucket of soapy water over, and threw her hair back in a loose bun. “But don’t you worry, momma’s gonna take care of you know.”

Turning on the car, she turned the radio on full blast, humming to the tune. She splashed some water on the car and looked around her. There was no one in their yards, no one on their porches enjoying the sun, and Saph grinned. Her eyes flickered blue, and wisps of her magic gathered into her hands. Pointing at two of the sponges, her magic surrounded the sponges in a flash. She lifted her hand, and the sponges lifted too.

The car made a noise, it almost sounded surprised, and the radio unexpectedly turned to a 70’s song- Le Freak, she thought- and she dropped the sponges in surprise. Huffing, she slapped the car’s hood. “Naughty thing,” she muttered, enchanting the sponges again and putting them to work. It was an interesting trick she learned from Wanda Maximoff, when she had stayed at Xavier’s, per the Professor’s request.

Still humming, Saph got to washing the car, her enchanted sponges working alongside her. The car seemed to, to, purr (not the normal type of car purring) as she did this, and it unsettled her. Sure, she had seen crazy mutants with equally weird powers, but a purring car? That would be a first.

Sam came out right as she finished washing the car. He let out a low a whistle, and Saph grinned at him. “Thanks, sis,” he said, eyeing the still enchanted sponges. With a snap of her fingers, the sponges fell to the ground, her bright, sapphire blue eyes returning to their normal, hazel brown color. “You know, that still weirds me out a little bit,” her brother admitted, and Saph snorted.

She grabbed the keys out of the ignition, and leaned on their new car. “You think my power is weird? You should have seen my kinda-boyfriend Kurt’s power,” she replied, a slight smile on her face.

Sam raised an eyebrow at “kinda-boyfriend”, but didn’t say anything. “Mom and Dad said I can go out for a drive. Wanna come with?”

Saph shook her head, absentmindedly running a hand along the car’s hood. “Nah, I think I’m good,” she replied, and then smiled. “But I get it this whole weekend, and every weekend for two months.”

“What?” Sam exclaimed, throwing up his hands. “Why? That’s so unfair!” he whined, frowning at his sister.

“Because,” she drawled, crossing her arms. “I washed it, I put more money into it than you did, and because you owe me a favor. Two, actually,” she drawled, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

Sam sighed, knowing he was losing an unwinnable battle. “Fine,” he said, giving in, and Saph cheered. “But, I get it on Friday,” he added. In his mind, Fridays were the most important days to have a car, and Saph was willing to give it to him.

“Deal,” she replied, and the twins shook hands. “Be safe, Sammy. And don’t hurt my baby!”

“Saph,” someone hissed, disturbing her deep slumber. Saph mumbled, and turned away from the annoying noise, snuggling further into her blankets. “Saph!” the voice said again, this time more urgent. When she refused to acknowledge the voice, the person sighed, then proceeded to push Saph out of her bed.

She was up with a start, squinting to see who stood in front of her. “Who the hell is that?” she hissed, fumbling around for glasses.

“It’s your damn brother! Get on a sweatshirt and some shoes, someone stole our car!” Sam replied, his voice high-pitched with fear.

Saph pushed her glasses onto her nose, her eyes going wide. “You serious?” she whispered, quickly throwing on a sweatshirt and lacing up her Converse.

“Yes!” Sam said impatiently, sweat dripping from his forehead. As soon as she tied her shoes, Sam pushed her out of her bedroom, running down the stairs and outside. Saph quickly followed, cursing slightly under her breath.

“Dad, call the cops!” Saph called into the house, slamming the door shut. Sam was already on his bike, and was in pursuit of their stolen car. “Shit!” she cursed, quickly finding her old bike and pedaling after her twin.

When she caught up with him, he was already on the phone, frantically calling the cops. “I’m in pursuit, with my sister! Right!” she heard him saying, his breath coming out in quick gasps. “I need all units, the whole squadron!” he squealed, watching as their car took a turn down a dark street. Saph’s magic pulsed through her veins with each pulse of her heart, filling her body with adrenaline and energy, and she passed her brother.

