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Image Credit: Modified from Quizilla.Teennick.com - Eden. ~Landing

Author's Note: There is no connection between the novel by Harlan Ellison and my story except perhaps that we both just chose something simple that describes the story. :)

This is a fan fiction, the Whateleyverse and all canon characters are the property of their respective writers. If you find your life being depicted in this story you it is purely accidental and you have a hell of a lot more to worry about than suing me. No canon characters have been hurt in the writing of this story...yet.

Many thanks to GinnCaster5 for the editing help, without Ginn this story would probably be unreadable. And to Pmanpman and Rozarius for their read through.

This is a Whateley Academy fan fiction story, you can find the Whateley stories at http://www.crystalhall.org/ I highly recommend them. ~Landing

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Chapter 9
 

There was a thud as I abruptly sat down on the second floor landing. You could say that I was surprised. You could also say I was astonished, flabbergasted, stunned, stupefied, and shocked. If a dozen naked dancing girls had just trooped into the house and did the cancan, I don’t think I would have noticed right at that moment.

“Uh, hey Mom, I was j-just getting a glass of water, but I don’t think I’m thirsty anymore.” I looked up from where I had been intensely staring at the floor when my mom and dad, or well, you know who I mean, put their arms around me. They had apparently gotten up the stairs without my noticing.

My mom was saying over and over again that she was sorry and that this wasn’t how she wanted me to find out. My dad just hugged me. After a moment, he gently pulled me up off the landing.

“Come on Eden, let’s go sit down and explain it all too you,” Dad said as he led me down the stairs. It was a tight squeeze, since my mom didn’t want to let go of me either as we trooped downwards.

When we sat down, Dad was the first to say anything. “How much did you hear us talking about?”

“I-I went to get some water right when Kent showed up, I was thirsty.” It seemed important to me to tell them that I had a legitimate reason for being out of bed.

“Okay Eden, then you heard that I am not your biological father. I want you to know that changes nothing of how I feel about you. I love you, and it doesn’t matter who’s DNA you have; you are my daughter.”

My dad saying that helped to get rid of the shock some, though the whole ‘my daughter’ thing almost made me want to laugh in a hysterical sort of way. Man, was my life getting messed up today. What god had I pissed off for all of this to be happening to me?

I looked over at Kent where he was sitting, apprehension plain in his posture and expression. “So you’re…”

“Yes, I’m your father.”

“So you and Mom were more than just old friends?”

Kent drew in a deep breath before letting it out. “Yeah, when your mother and I were younger, we had a relationship, a relationship that I screwed up. I-I had problems back then. I was on drugs in a bad way and I was running with a bad crowd. I wasn’t ready to be a father. And despite how much your mother loved me, I didn’t love her or you enough to change who I was.” He looked down and said in a thick voice, “Not going after you and your mother when she left was the worst mistake of my life. If I could go back in time and undo it, I would, but it’s too late now. All I can do now is beg your forgiveness and ask that you let me have some part in your life. But if you don’t want me too, I understand.”

I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to feel. Here was this man that turned out to be my father. He had probably saved my life and soul earlier today, but he had also abandoned me after I was born. He had treated my mother like shit and had been more concerned with feeling good than taking responsibility for his life. I felt angry, I felt sad, I felt a warmth towards him that might be the beginnings of love, and I felt frustration at the whole situation, but mostly, I felt confused as all get out.

I looked towards my parents, my emotions probably clear on my face. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this?”

“Honey, I didn’t want you to know what kind of a man your father was. I thought it would be best that Carl be the only father that you knew. Deathknell is an internationally wanted criminal…”

“I uh, got a pardon from the last president; he liked my music,” Kent put in diffidently.

“You’re still wanted in six countries,” my mom said, shooting him a glare before turning back to me. “…and I didn’t want you drawn into his mess of a life. People would have used you against him if anyone found out about you. We thought it was better that you never know.”

