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X-Men: Evolution of the Heart: Chapter Five

Author's note: This chapter takes place a year after the previous one. The ages are as follows: Scott and Jean are both 17, Kitty is 14, Kurt is 15 and Evan is 13.

Also, this chapter has major references to drug use so be warned. When some of you read this you may find the actions of certain people to be hard to believe, but keep in mind the kind of damage that drugs can do to somebody.

The song "Hurt" belong to Nine Inch Nails.

Evan Daniels

Most people go through their early lives being told about the dangers of drugs. However, few can say they have seen their deadly effects on others. Evan Daniels, is one of those few who have seen these effects all too well. On the outside he is a normal looking 13-year-old African American boy living in New York City, but in reality his young eyes have seen things nobody should ever have to.

Evan Daniels lay back on his bed in his small cramped room, exhausted after another rough day in the ever going struggle that was his life. He stared out the window in a trance as wondered how things in his life could get so hard. Evan's parents made their money through the New York City drug underworld. Both his mother and father were like a mom and pop petty crime duo because they weren't satisfied with the lack of money that came with regular day jobs. The lure of the drug world was just too good to pass up for them and neither of them considered the effects it would have on young Evan. They had never meant to have a son, so Evan was often looked upon as a mistake on their part and neglected him from the start. Most parents would see a child as a blessing, but to Evan's parents he was nothing but a financial burden. For years, his parents accumulated money through risky trades with illegal drug cartels and for a while it paid off. However, that ended up not lasting very long.

With so many drugs so readily available it became all too hard to resist getting addicted to them. Evan was forced to watch his parents snort and shoot their way in to becoming all out junkies. However, he was too young to help and in the end it would have dire consequences. Evan's father grew too violent and confrontational for his own good. And in the world of illegal drugs this was a dangerous mixture. His mother didn't fare any better, as she grew dependent on crack and heroin. She resorted to armed robbery and prostitution to support her habit. Drugs made Evan's parents angry, violent, and irrational to no end. Soon, every penny made from their drug dealings was squandered in to their addictions. They were forced to live a meager, frugal existence in the inner city after acquiring massive amounts of debt to drug lords. All this took a toll on young Evan. He became the victim of numerous assaults by both his mother and father, angry associates of his parents' drug dealings also attacked him many times, and he was subjected to similar violence at school because of the knowledge of his parents' drug affiliations. He was even once beaten so severely he was in a coma for nearly a week. Evan was forced to defend himself as he got older. Getting in to fights was a way of life that he couldn't avoid even though he never wanted to truly hurt anybody.

As these thoughts drifted through Evan's head his attention changed to a picture located on a small table to the side of his bed. It was a picture of a seven-year-old him and a tall, white haired woman with striking blue eyes. Slowly, he grabbed the small picture and looked at it with a sense of sorrow. "I miss you Aunty O. I really do," he said aloud to the picture as if he was hoping for it to hear him.

There was one good thing in his life. While his parents incoherently descended in to drug addiction, Evan was kept clean because of his mother's sister from Africa, Ororo Munroe. In many ways, she was more of a parent than either his mom or dad put together. For as long as he could remember, Ororo would often spend time with Evan and teach him the values his parents wouldn't. For those reasons and more, Evan grew very fond of his Aunt and always looked forward to seeing her. However, those visits had become less and less frequent over the years. Ororo's constant attempts to help her sister and her husband with their drug problems led to violent conversations more often than not. That along with his father's drug driven advances towards her, made her less willing to talk. Even though she tried to help Evan as best she could, she soon found herself forbidden by her sister to ever come near him again.

In the end, drugs ultimately took their toll on Evan's father as he became too addicted to crack to function anymore. Despite Evan's attempts to help, he was too little too late...He died of an overdose when he was 11. Evan slightly cringed at the memory of walking in on his overdosing father. Whenever he closed his eyes he could see it...The blood on his face and the protruding red veins in his eyes.

As he lay in his bed, he tried to forget all these thoughts. Then he heard the front door to the apartment slam shut in a loud bang...His mother was home.

