The Academy lay in ruins. The decaying brick and concrete corpse had been reclaimed by the climbing vines dragging it to earth, taking the stones and minerals into the soil once again. The spires that once towered for over two-hundred years were reduced to rubble in a matter of ten. The expansive grounds grew up to knee deep grass. Yellow rod and Queen Anne's lace sprawled out fighting each other for space amongst the weeds.

Only the headmaster's mansion remained. After the war, Ivy reclaimed it for herself. Not in triumph, but to remember. She and her loyal Watchers rebuilt it, healing the building's post-war wounds until it was habitable again. Then they crafted a new Academy beside the freshly dead body of the one she ripped down. This time would be better. This time, it would be a place for mutant children to learn and embrace their abilities, not a prison for them to be experimented on and exploited.

Despite the eye-sore, the tragedy, the thousands of reasons to be rid of the ruins forever - Ivy kept them. Each day, mutant children cheerfully walked past what was once Ivy's prison turned battle grounds - now turned crumbling husk - on their way to classes and a brighter future. It was not at the forefront, but it was there in the corner of everyone's eye, a slight cringe or shiver up their spine at the horrid fate that Ivy had liberated them from. The lab in the basement had long since been sealed shut by the boulders and chunks of rubble.

'This is what humans can do' was the death cry of the ruins, but Ivy knew better. When she stood on her balcony over looking the lake and the endless forest, drinking her morning tea, she heard 'This is what I can do.' 

She knew the others heard it too and was pleased. 

She placed her cup of tea on the side table. Beverages, along with food were no longer necessary, but simple pleasures were all she had. Ivy's slender fingers curving around the handle hardly held their shape and form, becoming transparent, shimmering under the early afternoon sun. A blue haze enveloped her body, including the all black Watcher's garb and cloak she still wore.

A knock came at the door.

"Come in," she called. Even the sound of her voice was faint to her ears, yet carried like a specter on the wind.

The French doors opened.

Ivy tensed, reactively pushing herself further against the chair. Cold iron dug into her spine. She was still corporeal. That was something at least.

Watcher Dominic joined her on the balcony. His black eyes squinted to see her fading form better in the light. Long silver hair cascaded to his waist, striking against his black Watcher's attire. A hooded cloak wrapped over his shoulders and drifted across the stone floor, swishing around his boots as he moved.

The energy emanating from him wafted toward her. She sensed each beat of his heart as it pumped life through his veins. Each cell's vibration created a kinetic heat. It pulled her forward. Magnetic. It reminded her of starvation.

"Stop," Ivy said, holding up a finger. "No closer."

"We found him," said Dominic, then dropped his eyes to the floor. "However, he already made it back to Portsmouth Island."

She clenched her jaw.

"How was that allowed to happen?" she asked through gritted teeth. "It's nearly impossible to retrieve them once they hide there."

"He'll be too afraid of retribution to ever leave again, and if he does, perhaps then we can seek justice?" Dominic suggested.

Ivy's silver eyes sharpened.

"It can't wait!" she snapped.

"I see that you're fading -"

"Peace between us and humans is tenuous at best," she said. "If I allow mutants to cause havoc the already thin tethers are bound to snap. Do you want another war Dominic? Isn't the last one still fresh in your mind?"

"I'll send the Watchers straight away."

"Thank you. Next time save yourself the trouble and do as I ask."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Dominic nodded. In the span of a second, he dissolved into a swirling black cloud of mist. No longer able to sense his energy, Ivy sagged in relief.

She collected herself and headed inside to find Watcher Lily. The mansion had been redecorated, stripped of its former opulence. Crystal chandeliers were replaced with simple over headlights, the gold trimmed panels stripped down to the original brick work and the marble floors removed to reveal the hardwood beneath.

Ivy stepped into the hall. Her long black cloak trailed behind her as she marched toward the grand staircase. Beneath the bright lights, her flesh faded further. 

"Miss Ivy!"

Ivy flinched before descending the stairs to see Meredith bouncing down the hall from her own room. Her dark ringlets springing around her shoulders with each step. Even at the age of ten, Ivy could hide nothing from her young apprentice.

"Stay where you are sweet child," said Ivy.

Meredith stopped in her tracks and her brown eyes widened, taking in Ivy's shifting state for the first time.

"Are you becoming a ghost?" she gasped.

"No, no," said Ivy softly. "When I get back I'll be better, just like last time. You'll see."