She could still hear him behind her yelling at the cops on the phone, and she pedaled faster until she was about a dozen yards behind their stolen car. “Stop!” she screamed, her eyes blazing blue. “That’s my car!” she screamed again, and the person must have heard her, because the car sped up, and turned quickly towards an abandoned junkyard.

Saph was panting by the time she had reached the junkyard, and hid behind a pile of junk. Sam stopped behind her, wheezing. “What-” he started, but Saph put a finger up to her mouth. She pointed to their yellow Camaro that was parked on the other side of the junkyard. Sam nodded in understanding, and they both leaned against the pile of junk to catch their breaths.

Suddenly, there was a sound like crunching metal, and the twins started. They both poked their heads out from behind the pile of junk, and they gasped. What once was their car was now, now, a giant robot. Its yellow paint gleamed under the streetlights, and Saph felt like her world was crashing down. “O-oh my god,” she breathed, and Sam nodded, words failing him.

Sam fumbled around, and brought out his phone with shaky hands. Saph looked at him curiously as started to record them. “M-my name is Sam Witwicky, and this my sister Saph-” he turned the phone around to Saph, her blue eyes bright in the dark night. “-and to whoever finds this, our car is alive!” he whispered screamed, turning the phone towards the car-robot-thing. “Okay? You saw that?” Sam’s hands shook as he narrated, but he kept filming. “Since this is my last words on Earth, I just wanna say, Mom, Dad, I love you-”

“Me too,” Saph chimed in, surprised her voice was steady.

“-and if you find Busty Beauties under my bed, it wasn't mine. I'm holding it for Miles,” Sam added, and despite the seriousness of the situation, Saph snorted.

“That’s not true!” she hissed quietly, glaring at him. Sam scooted away from her, a little unnerved by the blue light shining from her eyes.

“Okay, that's not true,” Sam admitted, and Saph snorted again. “It's mine and Uncle Charles gave it to me. Anything you want to add, Saph, before our death by a robot?” he asked, turning the phone towards her.

Saph hesitated, before grabbing the phone. “Please disregard my browser history and my bookmarked porn, I just get horny sometimes…” Saph blurted out, immediately regretting her decision. Why did I say that? she thought to herself, mentally hitting herself in the face. Sam gaped at her, and she glared at him. “You’re no better,” she snarled in agreement, and Sam shrugged, then nodded slowly in agreement.

“I’m sorry,” the twins said together before Sam took the phone again. “Mojo, I love you,” he said finally, then turned his phone off.

Saph kept watching the giant robot as it shone a bright light into the atmosphere, and Sam leaned into the scrap pile. He must have leaned too heavily, because, suddenly, the pile fell, and they heard the barking of dogs. Both twins froze, before Saph screamed, “Run!”.

Leaving their bikes, they took off running. Saph’s magic pumped in her veins, her eyes shining unnaturally, the air smelling of vanilla and metal, of her magic, but she forced herself to stay next to her brother. Her magic screamed protect more than it did survive.

“No, no, no, no!” Sam panted, as the dogs bit at their heels. Saph looked back behind them to see two huge ass Doberman Pinschers, their lips pulled back in a snarl. They reached a dead end, no escape in sight, and she pushed Sam behind her.

“Shit!” she screamed, her magic melding protectively over her skin. No, she scolded it, redirecting the energy towards Sam, surrounding him in a protective blue skin. Immediately, she felt weak and drained as she transferred her energy to her brother. But her protective instincts still raged. “No, you’re a good dog, good dog!” she screamed, kicking at the two dogs.

“Good dog, good dog!” Sam added from behind her, his voice high-pitched in fear.