My face flushed as my anger began to rise. They had lied to me about one of the most important things in my life. They had lied to me about who I was! I started to yell but remembered Kelly sleeping upstairs. God knows she didn’t need to hear all this, not as upset as she already was with everything. “So you decided just like that to keep the truth from me? I can kind of understand not telling me when I was young, if like you say, it might have been dangerous if anyone found out about it, but you decided not even to tell me when I was older. When I could be trusted to keep a secret?” I found myself on my feet, my voice a strangled half scream as I kept the volume low through force of will and love for my sister. “Instead I have to find out about it like this! What kind of parents are you? How could you lie to me my whole life!

I couldn’t take it anymore; tears streaming down my face, I ran from the room and back up the stairs to my own. I heard my mother try to say something behind me, but I didn’t care. I so wanted to slam my door when I got to it, but somehow I restrained myself; instead, I threw myself on my bed and wept into the pillow. My life was so messed up! It just wasn’t fair!

I felt Harvard’s reassuring weight settle in beside me as he silently gave comfort just as he always had. I turned my head and cried into his fur.

~o~O~o~

Carl sighed and rubbed at his face as he closed the door to his and his wife’s bedroom, leaving his wife to her misery. Tonight had not gone well. He had planned on discussing what to do about Kent becoming part of Adam’s life. He believed that now that Kent had come into contact with Adam that he deserved a chance to be a larger part of it. He had followed Kent’s ‘career’ as best he could. He had felt both hope and dismay when he learned that Kent started going clean four years ago. Hope because it meant that Herbert Kent might finally be pulling himself out of the mess he had made of his life and could maybe become part of his son’s. And dismay for the same reason. He might lose part of his relationship with the child he loved with all his heart to the boy’s biological father.

They should have told him earlier about his real father. He and his wife had almost done so a few times, but it always seemed to be the wrong moment. He had to admit that he and Veronica had just been too scared to do so. They had just taken the easy way out of putting off when they would have the discussion with Adam. At first, it seemed like they had good reasons. Adam was young and might have let it slip who his father was and that could put him in danger. They had told themselves that he would better understand when he was a little older. Then it seemed that Kent was trying to get clean, so they wanted to watch and see what happened with that. And when he did get clean, they wanted to make sure he stayed that way for a while before they did anything. They had always put it off that little bit more day by day.

Then there had been the mess tonight. He had finally decided to take the bull by the horns and start the process that might have meant Adam knowing the truth. He had invited Kent over so the three of them could talk it out and so he could see if Kent wanted a relationship with his son. He knew Veronica would be upset by the whole thing. She had handled the fear she had felt all day for her child by channeling it into anger, and it had come out in her interactions with Kent, the man who had been her first love. He had expected for her to blow off some steam yelling at Kent before they could get down to the real business. It would be a good way to see what Kent’s true feelings were. What he hadn’t expected was for their son, who he had thought was soundly asleep, to show up.

Daughter, not son, he had to remind himself of that fact. As fantastical as it seemed, his son was now a woman. He ached for the pain this confusing transformation must be causing Eden. He hoped for her sake that she would find some way to change her body back at this school, but he knew that even if she couldn’t, she had the strength in her to adapt. She had such a strong personality, it had always amazed him how she could overcome any problem with a mix of humor and sheer determination.

He shook his head, he was wool gathering, and he still had Kent to deal with this night. As he walked into the living room, he saw that Kent seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. He was still seated where he had been when Eden had interrupted them.

“I would offer you a drink, but I don’t think that would be a good idea, all things considered,” said Carl as he sat across from the aging rocker.

Kent looked up and winced. “Yeah, as much as I might want a drink after the events of today, I don’t feel like going down that road again.”

“So you really have gone clean?”

“Four years, three months and twenty-one days, free of all of it, drinks, drugs, or devises,” he paused for a moment. “What’s going to happen now?”

“A lot of it will be up to Eden. If she wants to have a relationship with you, we won’t stand in the way. We will monitor the situation, of course, and there will be certain ground rules, but that is all something we can work out as we go along.”

“Veronica didn’t seem all that keen on me having anything to do with Eden. As much as I want this, and really do, I don’t want to make trouble with your family.”

“Veronica will go along with it. She just has some pent up anger with you that she was working through. Of course, I’m not saying she is going to be your friend anytime soon, or even be civil to you, but she will agree to this as long as it seems best for Eden.