"EVAN! EVAN WHERE ARE YOU?" yelled his mother as she began to restlessly pace to and fro. She was also shivering severely and sweating profusely. Evan didn't want to come out of his room, but he knew he had to. It was almost a common occurrence to have to deal with his mother when he was in one of her angry moods. The relationship between Evan and his parents had always been very harsh. They often treated him as if he was the cause of their drug problems. Evan knew that if he hid he would be beaten, if he confronted his mother he would be beaten. There was no way out of it...And he knew it.

"EVAN!!!" yelled his mother again.

Slowly, Evan made his way out of his room and towards his mother. When he confronted her he immediately knew she was high. There was even a small trail of white powder coming from her nose. She also looked like she may have had a little too much this time. His mother wouldn't stop pacing back and forth. She wouldn't stop shivering either.

"Where's the money...Where is...The money?" said his mother through a drug-induced incoherent tone.

"What money?" responded Evan truthfully hoping she was just being paranoid again.

Suddenly, his mother grabbed him by the shirt and forced him up against the wall. She stared angrily at her son with bloodshot eyes. She was still shaking and the foul scent of cocaine still clung to her body.

"YOU KNOW WHAT MONEY! NOW WHERE IS IT?!" yelled his mother in a rushed, anxious tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about mom!" replied Evan sternly. "If it was money you probably already spent it on another fix!"

That did it...Evan felt a sharp pain as his mother punched him as hard as she could in the face. Immediately, Evan keeled over in pain. He tried not to show it, for any signs of weakness would ultimately lead to more pain in the end.

"Don't talk to me like that..." replied his mother in a dark tone. "You fight all the time...You come home with holes in your shirt...Face it Evan, you're NOTHING but a menace!"

Evan didn't talk back after that. He wanted to explain that he only fought when he had to and he would never hurt anybody. He also wanted to explain where those holes in his clothes came from...But that was a totally different story. He doubted that she would believe him if he tried to tell her.

As his mother paced even more, Evan started to head back to his room hoping she wouldn't follow him...When suddenly, the front door was smashed open. Startled, Evan hid in the hallway and watched the events before him unfold as four sinister-looking men entered the apartment and approached his drugged out mother. They were all in dark trench coats and wore black gloves. Evan watched as his mother cowered before them.

"Well, well, well...If it isn't our best customer," mocked the man with a devilish grin.

Then, three of the other men beside him rushed over and tackled Evan's mother to the floor. It didn't take long due to her drugged up state. As soon as she was subdued, the leading man causally walked up and kneeled down at the bound junkie before him.

"So...Where's our money?" asked the man sternly.

Evan watched as his mother started to falter.

"I...I'll get it to you I swear I..."

Before she could finish one of the men drew out a pistol and pounded it against her head with the butt of the gun.

"WRONG ANSWER BITCH!" said one of the men holding him down.

Evan listened to his mother moan in pain as bloody wounds began to form.

Then, he saw the leading man reach in to his pocket and pull out a bag full of white powder.

"You see this...This shit doesn't come cheap you know. You want it don't you?" asked the man with a sly grin.

Evan watched as his mother only nodded in response.

"THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO LEARN TO PAY FOR IT!" bellowed the man, "The boss will want to have a word with you now that you owe him...And frankly, I would PRAY you get on his good side man!"

As the men got up to leave, one of them saw Evan through the corner of his eye.

"HEY YOU! We've got a witness!" yelled one of them.

"Take care of em!" yelled the leader.

Evan instantly ran as the men started to make their way towards him. He escaped to his room where he grabbed his skateboard and climbed out the window on to the fire escape. The men followed close behind as they tried to catch him. As the leader watched his men follow in hot pursuit he looked back at Evan's mother who was still lying on the ground.

"Daniels...You trying to use your son to incriminate us?" asked the dark man in a stern voice.

Evan's mother just looked up at the man with an emotionless _expression.

"I have no son..."

***

After Evan hit the street, he jumped on his skateboard and tried to get as far away as possible. However, the three men were still following him. As he got out on to the main street they hopped in to a car that they had come in and started to drive after him. They quickly gained on the young boy and soon had him in their sights. As Evan looked back he saw them pull out guns. A sudden rush of fear came over the young boy. Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation on his arms. It was as if something had just pierced them...From the inside. They were spikes...Large, sharp, bone-like extensions that grew out of nowhere. In the rush of the moment, Evan raised his arm and shot the spikes at the car behind them just as they started to take aim.

