The mansion lay in swaddling clothes of silver. All was still except for one lone boy flipping the TV Channels with his brian. TV Land. Home and Garden Television. Oxygen. CNN.
"Protestors rallied outside the White House this morning in support of the new bill forcing all mutants to turn themselves in. The angry demonstrators held signs saying, 'Down With Mutants', 'They Are Among Us', and 'Our Children Are Not Safe'. Online polls show that a startling 88 of the population wants this anti-mutant bill to pass. The federal government is not saying much on the matter, and even House Representatives and Senators are being rather close-lipped about this issue. The general consensus is unknown. We can only wait and see what the future holds in the not-so-silent-anymore war between humans and mutants. Back to you, Nancy."
VH1. Nickelodeon. Disney. ABC. NBC.
His attention was suddenly averted from the TV by a sound. When his eyes left the screen, it went black. There it was again: a distinct knocking. He arose and crept into the hall. He looked at the front door warily. Should he wake one of the professors?
The knock came again, much more urgent this time. He shrugged, walking forward slowly. He grasped the doorknob, and with a turn, heaved the massive thing open.
A form, only a few inches taller than himself, spoke in a female voice. "Oh, thank God!" She sounded breathless, tired, as if she had un a long while. "Please. . .I'm a mutant. . .I don't. . ."
With those vague words, her eyes shut and she collapsed at the boy's feet.
He turned and ran as fast as he could, looking for the nearest professor's room. He skidded and stumbled through the halls until he came to Jean and Scott's door.
"Somebody! Wake up! Come quick! Miss Jean?"
From inside he heard soft noises. Seconds later the door was flung open by a surprisingly alert, concerned Jean Gray. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Come this way!" he beckoned her with him as he began to run back to the collapsed girl. "I was just watching TV and I heard a knocking. When I went to answer it there was this girl, and she was talking to me, and she collapsed."
Moonlight flitted across their bodies as they passed windows. Their bare feet made little noise, but in the silent halls it seemed like a mini avalanche fell with each footstep.
They came upon her just where he had left her. Jean leaned beside the girl and checked for a pulse. "Well, she's alive and breathing," she said matter-of-factly.
They heard footsteps. They twisted around to find Scott barreling down the hall towards them, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and his very necessary sunglasses.
"What's going on here?" he asked curiously.
While Jean explained to him what she knew of the events, the boy had his eyes fixated on the still body of the girl. His eyes weren't quite focused, as if he wasn't exactly looking at the girl. Suddenly, in a soft voice, he burst out with, "She said she was a mutant."
He had interrupted what Jean had been saying. She and Scott exchanged semi-worried glances above the boy's head. "Scott, go wake up the Professor and meet me in the medical rooms, please."
Scott winked and nodded before jogging away in the direction of the Professor.
Jean put a hand on the shoulder of the boy, who was still looking at the fallen girl in a funny way.
"Do you think you could help me carry her?" she asked him in a soft voice.
"No, but I could." She jumped, her heart pounding. She spun around to find who it was.
A wave of relief washed itself over her, as she was happy it wasn't some intruder or something, but at the same time a big ball of dread wound itself up among Jean's bowels. Outwardly, she smiled weakly.
"Oh, hi Logan," she said, not being able to mask entirely her disappointment at seeing him. "That would be great, thanks."
She didn't really have any dislike towards Logan, but his feelings for her and his relentless will to advertise them made her feel utterly uncomfortable. Sure, she felt some attraction to him, but he was so damned persistent. She had something really awesome with Scott. She loved Scott. But this Logan thing had put a wall between them, with Scott's unhappiness about the whole situation. Scott couldn't help being suspicious that she felt something back.
While she thought, Logan had hoisted the girl into his arms, carrying her like a baby. Jean's brow furrowed, seeing how pale and sick the girl looked. She looked up at Logan with a frown on her face. "Let's hurry," she said grimly.