Kent got a wistful look in his eyes. “How is Veronica? She seemed really upset about tonight.”

“My wife will be fine,” Carl said laying stress on the pronoun. “Yes, she is upset about everything, but she’s a strong woman and will get through this.”

“Sorry, I just…”

Carl waved his apology aside. “It’s okay. I’m sorry too. I think we will all have some issues to deal with if this is going to work.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Kent, getting up. “I think it’s about time I was leaving. It’s well past midnight, and I’m sure you need your sleep.”

“Yes. I’ll call you and let you know what Eden wants to do about this whole situation,” said Carl reaching over to shake Kent’s hand. His expression turned hard as he held the hand of his wife’s former lover. “One more thing; I want you to know Eden is my daughter, and while I support you in having a relationship with her, I will not let you hurt her. I think you have cleaned up you act and changed, but if you hurt Eden the way you hurt my wife, I will hunt you down, and mutant powers or no mutant powers, I will kill you. Is that understood?” Kent swallowed once then nodded his head firmly.

After Kent had left, Carl went upstairs to check on his children. Kelly was fast asleep, snoring softly at the beginning of each breath. Carl wondered how she was dealing with everything. When he had first picked her up from her school and as gently as he could told her what had happened, she was upset. That was an understatement, thought Carl. But then, what do you expect when a girl learns her mother had been attacked and her brother kidnapped. When they learned that Eden was well, she had been incredible relived, but she had gotten tense again when she learned what had happened to her brother.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t have a reason to be tense and upset. Nothing really prepared you for a sudden magical transformation of a family member. He was going to have to sit Kelly down and talk with her some, try to figure out what was going on in her mind.

He was even more quiet when he cracked open the door to Eden’s room. He didn’t want to disturb her if she was still awake. He figured she wouldn’t want to see anyone until the morning. To his relief, she was asleep, curled around Harvard, her head resting on his neck. He closed the door silently and let the door knob turn softly in his hand so as to stop it from making a click.

Harvard, now there was a real conundrum. He wasn’t sure if he trusted him or not. He had loved him when he thought he was just an overly smart, large, dog. But now that he knew that the dog was really intelligent, he had to question why he had attached himself to Eden. He wondered if he could get the dog away from her somehow. Maybe he should insist that she couldn’t take it up to school with her. He would have to think about that.

It was quiet in his own room. The lights were out, and he could just see enough thanks to the moonlight through the window to see his way to the bed. He stripped out of his clothes and then lay down on the bed with a soft creak of the mattress springs.

After a moments silence Veronica spoke into the stillness. “I really screwed up this time, didn’t I? Adam is never going to forgive me for holding the truth back from her for so long.”

“We made that decision together, love, and it’s long past being able to do anything about it now. We are just going to have to wait and hope for the best.”

In the darkness they reached out and clasped hands, both drawing strength from the other's grip.

~o~O~o~

I awoke to a strange gurgling noise. I sounded like the kind you might hear in ancient buildings with equally ancient plumbing. As I lay there trying to figure this out, I noticed my head was raising and falling in a rhythm that seemed to be timed with a whooshing noise. My eyes decided my ears were doing too much of the work and opened. The sight that greeted me is something that only the stern of heart would not flinch from. Enormous with their closeness, two black nostrils seemed to form tunnels of some alien, slime-filled world.

“Arugh!”

Harvard backed his face away from mine and doggie grinned at me. -Morning Eden! What are we going to do today? When are we going to eat? I’m hungry.-

“What time is it?” I said, sitting up in the bed and trying to untangle the sheets from around my body.

Harvard gave me a puzzled look like it should be obvious. —It’s morning time, of course,- he seemed to think for a moment, then added, -It’s also breakfast time.-

I finally got the python-like sheet off of me and hopped out of bed. Bits of me jiggled. This reminder did not please me. It wasn’t as if I had forgotten about the whole new body thing. I just had kind of shoved it out of my mind upon waking. Probably some kind of subconscious denial I had going.