Out of nowhere, their yellow Camaro appeared, sliding itself between the twins and the dogs. The dogs let out a whine, but ran away as soon as the car blared its horn. “Oh my god,” Saph breathed, pushing Sam back towards the area they came from. “You gotta run, Sam, go!” she screamed, and immediately the boy ran off, Saph hot on his heels.

Saph focused on her brother, trying to make sure that he was safe, that she didn’t see the pothole in front of her. Tripping forward, Saph was too surprised to catch herself, and she hit her head on the concrete. The last thing she saw were a pair of bright blue lights before she passed out.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Bruises and Panic

“Sapphira?” someone called, and the fourteen-year-old mutant turned to see a tall, brunette woman wheeling in Professor Xavier. The Professor’s eyes were kind and unjudging as he saw the blue mist that surrounded her. But the woman’s eyes were hard and unnerving, but there was a kernel of sympathy in them. “This is the woman I was telling you about.”

The woman walked towards where Saph was sitting on her bed, her eyes softening. “I’m Wanda Maximoff,” she said quietly with an Eastern European accent. “I’m here to help.”

Saph’s eyes went wide, and for a moment, the blue disappeared, revealing the normal brown. “You’re Wanda Maximoff?” she breathed, and the other woman nodded, sitting next to her on the bed. “Can you help me?” she asked, her voice tinged with fear.

The whole ordeal had started a week ago when her powers suddenly went haywire. The power she could normally control exploded out of her, surrounding her in a blue haze that wouldn’t go away. She hadn’t slept for days, the buzzing of her power had kept her up and started to drive her insane. Her eyes wouldn’t go back to brown, and had turned into flat, blue discs, illuminating her dark room and the dark bags under her eyes. The air smelled like vanilla and metal and ozone and- and fear.

Wanda studied the young girl, her eyes resting on Saph’s hands. They were encased in what looked like gossamer gloves of shimmering blue, and her frown deepened. “It’ll be hard,” she said, turning to the Professor, her eyes turning red. “But I’ll do it.”