BANG!

A loud noise filled the air as both front tires of the car exploded from the impact of the razor-sharp spikes. The car swerved on to the sidewalk where it crashed in to a traffic light pole. There were few onlookers, but the ones that were there fled from the path of the car as the bewildered inhabitance fell out.

"Did you see what that kid just did?!" exclaimed one of the men in disbelief.

"I saw it...But I don't believe it," said the other.

As the dazed men struggled to regain their composure, Evan took this time to make his escape. He wasn't sure what just happened, but it had happened before. Those strange spikes that appeared on his arm weren't new. For a few years now they had been a growing problem. It had been the reason why he always came home with holes in his cloths, but he never told his parents that. This was no time to ponder the phenomena; he had to get away. However, before he could get too far, the men noticed him.

"There he goes! Get him!" yelled one of the men as they started to chase him once again.

They were fast and it wasn't long before they were within firing range once again. With this in mind, Evan made a quick turn in to an alley to his right and began skating down the narrow path. However, this soon proved to be a mistake, for he had reached a dead end.

"Oh no...I'm dead," said Evan anxiously.

The footsteps of his pursuers could easily be heard...And they were getting closer. Evan felt his body tense up. Should he fight? Even if these guys had guns? He didn't know. But as his mind began to rush, something happened. He heard a strange noise to the side of him and suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere. It was a boy that looked his age, maybe a bit older. He was wearing ragged clothing and was very thin. Before Evan could respond, the boy grabbed his arm and suddenly, he vanished from the alley.

As the gunmen came to the dead end, they stood confused.

"Uh...What just happened?" said one of them.

"Beats me," said the other as he just shook his head "But what do we tell the boss?"

"We tell them...Exactly what they want to hear. We tell them the kid is rat food. Besides...You know what happens when you fail the boss," said the last man ominously.

And with that the three men left the alley and returned to the streets.

However, Evan Daniels was not gone. The mysterious boy who transported him away from danger had appeared in an abandoned warehouse near the docks of the harbor. Evan took a step back in confusion upon appearing here. He didn't know how, but he had gotten there in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. He then looked over at the thin, raggedy boy who had saved him. Even though he didn't even know this boy, Evan didn't feel threatened by this boy that just saved his life.

"Who are you?" asked Evan finally as he took in his new surroundings.

"It's okay mien friend...I mean you no harm," said the boy.

"Well...What happened back there? How'd we get here?" asked Evan, full of questions.

"Vell, that's a little complicated to explain," responded the boy through a thick German accent.

Evan didn't say anything else after that. He knew that asking more questions would only confuse him further. Suddenly, he saw three more people approach from the shadows off to the side.

"Hey, relax man. We mean you no harm either," said one of the figures in a male voice.

Evan was startled, but as he looked closer he saw that these new strangers didn't look very hostile. They were all kids just like him. One of them was a redheaded girl that looked several years older than he was, another was a boy about the same age standing right next to the redhead with a strange blindfold over his eyes, and the last one was a girl that looked about his age. As they approached young Evan, he noticed something distinctive about all four of them. They all looked homeless; each one of them looked like they hadn't had a decent meal in ages and their cloths were all ragged and torn.

"Who are you guys?" asked Evan growing increasingly more curious.

"Well, I'm Scott," said the boy with the blindfold, "This is Jean, that's Kitty, and the guy who bought you here is Kurt."

Evan noticed an obvious tone of sincerity in his voice.

"I'm Evan Daniels," said Evan simply at a loss for better words.

"Vell, it's nice to meet you Evan," said Kurt with a smile.

"Likewise, but...Why'd you save me back there?" asked Evan.

"Well, why not?" said the older redheaded girl.

Evan didn't respond after that. He was still in a somewhat state of shock. These people...These kids who were just like him saved him and they didn't even know him. For too long Evan had only been exposed to the dark side of human nature. Whether it be at school or at home, Evan could honestly say he had never met anybody who would willing risk their lives for others whom they didn't even know.

"Look...You need a place to stay?" asked Scott.

Evan looked back at him with a confused, disbelieving look. He still seemed to have trouble processing the kindness of these strangers. However, he nodded in reply.

"Then come on...Maybe we can help," replied the blindfolded boy.

