Like Waiting on Your Train to Come
Chapter One: Ghosts of all kinds
Jean gasped as her eyes snapped open. Another nightmare had plagued her, more vivid and realistic than before. She rose and sighed, rubbing her eyes. Looking around her room, she saw her clock and how it displayed the time, flashing red in time with the seconds. 1: 17 AM, she thought, sighing again as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up. She walked out of her room, careful to close the door quietly. She shuffled down the hallway, her hand against the wall, fingers gracing the wallpaper, a guide for her in the darkness of the mansion.
A crack of lightening lit up the hallway, casting shadows for a split second. Jean paused, listening to the roll of thunder. Counting to five, she only made it to three before another bolt of lightening came down. He continued down the hallway, listening to the rain hitting the roof and the walls, seeming to echo around the mansion. She decided to find the TV room and watch something, hoping that that would calm her nerves.
Ray waved to his friends as they drove off, leaving him at the end of the drive that would lead to his current home. He made sure the truck had rounded the corner and disappeared, before he started up the drive. He ran his fingers through his hair to get rid of the Mohawk he had put in his hair hours before. He yawned, reliving the night's events as he snuck through the wooded area surrounding the mansion. He had snuck out at ten-thirty, just after light's out, and had fired the security systems long enough to make it over the wall and to the street.
He had then joined several of his "Cohorts in Anarchy" for a gig at a local hang-out for teens of his scene. The gig was held outside of Bayville, in a warehouse building converted into a quick concert hall. There had been a few hundred people, and Ray's band, C.I.A., had been playing with a few others. It had been a great show. Ray had given it his all on his guitar and even sang a song for the masses. He was going to stay longer, but when he saw it was midnight he knew he had to head home before Logan made his rounds and found him missing.
He stopped for a moment, and leaned against a tree. Now the fencing was in sight, and Ray could see the gardens. But he still paused. He found it funny in all the irony that no one at the Institute besides Sam knew he was in a band. To mostly everyone, he was just another troubled teenager with an extra burden. Ray didn't want attention to be brought on himself; he liked being solitary most of the time with a small clutch of friends.
Maybe that's why he didn't say anything about the band. He didn't want attention. He thought though, that Professor Xavier had an inkling about what he was doing. No one had caught him sneaking out yet, or approached him about it, so Ray thought he stood a chance at getting away with his nightly charades for a little while longer.
Ray approached the fence, taking off black gloves. He looked up at the first roll of thunder, and then saw the lightening coming .Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Ray held his hand up, calling the bolt to him. It struck him and for a moment he felt pain course through his entire being, from his skin to his soul, but then it subsided as he felt a rush of power. He grinned as he pulled his hand down, watching as tiny bolts coursed over his flesh, then reached out and took hold of a metal bar. He sent the pent-up electricity straight to the security system, hearing a crack and a static sound not far off. He froze then, making sure the system was out, before scaling the fence and jumping down to land in the garden. He then made a run for the kitchen door, ducking under things to avoid scanning cameras, the only equipment he had yet to figure out how to disarm.
He reached the door, and pulling out a small wallet form his back pocket, he removed a small hooked device from its little pocket. Inserting it into the lock of the door, he pressed his ear near the doorknob until he hear a click. With a smile he put the lock pick away and opened the door. He snuck into the back living room, and made his way to the grand staircase. He was walking down the left hallway, in the direction of his room, when he heard a noise coming from down the hall. Ray ducked into a room, an office, but peered around the doorway to see what the noise was.
It was a bright figure, a girl; he thought .She looked scared and was running down the hall, looking behind her. But when she looked ahead again she stopped, and was looking around the hallway. Ray's jaw dropped. It seemed she was ghost, but color was coming to her figure. Was she solidifying? He thought, watching in awe.
But as soon as the color began to return to her, it faded away and she started running again, opening her mouth to scream though nothing came out .Ray jumped out in front of her, intent on stopping the intruder. But to his shock, she went through him. The feeling was numbing, cold, and she disappeared behind him, leaving behind a misty haze. Ray whipped around, but saw no one. Horrified and rattled, he sank to his knees, finally letting out a shout of confusion as he felt his body fearfully to make sure nothing was missing.
Jean rounded the corner, but stopped. A white figure darted across the wide hallway, appearing just beside the wall and disappearing before running into the opposite wall. Jean couldn't determine what it was exactly. A play of shadow and light? A hallucination?
A mutant?
"Come on, Grey," she whispered to herself; "You're just tired."
She continued down the hallway, but the ghoul appeared again. This time, Jean clearly saw the face, so dramatic and fearful. Jean let out a shriek, and stumbled back, tripping on the carpet and falling onto her behind. The figure kept running towards her, and Jean feared it would try to attack her. Throwing out her hand, she sent out a wave of telepathic energy, but to no avail did it work. The ghoul kept coming. Jean shrieked again, but as the figure came at her, it disappeared, leaving behind a wispy haze that dissipated like a fine mist. Jean breathed heavily, her breaths short and high-pitched.
The hallway was suddenly filled with artificial light. Ororo came around the corner; "Jean!" she exclaimed, dropping down beside her student; "What's the matter? You're so pale, did something happen?"
Jena nodded shakily, gripping at the air before she found Ororo's nightgown and pulled her to her, and Ororo noticed she was shaking.
"I-I s-s-saw a g-g-ghost!" Jean managed, looking at her mentor with fearful eyes.
"Come on, let's find the Professor," Ororo said, helping Jean up as she rose.
