once upon a time, elizabeth had been able to rely on her dreams. they would serve as glimpses into the future. they were often haunting, and only a mere possibility of what was to come, but they would warn her. she had seen the rising of apocalypse, she had seen what would become of her. often times, the sacrifice was worth it. stopping apocalypse had saved their kind, it had been their only hope. to stop him, to stop the shadow king. to stop all of them, she had become a weapon. the sacrifice had been worth it if it meant her friends and family meant to live another day.

in some strange twist of fate, elizabeth had regained everything she had lost. ava could feel sorrow, she could feel. emotions weren't dulled by the lack of sorrow. it was a relief for betsy to feel, and for the first time in a long time she had cried. the pain and anger had been replaced by relief. there was something nearly liberating about being able to feel sorrow, to feel regret for the things she had done. the sacrifices had been worth it because of the lives she had saved but they had ruined many other lives. they had ruined her. that hollow inside, the one that begged to be filled with something. anything. just to feel.

as confused as she was, ava had let go an allowed elizabeth to reign. there had been a fight as the two souls tried to find the right balance. it had been some sort of war as they both struggled. ava questioned if she was going insane while elizabeth wondered if this was a reality (she had never been good at keeping a firm grasp on reality). it had been her brother, jamie, who had gifted her with the immunity to reality altering powers but... perhaps he had failed.

      stay inside.

she should have followed the warnings, only she hadn't. elizabeth was in control and she had never been the type of woman to listen. she had needed to see it for herself, had needed to see the world for what it was. san francisco was not the place she had remembered it to be. she was still careful, blending in crowds and avoiding the shadows... funny how once upon a time, the shadows had been some sort of comfort for her. trained to stay hidden, always in the shadows. now they were something to be scared of. she kept to the crowds, people finding some sort of safety in numbers. it wasn't uncommon, there was security in group, for some it was the hope that others would help them. for others, the hope that another would be chosen as opposed to them. for betsy, it was blending and appearing human.

      human. that's all i am now, isn't it?

the thought was a fleeting one as she glanced down to the sidewalk. she had been powerless once before, but even then it had been different. she had known it was real, there had been a reason. there was no reason for this. it had briefly been explained to her but elizabeth hadn't remembered any of it. she couldn't make sense of it. logic didn't apply, of course in her world, logic wasn't always applicable. something had done this to them, something had displaced them. the multiverse, that's what they had called it. she believed her friends when they soothed her, but perhaps that had been her mistake. if this was all some sort of alternate reality, perhaps they had been created to tell her what she needed to hear. perhaps she was trapped in her mind, that was the most valid answer she could come up with.

but she had to get it out of her head. she was driving herself mental thinking of all the 'what ifs' and 'maybes'. she had to find some sort of distraction and perhaps that had been the reason she had taken to the streets. elizabeth always had enjoyed her alone time, but alone led to thinking and overthinking. at least in crowds, she could escape herself, she could forget about herself for just a moment.

      careful what you wish for.

it was at that moment that she noticed the crowd around her stopping, the heard the gasps and screams of some. a few scattered while others hurriedly took out their cellphones. she pushed her way through the crowd, moving to the front just in time to see it.

ava recognised him. henry. it was henry. only it wasn't. he had turned into something completely different. she could see the tentacles and appendages sprouting forth from his stomach. there was a pause as she found herself unable to look away. had he suffered the same fate as she had? did he know what was happening? she couldn't help but look in horror. did it hurt? was she supposed to be helping him? whatever it was, her cousin appeared to be a monster.

      he's not a monster.

because betsy had seen similar. she had seen too many mutants being called monsters because of their genetic mutation. this man was not a monster, although there was no denying that he certainly seemed to be in the possession of one or three. he was far from a monster. ava continued to watch, her expression changing from one of shock to more of a curious one. betsy knew she couldn't help him, not in her current state. but it did not mean she wouldn't watch over him. henry. that was his name. henry was more than capable of taking care of himself by the looks of it.

      "ava!"

his voice was loud and clear as she saw him turning his head, looking at her. she could tell he was just as possibly confused as she was... but what was she supposed to say? what was she supposed to do? part of ava was still in shock at the vision she saw. it was horrifying, even with betsy attempting to sooth her, she couldn't shake the fear of what she saw.

ET