Before Meredith could argue further, Ivy rushed down the stairs. Watcher Lily greeted her in the foyer. The older woman held herself straight and stern. Not a hair in her greying bun out of place. Without a word, Lily extended her hand, pinching her index finger to her thumb. Drawing her hand downward, she unzipped the air. A swirling purple and black portal emerged.

Ivy stepped toward it, feeling its pull the closer she got. Once inside, it was as simple as going through a door. In the span of a blink she found herself on the island shore. The ocean rolled at her back. Heavy storm clouds drifted overhead as seagulls screeched from the sky.

The island was home to a small village. After the war, any mutants unwilling to live amongst humans on the mainland sequestered themselves here. Which was why she needed to be quick. 

She wandered the dirt roads between the small wooden houses. Former abandoned shacks were transformed into habitable cabins and homes. Most lawns were overgrown with weeds as high as her thighs. Each block of houses was punctuated by a community garden or small shop. Though it was the middle of the afternoon, there weren't any outward signs of life, but she felt them. Heat radiated toward her. She could count the occupants inside every home.

Ultimately, it was the commotion that led her to the man she was looking for. A crowd had gathered outside of a crumbling brown shack. Quiet settled over the group the moment Ivy was spotted. All eyes turned to her. Searing waves tasting of warm copper wafted toward her. Rage - like fresh blood in her mouth. In her current state, it took far more of her concentration than was comfortable not to pull it in and bask in it. There was a time she would have been hurt. Their eyes used to wound her. So she shut herself away. A job needed to be done. There was no space for remorse.

"Bring him out," she commanded.

The crowd stood still.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be." She took a step forward. The crowd tightened, sealing the pathway to the house. "This won't end well for you."

"This isn't your island!" A man yelled. "Go back to the mainland. We'll handle our own people, and you take care of yours." He stepped forward, fists clenched to his side. Electricity crackled around his knuckles, bristling the coarse black hair along his forearms.

"Julian, please. We don't need to make a scene," she said. "This must be done. I can't allow unsanctioned fight clubs on the mainland. What would happen if I became lenient? More would crop up, then come running to the island when they get caught. No exceptions. Step aside."

"Tyrannical bitch!" A woman screamed. The crowd dispersed as rocks rose from the earth, quivering and hovering in the air.

All at once, the stones shot toward Ivy. She raised her hand. A translucent blue shield emerged. The rocks struck it and tumbled harmless to the ground.

A hush settled over the crowd. Ivy tasted the ice cold mint of fear. The woman's feral scream as she began to levitate the rocks again could not disguise her true emotion. She gasped, suddenly strangled for air. The stones quivered and settled on the earth. Blue light emitted from the woman's open mouth in a long thick wisp like a gossamer curtain, drifting toward Ivy.

The woman crumpled to her knees.

"Ivy please!" Julian cried. "Let her go, she didn't mean it."

The woman's life force had only just begun to intertwine with Ivy's own, soaking into her barely corporal form. For a moment, she was almost sorry. It was a shame to snuff out such a warm, firm energy. So much life. So much vitality. Her flesh shifted solid again.

"Ivy! Please!"

Julian's desperation pulled Ivy into lucidity for a moment. He was now crouched beside the woman's still body. The others gathered around them, staring at her with wide, terrorized eyes. Ivy's heart wrenched. She released her hold and reversed the process. The curtain of light seeped from herself, trailing backward, reentering the limp woman. Ivy watched herself fade. The woman gasped, her chest heaving in bursts.

Ivy stepped forward and this time, the crowd parted to allow her passage toward the house. The squat shack seemed to sag into the earth, drooping into the weeds. Their judging eyes pressed on her back. She steeled herself. The energy emanating off the crowd was a miasma of terror and rage. She could hardly blame them.

Ivy climbed the stairs to the front deck. The rotten wood sagged under her weight. When she opened the door, she found the house in darkness. The man sat slouched on the sofa, his head in his hands. Soft sobs reverberated through the room.

"I promise never to do it again," he whimpered. "Hell, I'll never go back to the mainland at all. You'll never -"

The words choked out. His mouth opened, as though he gasped for air. Blue light poured from him in a thick wave. The bitter ash - the flavor of desperation. She tasted it all. It was stale and brought her no pleasure. When the man crumpled, folding forward into an empty husk, she returned to her solid form.