Rain
Charles+raven , stormy night at the mansion. Kidfic.
Raven woke up to the patter of rain on her glass window. Gently she pulled up her covers, and put on her green coat. Warm and woolen, made perfectly to fit just her, her Christmas present from Charles. On her feet she pulled on two small red slippers and wandered out of the room to find Charles.
Their afternoon had between wet, rain on and off, too cold to go outside. Together they had filled their afternoon with games, hide and seek (no powers allowed), a cubby made of sheets and boxes in the library, an aborted a game of chess. Cook made them dinner and then left them to their own devices. Sharon and Marco were out for the evening. The mansion very quiet, only the sound of cook's tv played softly from the ground floor. Yawning, Raven padded through the empty hall, their games some how wore her out and she had fallen asleep early.
"Charles?"
Raven peeked into her brother's room. She smiled expecting to find him pouring over some homework at his desk. His desk lamp was on throwing soft shadows across piles of books, and the warm quilt spread across his bed, but Charles was not there. The rain beat down harder outside, rattling the windows.
Charles? She thought hard.
Ow! Sorry Raven I heard you . She had learned well how to get his attention, her thoughts like shouts when she wanted to. Come up I am upstairs in the attic doing some homework.
Small and blue, the large building rose up about her with its nighttime shadows, Raven climbed the stairs to the attic. A rumble of sheet lightening reflected dimly in shiny red hair. The evening rain had become storm with the onset of night.
Charles? Raven opened the plain wooden door with a creak.
"Raven," Charles was bent over a small desk with some strange instruments on top and the attic; tiny window wide open to the night's weather. A bare light bulb flickered above his head.
"Come and see this!" Charles beckoned , his papers scattering as he stood brimming with excitement. Quickly he ducked down to retrieve the fallen pages. Raven collected a few of the ink smeared pages that gusted her way with the wind. As Charles re-ordered the papers, he explained to Raven that he had built a weather station as part of a school project and he was measuring the wind speeds , cloud patterns and precipitation at the precise time and that he had been able to predict the storm.
"That's great Charles," she replied with a bit of forced enthusiasm. Raven had little interest in her brothers crazy school project, but it was cold and lonely downstairs; it was nicer up here with Charles explaining random science things. She pulled up a cushion beside the jars and a wind mill like thing, and began asking questions. Charles filled the cold night with his words, and little by little Raven found things she could do to help. The storm raged outside, but inside Raven felt completely safe.
X
They had been in the dusty attic for a few hours, when Raven noticed something fluttering in the window, briefly illuminated by the by lightning, blue, and dark magenta, raven's favourite colours. A diamond that flew high in the sky, raven's first birthday present ever.
"Oh my! Charles that's my kite."
"Yes it is tracking wind direction, . ."
"It's my kite!" A toy she'd long since put away, a brilliant magenta silk and birch construction.
"And acting as a lightning rod. It's fantastic." His face was a glow with scientific enthusiasm and sheet lightening.
"That's my kite and you tied it to the roof." she added with more emphasis this time.
"Not the roof raven that would be unsafe, I have tethered it to that tree." Charles said, trying to allay her concerns.
"And it's doing a very wonderful job right now, look at it go," a shock of purple, small in the darkness of night - her kite.
Lightening smashed down. The kite did look a little forlorn now. . they paused, just long enough for Charles to work out his mistake finally understanding the cause of the emotion in Raven's eyes.
"I am sorry. It really should be fine, not really that probable that lightening will hit it, there are so many other likely targets for that ." Another bolt of lightening struck closer to the house, they both jumped, and at the same time a large gust of wind tore the kite from its anchor in the tree.
The weather would make a liar out of him.
Raven began to cry.
The kite sailed up passed the window, and they both drew closer to watch it catch and snag against the house 's decorative roof facade.
"I … we could always get you another. It's not like you used it very much."
More tears.
"its I've 'ever , 'ad a kite "
What to do? The kite flailed against the roof threatening to disappear, or more likely be ripped to shreds by the storm's fury. What to do? charles wondered desperately wanting to stop the tears in her eyes. The kite was not actually that far from the window...
"I could just, get quickly do you think."
Raven stopped crying and nodded. Then watched as her brother actually stepped out on to the roof.
Wait.
The roof looks very unsafe, as he would describe it.
In the wind and the rain he does not even hear her calling him back. A few quick steps, across and back. And hell. He nearly slips. He would wear dress shoes on a wet roof top.
"Charles!" Raven is at the window ready to step out to rescue her clumsy brother.
"Go back Raven. I am fine."
He's not fine. Raven can see that clearly from the way his voice pitches from reassurance to part order: stay where you are, because out here is clearly not safe. He uses all the authority of few small years he has above her. He's being doing that more lately. I am older, I am your protector. He's out on a roof in the middle of a storm, he's an idiot (an adorable one) but still...
He waves her back, and steps carefully out to roof's decorative stone balustrade. The kite pitched violently in the wind, the thin string snagged against the stone. Watching the kite, and thus not his feet he slips, careening forward with both arms outstretched for balance, he skids, half stumbles, head long into the solid turret. Made it. Gratefully he embraces the solid stone. Ok, stay calm, next part, get the kite down, Charles tells himself trying to be calm and logical about the situation. Get the kite and get back inside. Rain has plastered his hair to his face, wind pulls at his clothes. Soaked through he reaches up and tugs at the string. The kite does not oblige. Wind rips the wet string from Xavier's fingers and kite sores higher into the storm. The gale threatens to tear the kite to shreds. He would like to go back inside now. He should go back. He looks back to the window. Raven's amber eyes follow her kite, then lock back on to his, he does not missed the disappointment mixed with fear.
This is his fault. One more try. This time he leans out, with one arm he grips the stone turret, with the other he stretches out over the ground below. He almost has it. The wet line inches from his fingers. He ignores the threatening roll of thunder above his head.
"Charles! Come back." Raven climbed out on to the roof. This was stupid.
"I've nearly got it."
Crack! She jumped hugging the tiles with her body.
Bright brilliant lightening flashed white across the roof top. For a moment Charles would have sworn it was daylight , he could see clear across the estate, even the rose garden below was bathed in light. Clearly enjoying the view while tittering on the edge of a roof top was not the most intelligent thing to do. The thought drifted lightly through his brain as he slipped once more. Oh mother's roses bushes. Directly below him. Mother was going to be disappointed in him, especially if he landed on them. That might hurt. Quite a bit, Charles' brain calmly informed him, while the rest of him panicked. For one brief moment he fell through the air. A fourteen year old embracing nothing but air.
A hand caught his, his flight from the rooftop arrested. Blue fingers wrapped around his. Charles grunted. Gathering his strength reached up and gripped the gutter with his other arm and slowly Raven helped pull him back.
"You're so strong." She was only ten years old. "You're amazing raven."
She grins at him, her teeth white and her eyes golden. She is at home here where he is not.
Flapping valiantly in the wind above them the kite remains snagged against the roof.
"I can get it, watch."
"No raven - wait!" Raven does not wait, instead she is off lightly across the slippery roof tiles, and almost in one motion assails the turret. Raven reaches out to the finial, and collects her kite. As he watches her, brief flashes of sheet lightening continue to break above them, a noise that was not thunder drew his glance to the driveway. The sound of an engine.
A black Mercedes pulls up the drive. His parents were home. So was their step brother.
Charles put an arm around her and dripping wet they both return in side.
Raven is giggling, Xavier too. They are both giddy with excitement.