Wanda turned to the girl and gave her a small smile. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, before laying a red hand on Saph’s forehead, the blue winking out and Saph screamed, but she held on. “I’m so sorry.”

~~~

Saph woke up to someone banging on her door and screaming her name. “What…?” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and grabbing her glasses from her bedside table. The person hit the door again, and Saph pushed her glasses onto her nose angrily, walking to the door. “What do you want?” she hissed, throwing the door open again.

Her brother stood outside the door, his hand poised to knock again. The tension drained out of him, and Sam pulled her into a hug. Saph stood frozen, as Sam began to babble. “Oh god, oh god, oh god, Saph, Dad told me you were still sleeping but I didn’t believe him, oh God…” he mumbled, trailing off as he squeezed her tighter.

“Why would you…” Saph trailed off as the memories of the night came back to her in a flash. She pulled herself out of Sam’s grip with a gasp, feeling for the bump on the back of her head. Hissing, she yanked her hand away, her head aching. “T-the robot,” she stuttered, her eyes going wide. “The dogs, the robot!”

Sam nodded vigorously, wiping away some dirt from his face. “You just disappeared last night, and I had no fucking clue where you were! What the hell happened?”

“I-I can’t really remember,” she admitted, leaning against the doorframe, and her brows furrowed. “I was trying to make sure you escaped and I misted you-”

“Yeah, don’t ever do that again,” Sam interrupted, shuddering. “That was incredibly freaky.”

Saph snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, next time I’ll just leave you behind,” she retorted, and Sam guffawed, crossing his arms. “Last thing I remembered was tripping, and there were these bright, blue lights and then I passed out…” Saph trailed off, a frown appearing on her face as she tried to remember the night before.

“It’s okay, Saph,” Sam said gently, going in for another hug.

Saph jumped back, putting her hands up. “Nah, Sam, you stink, ” she snapped, and Sam rolled his eyes. “Go take a shower,” she suggested, and Sam lightly hit her on the arm, before walking to the bathroom.

With a sigh, Saph slammed her door shut, yawning. She couldn’t believe she couldn’t remember what happened, how she got home… How their car turned into a robot. Saph shuddered, rubbing her head as a headache came on. Guess she wasn’t getting the car this weekend.

Saph shucked off her pajamas, a pulled on a pair of black, high-waisted jeans, with a few rips on the knees on thighs. She chose a baggy, red t-shirt that she had turned into a crop top, with “Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters” written in black print on the front. Sitting down at her vanity, she put on a bit of makeup. Some concealer under her eyes and the few red spots on her face, a bit of highlighter and bronzer, light black eyeliner and mascara (and pushed her cat-eye glasses back up her nose, foregoing contacts), then a bit light pink blush and lip gloss. Frowning, she pulled on a battered black baseball cap, hiding both the unruliness of her hair and the bump on her head.

Tucking her phone in her pocket, she walked downstairs, still rubbing her head. “Mojo, Mojo!” she could hear Sam yelling downstairs, and she rolled her eyes.

“Chill,” she mumbled, walking to the cabinet and throwing back a couple Ibuprofens. She grabbed a granola bar, and turned to her brother, scowling at him. “It’s too early for this.”

“Exactly!” Sam scoffed, and Mojo started barking again. I’m going to kill that stupid dog, Saph thought to herself, rubbing her temples. “Stop with the barking, Mojo. It’s too ear-”

Sam dropped his bowl on the floor and backed away from the window. “Sam wha-” she started, but Sam grabbed both her and Mojo, dragging them both down to the ground.

“Shh!” he hissed, and when she tried to protest, he slapped a hand over her mouth. “Satan’s Camaro, in our yard,” he whispered, his brown eyes going wide. “It’s stalking us!”

“Oh my god,” Saph mumbled, her mind going blank. This was not the way this day was supposed to go. “S-so what do we do now? Stay here? Run?” she asked, her heart beating erratically.

“Why the hell are you asking me?” he hissed. “ You should know what to do! You’re the one who has trained with the fucking X-Men! ” he cursed, and Saph gritted her teeth, but he was right.

“God dammit,” she muttered, slowly getting up and scooting to the window. “I’m too tired for this bullshit.” Saph slowly slid up the cabinet, and peered out the window, before sliding back down in a flash. “It’s still there! It’s not going to leave!”

Sam cursed, running his hands through his hair. “So what do we do, Sapphy?” he asked, his voice trembling slightly, and he clutched Mojo tighter.