I gritted my teeth. I wasn’t going to let this beat me. I could survive this. I just had to keep the goal of getting myself changed back firmly in mind. It helps when you know you’re traveling towards something. It’s a hell of a lot better than running away.

For a second, I was indecisive. What was it girls did in the morning anyway? My sister had always needed to wake up much earlier than me to get ready. But after giving it a bit of thought, I decided that it didn’t matter. I was just going to do what I needed to do and let what a girl needed to do go hang. I wasn’t going to let myself or society force me to conform to a stereotype and tell me that’s was how I had to behave. Like I told my sister last night, I was still me.

As if nature itself decided to be ironic and mock my resolve, my bladder told me that it needed emptying. Stupid girl body not able to pee standing up. I went into the bathroom, noticing through the adjoining door that my sister wasn’t in her room and figuring that this probably meant it was late enough that she was already in school. I frowned down at the toilet before sighing and sitting down to do my business. Some half-remembered comment I had heard one of Brook's aunts say to a potty-training cousin guided me in the right way to clean up afterwards.

I took a shower, making sure not to get my hair wet, since I didn’t want to deal with it again, and did the rest of the things I would normally do in the morning. Okay, I didn’t shave, but then that had only been a bi-weekly thing anyway.

Back in my room, I was wondering what I was going to wear, since almost none of my old clothes would really fit me, when Harvard spoke into my mind. —Your dam came in earlier and left some things in your chair.-

“My dam? Oh right, my moth…” That’s when what I had learned last night hit me. It seems being a girl wasn’t the only thing my subconscious was trying to hide from me. I sat down on the bed. I still felt a little of the anger I had felt last night, but mostly I was feeling hurt and confused. Kent was my dad? Did that mean I had to call him Dad from now on? What about my real dad? Did I have to start calling him Carl? What kind of person was Kent anyway? Yes, he had rescued me, and he seemed like a nice enough guy, but what did I really know about him? And then there was everything with Mom. She had lied to me. She was wrong to do that, wasn’t she? I just didn’t know. Maybe I wasn’t a trustworthy person.

-You’re sad again,- said Harvard, his brown eyes deep and sad. He came over and leaned against my side. —I love you.-

“I love you too, buddy. I just wish I knew why my life was so screwed up.”

-Maybe it only looks bad because you’re in the middle of it, but once you get out of it, everything will look different.-

“Just plow on through huh? Well, I suppose I don’t really have any other choice.”

I got up from the bed, getting a disgruntled look from Harvard as he no longer had me to lean against, and went to my padded desk chair. In the chair was a short stack of clothing with a yellow post-it note on top.

It read, Eden, I got you some clothes that should fit you for today, but we should probably go shopping soon to get you a new wardrobe. I called the Watchers this morning and talked to Steelfist; he said we could come in when you were ready, so I let you sleep in. I know you’re probably still upset about last night, but I hope you will give me a chance to explain my actions.
Love, Mom.

I really didn’t want to talk to Mom right then. My feelings were too mixed up. I wondered if I could just pretend to be sick. But no, Steelfist and Cardshark were waiting, and it wasn’t right to leave them hanging when I had said I would be there today. It looked like I was just going to have to go through with it. This whole being determined and facing the challenges head on and all that jazz really sucks when you had to do it instead of just thinking of it.

The clothes my mom had bought me weren’t as bad as they could have been. It wasn’t like she went out and got me bright pink clothes and skirts or anything. What she had ended up getting was a set of gym clothes in white and black. First there was a simple white sports bra that I got into with only a modicum of difficulty, and a pair of white panties (oh joy). Next was a black and white sleeveless shirt and a pair of what I guess was girl’s gym shorts that were so short I felt almost naked. Was there a reason I had to show off that much thigh? Finally was a pair of girl socks and sneakers, also in black and white.

I felt like I was dressing up for Halloween. My mind just couldn’t accept these clothes as really what I would wear and not as some kind of costume. I shrugged my shoulders and decided to just go with it. If my mind wanted to pretend it was Halloween and this wasn’t really happening, I would let it. Maybe I would even get free candy out of the deal. Hey, you never know, it could happen.

