Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel Comics and are being used for non-profit entertainment. The story belongs to me, Magik, the author.

by Magik

    It's dark now and I can barely see by the faint light shinning in through the small window at the top of me cell. I lie here on the floor and I wonder and I reflect. I reflect on my life.

    I haven't had a happy life. Not by a longshot. But my life's been better than some and worse than most. There have been ups and downs, good days and bad days, evil villains, and some totally cool times down in the Land Down Under.

    But, oh God, whoever thought that it would end this way? I don't want to die. Not yet. I'm so young. Not that youth means anything to the ol' grim reaper. He just comes and takes who he wants. And I know that soon he'll come and take me. Like he took me folks and like he took li'l' `Yana Rasptuin.

    Illyana was young. She was a child. Seven. Much younger than me and he took her. He took her life without a pause or hesitation. `Cause that's the way the reaper is. He just takes what he wants. No questions asked.

    I turn my head slightly. With this mind-readin' helmet on, it's pretty hard to move around. My hands are locked behind my back in this strait jacket kinda thing. But I'm not crazy. That's not why they locked me up. Nuh uh. They locked me up `cause I'm a mutant.

    I'm not even much of a mutant when you get right down to it. I used ta run with the X-Men and my current crib's with Generation X but I'm no heavy hitter. No way. Not even. I'm a sparkler. I'm entertainment on the Fourth of July, nothin' less, nothin' more.

    So why the hell pick on me? I'm just a kid. Fourteen now. My birthday's come and gone. At least I think it has. It's hard to tell how much time has passed when you're locked up ina cell 24/7.

    As I shift around on the floor slightly, I see the round, blue eyes of Daria. She's Bastion's little puppet. One of his minions who obeys his every command. I wonder where he dug her up?

    I hope my friends in Generation X are okay. We were attacked by Mondo, one of our own. Maybe we should start screening people better. I mean, if one potentially evil, twisted psycho villain can sneak in pretendin' to be a student who's ta say more of `em can't do it.

    I just hope that they're okay. Especially Ev. He's my best friend and I don't know what I'd do if I got out of here and he was dead.

    No, not "if", when. When I get out of here.

    It's not really even a question in my mind anymore. I have to get out of here. No ifs about it. I just plain have to.

    And to think, all this fuss just because I'm a mutant. A sparkler, at that. If Bastion wanted some one with information why didn't he go after the big guns. Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, Cyclops, even scary as hell Psylocke would all be better choices then yours truly.

    Gawd, I can't even be bait right.

    It's not like I asked to be born a mutant. I didn't want to be singled out and hated and hunted and feared. That's just the way I was born. Like how Martin Luther King Jr. was born black and Mrs. Clinton was born a woman. They couldn't pick what they were and neither can I.

    So, like, what's Bastion's prob? Is there revenge driving him on. Or is it fear and hatred. Me, knowing Bas, I'll have to vote for hatred. But I swear that sometimes when he looks at me, there's that glint in his eyes, and I know, I just freakin' know, that he's terrified of me. Because I'm a mutant, even if I'm just a sparkler. But, ya know what, as I get older I get more powerful and this sparkler's gonna turn into a comet. And when I'm a comet then I blow his ass away. Yeah, that'll be my day. That'll be my revenge.

    So I sit in my cell and watch the last trace of sunlight die. I sit and I think about my future. Because as long as I'm still alive, I can hope and I can dream. Bastion can take away my freedom but he can't take away my dreams.

    One of these days, I'm going to bust out and then, then it'll be his turn. Yeah, it'll be his turn `cause everythin' you send out comes back ta ya threefold. I wonder if ol' Bas will be able to stand when he gets what he deserves?