What If...
By Jorge Quinones
Disclaimers: Professor Xavier, Wolverine/Logan, and the characters pertaining to the comics that comprise the X-Men Universe belong to Marvel Comics, and much props to Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "The King" Kirby for their genesis. Claire Bennet, and the characters of the awesomeness that is Heroes belong to NBC Universal, Inc. The story elements written within this fanfic are my ideas and belong to me. This was written for fun, not profit. I'm just borrowing the characters for a while. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. We fanfic writers thrive on feedback, and all comments/questions/flames/etc. are welcome. Thank you, and enjoy!
Chapter 1
The cryptic note both beckoned and teased from its perch atop the dresser. The envelope that had carried the note was simple enough: manila held shut not with the same adhesive as used in generic envelopes but with a wax seal bearing a school crest. There were no addresses written on the reverse, nor was there any postage, or post office markings. Only two words adorned the envelope, handwritten in an elegant calligraphy script: Claire Bennet.
Claire had not read the note she now stared at for over half an hour. She no longer needed to. Since opening the envelope she had found placed neatly on her bed, she had read and re-read the enigmatic message to the point that its contents, along with the highly detailed hand-drawn map that had also been in the envelope, had been committed to memory. For the hundredth time in so many minutes, Claire Bennet re-read the note in her mind's eye:
Claire,
You need not be alone. There are more of us than you think. The answers and guidance you seek await you in Alberta , Canada . Find the man named Logan .
Godspeed,
Charles Francis Xavier
Professor, School for Gifted Youngsters
Although she wasn't entire sure why, Claire believed the letter. She could feel the honesty behind the words written by Prof. Xavier. Would her parents understand; could they? Claire loved both her parents very much. Her numerous suicide attempts had never been about hurting them, but with no guidance, she just didn't know of any other way to learn about herself. Now, however, a guiding light had appeared in the darkness. Would it prove to be the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, or the train?
The next morning, after the usual ritual of parents calling for their children to rise and make ready for the new day, Claire's father would open her door only to find an empty room. He would later reflect on how neat and clean the room had been; how tidy the bed had been. The image of the bed upon which Claire's cheerleader uniform had been placed would be burned in his memory, for upon the uniform would be a simple sheet of paper. His disbelief would lead him to read the message over and over again:
Dear Mom and Dad,
I have to know. I love both of you and Lyle so much, but I have to know. You'll always be in my thoughts.
-Claire
To Be Continued...