“Come on boy, let’s go see what the day brings.”

I silently made my way down the stairs. Really not wanting to have anyone notice I was up. Of course, with the way Harvard was thumping his way down, this really didn’t stand much of a chance.

Mom looked up from where she was grading papers on the couch and straightened when she saw me. I quickly diverted my eyes from hers. I didn’t want to see what emotions where showing there, nor have mine seen.

“Ad-Eden, I-I have some waffles ready to cook for breakfast; let me just…”

“No, that’s alright, I’ll do it myself,” I cut in, new girly voice sounding kind of hollow to my ears. I saw out of the corner of my eye my mother, who had half risen, sag back down.

I quickly went to the kitchen before any more could be said and worked on preparing my breakfast. Harvard alternately gave me and my stack of waffles a pleading look, and I shook my head with resolve.

“Not a chance, big guy. Last time I gave you waffles, you got syrup all in your fur, and I had to spend an hour bathing you.”

Harvard gave a disgruntled sigh and went over to his dog bowl. —Can I at least have something better than the chunks of cardboard you usually give me in the morning?-

I quick look in the fridge netted him some leftover rice and chicken from a few nights back. He seemed happy enough with it. At least he ate it in about two minutes, which I take to mean approval.

From where I was sitting at the kitchen table to eat my waffles, I could see my mom’s back. She seemed stiff, and I didn’t see her flipping much through the papers she was grading. I guess she was just as uncomfortable with the whole situation as I was. That was fine by me, since it was all her fault anyways. The silent tension between the two of us was finally broken as I was cleaning up my plate.

“If you’re ready, we can go ahead and leave. They said we should bring Harvard along with us.”

I grunted a reply and let Harvard out the door to do his business before we left. The first thirty minutes of the ride was in silence, with me only looking out the passenger side window. As was usual, Mom didn’t have any music playing. I had to wonder about that now. Did her not liking music have something to do with Kent? It seemed pretty likely.

My mom signaled a shift into the next lane, and after that was done finally said something. “Eden I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, I just…” she trailed off into silence, seemingly unsure of what to say.

“How could you do something like this to me?” I asked, “Do you not trust me?”

“No, honey, that’s not it at all. The truth is that I was ashamed of myself. I didn’t want you to know what a fool I was. I didn’t want you to know that your real father was a criminal who wasn’t even responsible enough to take care of himself. I wanted you to have Carl as your father so you could look up to a good decent man.”

“You were ashamed? I don’t get it. What would have made it so bad to tell me?” I asked in bewildered disbelief.

Mom kept her eyes on the road as she talked, as if she were afraid to see what I was thinking. “I was young when I met Kent, only a few years older than you are now. He had just graduated from Whateley, and he and some of his friends were mad for music. They had their own band and they would travel around to whatever gig they could get. I met Kent at a club he was playing at. Back then, I loved music and since my dad didn’t really care where I was at night as long as I brought home enough money to pay my ‘share’ of the rent, I was always in the new music scene. His music was hot. He wasn’t afraid to do new things, and he was openly a mutant. That carried a certain taboo, and all of us who thought we were daring wanted to be there.”

“I started to hang out with Kent and his other friends as often as I could, and before long Kent and I were an item. I told my dad to go to hell and traveled with Kent from then on. I suppose I was happy then. It all seemed like a big adventure. Kent and his band were starting to take off. There were a lot of people that wanted to rebel in some way and buying music by a mutant was a safe way to do that. Of course it also helped that his band, The Lampposts, were great at what they did,” said my mother, pausing for a second to drink some coffee from her thermos.

I saw her lips compress into a hard line as she continued. “And just as Kent was starting to become successful, he had to go and ruin everything with us. He had always been a partier, and he could drink with the best of them, but now he started getting new friends who introduced him to new ways of having fun. It wasn’t so bad right at first. He had some self control. I didn’t think anything of it, though I never really wanted to do any of the drugs myself. They made me feel too weird. I did plenty of partying though. But things started to change slowly. Kent became wilder and wilder. He started doing ‘pranks’ that got him in trouble with the law. Oh, his fans loved it. They thought it just showed how cool he was. Some of the other band members didn’t like what was happening, and some of them split. It was all downhill from there. The crimes and drugs and wild parties kept getting worse and worse. As much as I asked him to stop or cut back, he wouldn’t.”