Saph chewed her lip, trying to think of what Remy would tell her to do. The Cajun sure loved a good fight, but he always had backup. She had Sam. We got to run, she decided, turning to her twin. “We’ve got to to run,” she said, slowly crawling on her knees out of the kitchen, towards the closet. “We’ll take Mom and Dad’s old bikes and run. ”

“You think that’s a good idea?” San questioned, and she hesitated.

“Yes,” she replied, her eyes briefly flashing blue. “We can’t stay here, we’re cornered. And we can’t fight because we’re at a disadvantage. But we sure as hell can run.”

Sam nodded, and they grabbed their parents’ bikes out of the closet. She grabbed her backpack as well, and Sam threw his wallet into it. They walked quickly to the back door before running out in a flash and hopped on their bikes. As soon as they were on the road, they heard the rumble of their Camaro’s engine.

“Fuck me,” Saph panted, looking back at their car fearfully. “It’s gonna eat us.”

"Knock it off, Saphhy!” Sam yelled, pedaling quickly to catch up to his sister. “I’m already scared enough.” They biked towards town and headed down a crowded a street. Sam took the lead, while Saph watched for the car. In the few seconds Saph had looked away, Sam had ended up on the ground, in front of a coffee shop.

“Oh my god,” Saph breathed, skidding to a stop behind him. He let out a loud moan, and she held back a choked laugh. “That was… that was really awesome, brother dear,” she said, and he pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his back.

“That felt awesome,” he panted, and one of the girls sitting outside gaped at him.

“Oh my god, Sam, are you okay?” she asked, pushing her long, dark brown hair out of her face. When she turned towards Saph, she immediately recognized the girl as the one who had been sitting next to the jock. Saph narrowed her eyes at the girl, frowning at her.

Sam let out a load groan, kicking their mother’s bike. “I'm not okay, all right? I'm losing my mind a little bit,” he got out, quickly running a hand through his disheveled brown hair.

Saph looked behind her and spotted their bright yellow Camaro. “Oh my god, Sam, Satan’s Camaro- it’s still following us!” she hissed, her eyes blazing blue for a moment. One of the girls yelped, jumping away, and Saph tried to ignore the twinge in her heart.

“I'm getting chased by my car right now. I got to go,” he babbled, sounding like a crazy person. Saph slowly biked forwards, and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from their mechanical stalker.

“You know what? We’re gonna catch up with you guys later, okay?” she said, plastering a fake smile on her face, pedaling off. “My name’s Sapphira, by the way!” she called over her shoulder, hoping Sam was following her.

Sapphira zipped down the sidewalk, her heart beating a hundred times a moment. She had never been this scared before. Sure, she had been in battle beside her fellow X-Men, and was even held captive for a few days. But this? This was entirely unknown and alien and terrifying.

She skidded to halt in an abandoned car lot, under a bridge. Her brother rolled up beside her a few seconds later, his breath labored. “What ar-”

“Shh!” she hissed, as a car pulled into the car lot. She pulled Sam down, and they hid behind a dusty old car. She heard the car roll up, its tires rolling over the gravel. She let out a relieved sigh when the car passed them, and she cautiously sat up.

Motioning for her twin to join her, they both stood up and dusted themselves up. A noise made them whip around, and a cop car pulled up into the abandoned lot. “Oh great, cops,” Saph groaned, wrinkling her nose in distrust. She had a many of unsavory encounters with the police during her time with the X-Men.

Sam did the absolute opposite, letting out a sigh of relief, and pushed himself in front of Saph, walking towards the car. “Officer!” he called, and Saph trailed behind him slowly. She frowned as she read the slogan on the side of the car: ‘to punish and enslave’. Shouldn’t it read ‘to protect and serve’... her thoughts trailed off as Sam let out a cry of pain. He was on the ground, and she stepped protectively towards him, but he held out a hand. “Oh, that hurt,” he groaned.

Sam pushed himself up, and Saph rushed towards him, pulling away from the side of the car until they stood in front of him. “Listen to me!” he tried again, throwing up his arms. “Thank God you’re here! I’ve had the worst day ever!” he lamented, once again stepping in front of Saph, like he was trying to protect her. “I've been... I've been followed here on my mother's bike! Right?” he half chuckled, pointing to the now abandoned bike.

“And our car's right there and it's been following us here!” she piped in, and Sam nodded vigorously. The officer stayed silent, and she started to feel apprehensive. “Sam,” she hissed, and tugged on his sleeve.

“Shut up Saph, I think I’m getting somewhere with this guy!” he hissed back, and turned his attention back to the officer. “So get out of the car!” he yelled, slapping the hood of the car. Almost immediately, the officer roared the engine, and drove forward.