The young woman was shaken thoroughly, and Ororo was without quick solution. She led Jean to the TV room and sat her down on the couch, and then bent down in front of her, taking the redhead's hands in her own like a worried mother.
"I'm going to find Charles, will you be okay here by yourself or should I simply send for him?" She asked worriedly, searching for answers in Jean's eyes.
"I'll… I'll be fine here," Jean said shakily, nodding as Ororo rose. The Storm Goddess left.
Jean reached for the remote and turned on the TV. She was channel surfing when she found the news to be on. It seemed odd, for the news to be on, but she realized it was from…
Kentucky? She thought, her face a picture of confusion. She leaned in as the newscaster came back onto the screen.
"This just in," the man was saying; "Reports of ghost sightings have been pouring in, in the past twenty minutes. Residents from Chicago to Chattanooga and in between have reported seeing a bright figure of a girl running and then disappearing…"
He didn't get a chance to finish for a certain viewer. Jean had turned the TV off, and continued to stare at the black, empty screen.
The hallway came alive with light and Ray looked around as they all came on. He scrambled to his feet and made a run for his room, only to collide with Logan as he rounded a corner. Ray was floored, the Wolverine remaining standing as if nothing had hit him.
"Crisp? What are you doin' outta bed?" He asked suspiciously, crossing his arms.
"Logan, th-there was a ghost, a real ghost!" Ray stammered, scrambling to his feet again.
"A ghost?" Logan asked, an eyebrow arching up skeptically; "Kid, have you been gettin' into stuff you shouldn't be gettin' into?"
"No! Logan, I swear there was a ghost!" Ray said, looking around; "It went through me!" he insisted.
Logan continued to look at Ray; "Alright, let's find the Professor," he said, taking Ray firmly by the shoulder and leading him down the hall; "And you can tell me what you were up to on the way…"
"I was just out walkin' around cuz I couldn't sleep," Ray said, shrugging Logan's hand off of his shoulder as he walked by his teacher and "dad" figure. That was a role Logan had assignment to himself.
"Well, can't blame ya for wanted to walk around in that case, though I think yer lyin' to me," Logan said gruffly.
Five minutes later, Ray, Logan, Ororo, and Xavier were in the TV room. Ray and Jean retold their stories, the professor listening intently. Jean was more convicted than Ray, though, but his detail offered Xavier a slightly greater insight to the issue. As he was about to speak, Hank came in, a few papers held in his large hands.
"Got the info, he said, setting the papers down on the coffee table.
"That's her!" Ray and Jean exclaimed in unison, each pointing to the picture on the top paper.
Xavier nodded; "You both have just been involved in the latest mutant occurrence," he began; "Cerebro detected mutant activity not twenty minutes ago," he paused; "Her name is Meg DeBonte, a native of Tennessee. Based on what you both have said, it seems she is in distress and needs our help. Now, it is too early, but we will head out in the morning to hopefully find her and offer her and invitation to come to this school. But I advise that you both say little of this matter to your fellow students and go to bed. Are we agreed?"
The recruit and X-Man nodded, and both rose. Jean said a quiet "goodnight" and Ray nodded to the teachers, but as soon as Jean left, Logan stepped in front of Ray.
"Hold on, Crisp," he said, motioning for Ray to sit down again.
Ray rolled his eyes and sat down, finding the four adults looking down on him disapprovingly.
"Ray," Xavier said, "It's come to my attention that you've been sneaking out as of late…"
Ray stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets and appeared unfazed, and Logan cuffed him on the shoulder without restraint. "Show some respect," he muttered, almost growled.
And Ray sat up straighter. "Yeah, but just to walk," Ray said, shrugging.
"You've left the grounds!" Hank said; "Short-circuited the system probably five times!"
"Ray, why have you been leaving at night?" Ororo asked gently, sitting down.
"That's my business," Ray said quietly, looking down though he felt her gaze on him and it stung. Ororo was good to him, good to everyone at the mansion. He felt slightly guilty for letting her down. He knew he somehow had.
"We're your guardians, Ray," Hank said; "Your business can become our business if we think it's bad."
"Trust me when I say it isn't," Ray said, looking up at Hank after he spoke.
Hank sighed, crossing his arms as he removed his glasses; "Trust me when I say that we all care," he said quietly.
Ray looked around, and got up; "It's late," he said; "Sorry I woke you all up or worried you. Can I go?" his gaze fell on Xavier, who merely stared back.
Ray nodded slightly, and then walked out of the room. Logan was about to follow, but Xavier spoke; "Logan, don't."
Logan stopped and looked at Xavier; "Kid's keepin' secrets," he said gruffly.
"Yes, all teenagers do," Xavier said; "What Ray is doing at night is nothing illegal, I was able to gather that much."
"His lack of sleep is interfering with his studies, Charles," Ororo said.
"And he's not exactly 'connecting' with the other students," Hank said quietly; "I know he's had a rough time growing up, but it's beginning to worry me."
Xavier sighed, rubbing his eyes; "I understand how you all wish to help, I do as well," he said, "But some things are to be taught on their own time," he paused; "I feel we should focus on hopefully preparing for a new addition to our students, and preparing for the trip tomorrow."
"Lucky tomorrow the kids have the day off for in-service," Hank said; "Who do you plan on taking with you?"
Xavier thought for a moment, then replied; "I, Ororo, Scott, Kurt, Kitty and Jean will go. Hank, can you and Logan handle the others while we are gone?"
"Count on us, Chuck," Logan said, yawning.
TBC
a/n: I've decided to re-write Ghost of Mine, which is this story. hopefully it will be better written. please review!