Mom shot a quick glance at me, trying to see how I was taking this news. “Towards the end, things got bad. Kent got in trouble with some supervillains. I think it had something to do with devisor drugs, and they followed him back to where we were staying. Kent won the fight, but it was a close thing. Even that didn’t convince me to leave him. I still loved him and thought I could fix him. But once I found out I was pregnant, everything changed. I could put my own life in danger, but I couldn’t risk my child’s. I gave Kent an ultimatum, give up on the crime and get help with his problems, or I was taking our baby and leaving him for good. He said he would change, but he didn’t, so I left. He never came after me, never even tried,” Mom angrily swiped at her eyes where I could see some moisture forming.

I didn’t really know what to think of what she had told me. It was strange hearing this, the story of my origin. It was hard to believe it was really about my own mother. It didn’t sound anything like the person I knew. But it did explain some things about her. Like how she never wanted to listen to any music or why she was so hard on the subject of drugs. Many was the time she would warn me and my sister about how bad they were. But as interesting as her story was, it still didn’t explain why she didn’t tell me the truth, and I told her as much.

“Eden, like I said before, I was ashamed of myself. That’s the truth of the matter. Oh, I fooled myself by coming up with all kinds of reasons that sounded good at the time not to tell you, but when it comes right down to it, I was too ashamed of my own actions to want to face the consequences of them.”

“What were you ashamed about?” I asked, somewhat confused. “I can see Kent being ashamed, but not you.”

“I let love blind me to the truth of my own situation. I let my life follow someone else into the crapper. I got knocked up by a good for nothing drug addict who didn’t care for me or my child. I was the failure my father had always said I would be. I didn’t want to deal with all of that, so I never told you the truth about your father. That way I never had to explain what a failure I had been,” said my mother, bitter lines creasing her face.

“I still don’t understand. You made some mistakes, but that doesn’t make you a failure. You’re only a failure if you don’t learn from them. That’s what dad always says. Or are you ashamed of having me?”

“NO! I could never be ashamed of you! You are one of the best things that have ever happened in my life. Never think otherwise,” she sighed, “Maybe you are just too young to understand how much someone can regret something.”

“Maybe,” I said uncertainly. I didn’t really believe it though. I figured she was just being too hard on herself. I was still a little pissed and hurt by my parents not telling me, but I couldn’t hold on to my anger. Maybe I’m just too forgiving. I never really could hold a grudge, and right now I really wanted the loving comfort my parents could provide in dealing with all the crap that had been happening to me.

“Um, what are we going to tell Kelly?” I asked. The question was an olive branch of sorts, saying that lines of communication were open again between the two of us besides being a valid thing to ask.

“I think,” said my mom, pausing to consider for a moment, “That it should be up to you what and how much we tell your sister. I know your father would want us to be honest with her, but it should be your decision to make.”

I thought about not telling Kelly. She had already be upset about me turning into a girl, how much more so would she be if she found out we weren’t fully brother and sister? Uh, I mean sister and sister, damn it. But having just dealt with my parents never having told me the truth and the sense of betrayal that engendered, I knew it was best that we told her.

“I think we should tell her the truth, but I want to be the one to tell her; I owe her that,” I told Mom.

“Fair enough, but me and your father will be there if the two of you need us.”

For the rest of the journey to the Watchers HQ we talked of inconsequentials. It wasn’t that we didn’t have plenty of dire things that we could have talked about, it’s just that I feel having more than one important life altering conversations in a row is probably a bad habit. If you do it too much, you might wind up on Doctor Phil or something.

As we talked, I wondered if there was any truth to the old saying that things came in three’s. I had ended up having three major changes to my life yesterday. First, I woke up and discovered I was a mutant, then I got changed into a girl by some nutsos, and finally I find out the truth about my parents. I hoped the part where only three things happen is true; I don’t know if I could handle any more events turning my life upside down.

---

 
 
To Be Continued...