Evan was in shock...For these kids who barely knew him were willing to help. He followed them willingly as they led him to the main area of the warehouse where there were numerous makeshift beds. They were made out of old newspapers and large empty crates littered the floor. As the five teens got settled in, Evan was given some of their scarce food that consisted of a small side of cold fries. Although he was reluctant to take them from these people who seemed to need food more than he did at the moment, they wouldn't take no for an answer. The group made themselves comfortable as they sat down to let the recent events of the night sink in.

"So...What happened back there Evan? Why were those guys after you?" asked Kitty curiously.

Evan hesitated briefly before responding, "They weren't after me...They were after my mother."

"Your mother? Vhy?" asked Kurt.

Evan felt reluctant to tell his secrets to anybody, especially people he had just met. It was so hard to tell anybody his parents were loveless, soulless drug addicts. However, these particular strangers just saved his life. He felt he owed them at most an explanation.

"Because she owed them money. Those guys were drug dealers...My mother is an addict who just couldn't stop even though she didn't have the money," said Evan.

The rest of the group responded with shock.

"Wow...I'm sorry to hear that," said Jean.

"Don't be sorry...It's out of my hands. My mother is in so much debt right now, she can't even pay the cheap rent in our crappy apartment. You see...Ever since my dad died of an overdose...She's been so irrational and eccentric it's scary. And what's worse is she blames me. Hell, if I were to go back I'd bet she'd say that she has no son."

Evan struggled to get out those last few words. He hated showing weakness, but for some reason it didn't matter around this group of kid. They looked back at him with a sense of sympathy, but they also showed a look of pain themselves as his story brought back some painful memories for the rest of them.

"Hey, you're not alone mein friend. Ve all know what it's like to have terrible parents. Ve also know how hard it is to talk about it. That's vhy ve all ran away...That's vhy ve all stick together as vell," replied Kurt breaking the silence.

Evan took their sincerity seriously, but he didn't think he could stay with them. After all...There was something else about him he hadn't told them yet. Now he felt it was best to get it over with.

"That's good to hear. Look, thanks for all your help guys, but I had better get going," said Evan as he stood up.

"Go? But where?" asked Kitty.

"Nowhere...I can't go back home...To many painful memories...But I can look after myself. I have a little gift that has protected me before." Then, Evan closed his eyes and his arms then formed large bony spikes along with a strange rock plate. Evan was surprised to see that they hadn't gasped in horror, rather look at it with amazement. However, it didn't matter to him. "Now I doubt you'll want me to stay."

Evan turned around to leave, but suddenly Kurt appeared in front of him in an instant flash. Evan became dazed by confusion.

"You'd be wrong my friend...Ve are all different as vell," said Kurt as he touched a button on his watch. Then his image was changed to that of a fuzzy, blue humanoid.

Evan looked back at each of them in amazement.

"So that's how you bought me here!" said the bewildered boy.

Then, Evan watched as each teen demonstrated their abilities. Scott shot a hole in the wall with his optic blasts, Jean floated a large wooden crate with her mind, and Kitty phased through a stack of newspapers.

"We all have abilities as well. We also don't have homes to go to that would accept us. So don't think for one second that you have to be alone out there," said Scott.

Evan managed to smile at Scott's words. The others couldn't help smile too.

"So how about it? Vill you stay vith us?" asked Kurt. "The more the better."

"Yeah..." said Evan, "I think I will. I owe you guys that much for helping me."

***

Bad memories still haunted Evan Daniels and there was little doubt that they would never stop. However, with some new friends by his side he felt he could learn to cope. It would be a hard struggle, but there was no escaping it. After getting to know his new friends, he decided to finally rest. The rest of the group soon followed suite. Kurt and Kitty fell asleep next to each other and Jean had dozed off leaning on Scott's shoulder. Evan closed his eyes as he lay his head against his skateboard that he was using as a pillow. As he started to nod off, he heard the gentle sounds of a guitar. He looked to up to see Scott playing a soothing tune. As he listened to the lyrics it reminded him of how far he had come. Now, he had to start again from nothing. This new life was by no means perfect...But it was enough for now.

I hurt myself today
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
But I remember everything
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
You could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt

I wear this crown of thorns
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stain of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become?
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
You could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I would keep myself
I would find a way

chap six

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