The twins fell backwards onto, and Saph felt a twinge of pain go through her back, but she ignored it. They scrambled back further, as the car pushed them towards an abandoned car. “Oh god!” Saph yelped, pulling Sam back.

“Okay! Okay! Okay, all right!” Sam screeched, his voice breaking. He held onto her hand as they crawled backwards. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit your car!” he desperately kicked the grill of the car, trying to push it away. Saph let out a screech of pain as her head hit the ground, her magic flaring protectively.

“Look! Stop-” Saph’s voice cut out as one the car’s headlights popped out, turning into eye like contraptions, and moved towards their faces. The car vroomed forward again, and Saph held out a hand, creating a thin blue barrier between the car and the twins. “What do you want from us?” she screeched.

The two eye-like things, slowly moved back into the car, before she heard the familiar sound of shifting metal. The police car in front of them transformed into a black and white robot, with a cruel face and piercing red eyes. “Oh God ,” Sam breathed, and they scrambled back further, before Saph yanked his arm up and they took off running.

“Oh shit, oh shit! ” she screamed, looking behind to see the giant robot following them. Sam echoed her, and she tightened her grip on his hand. It caught up with them, and flung out a cold, metal hand, batting them through the air.

Saph felt the air leave her body as she landed on a hood of a car, glass breaking behind her. She let out a pained groan, as the robot stalked up to them. Somehow, Sam’s hand remained gripped in hers, and she drew comfort in the fact that if they died, they would at least die together.

The robot slammed two fists into the side of the car, and they both leaned forward, letting out identical high-pitched screams. Once again, her magic acted on its own, forming a blue shield around them, just in time for the robot’s head to bounce off of it.

It seemed confused for a second before it growled out a question. “ARE YOU LADIESMAN217?” it demanded angrily.

“We don't know what you're talking about!” Saph screamed back, her eyes flashing a violent blue.

“I AM NOT TALKING TO YOU, PUNY FEMME,” it sneered, turning its attention to her brother. “ARE YOU LADIESMAN217?” it demanded again, trying to get up in Sam’s face, but bouncing off of her shield.

“Yeah…” he breathed, his voice high-pitched and little more than a whisper.

“WHERE IS EBAY ITEM 21153?” it screamed, smashing the car down further, eliciting a scream from the twins. “WHERE ARE THE GLASSES?”

It was at that time, Saph decided to make a move. She threw her energy in the robot’s face, causing it to stumble back. Dragging her brother behind her, she leaped off of the crushed car, just before the angry robot flipped it.

“GET BACK HERE!” it screamed, and Saph pumped her legs faster, dragging her brother along.

Sam let out a scared whimper, and Saph turned to him. “Don’t worry,” she panted, a weak smile on her face. “I’ll protect us.”

They made it out of the abandoned car lot, and Saph spotted the girl from earlier, this time riding a moped. “Get back!” Sam screeched, pulling his hand out of Saph’s, waving his arms wildly.

Not catching the drift, the girl pulled onto the gravel road outside of the car lot. In a fit of desperation, Sam tackled the girl, knocking her to the ground. “God!” the girl groaned, and Saph sprinted up to them. “What is your problem, Sam?” she asked, glaring at your brother.

Before Sam could screw things up further, she stepped in, her eyes blazing blue. “Listen,” she snapped, and the other girl scooted back in surprise. “There’s a monster right there!” she screamed, pointing towards the giant, bipedal monster that ran towards them. It flipped a car towards them, and the tail end of it clipped Saph on the back, and she tumbled forward, landing in the dirt next to the other teens.

Out of nowhere, their yellow and black Camaro came racing towards them, sliding into the giant robot, barely missing them. Its passenger door swung open on its own accord, and without hesitation, Saph jumped in, her back screaming in protest. Despite the night before (and the chase of the last twenty minutes), Saph could see now that their car was just trying to protect them.

“Sam, what is that thing?” she heard the other girl cry.

“Oh God, Satan’s Camaro is back,” Sam replied, and Saph stuck her head out, her eyes blazing.

“You idiots! It’s trying to protect us! Get in,” she commanded, weaving magic into her voice. Without a second more of hesitation, the other teens jumped in, and the car sped off.

Saph just hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.

~~~

AN: Because the site is being stupid, I can't put a picture in the endnotes. So here is what I imagine Sapphira to look like, but with slightly tanner skin and bluer, slightly longer, hair! (Yes, that is Halsey.)