-Two-
The meeting dragged on, it seemed to take much longer than usual, perhaps because Charles wasn't paying much attention to what was being discussed. Something about dedicated mutant-only areas in cities. He'd stopped listening when he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He kept thinking he could hear his name being whispered but when he turned his head, there was no one.
He was deeply unsettled after the dream he had woken from this morning, and it seemed as though the hairs on his neck still refused to lie flat hours later.
"What do you think, Charles?"
He turned sharply. "Uhh." He reached out to gently touch the other mind and determine the most recent topic of discussion. As soon as he touched the light that was the other man's mind his head exploded into excited hisses and whispers.
Charlesss! Charlesssss…. Chaaaarlessss!
He broke the mental contact immediately and staggered to his feet, backing away quickly, eyes wide and searching futilely for an enemy.
Erik was on his feet and by his side, pulling him to the side swiftly. "Charles…?" He asked under his breath.
But Charles just looked at him and turned to leave, pulling his arm roughly out of his grip. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew he had to get away from here, and fast. When the pounding of his heart in his ears became too loud and fast to bear, he broke into a run and ran in whatever direction his legs took him. The people and streets blurred in his head as he attempted to shut down his mind and keep running. After a while the only sounds he could hear were his own breathing and heartbeat and he slowed to a stop, panting raggedly. He had found his way to a large park. The sun had almost set and it was practically deserted. No one nearby apparently meant no voices. A feeling of calm washed over him as he realised he was completely alone. Even when he wasn't listening, his gift meant that he was always aware of the minds around him – kind of like how you're always aware that the TV is on because you can hear the whine of the screen if you listen for it.
He wandered for a bit in quiet contemplation as the sun set. With the rising darkness came a growing fatigue. How long had it been since he had had an undisturbed night's sleep? A yawn washed over him which he attempted to stifle, then gave up when he remembered there was no one there to be offended by it.
He knew that if he were following anyone's common sense, he should head back to his mansion and Erik and his giant, comfy king-sized bed with extra-soft sheets. But he truly couldn't face another night of running and whispering, no matter how soft the sheets. He was going to do something truly crazy, and yes, he had no doubt that it was highly likely he would catch a cold and his mother would have yelled at him, but she was gone now, and he was long used to making decisions for himself. He admitted that he probably wasn't in the right frame of mind to be making any decisions but he was more comfortable in this park than he had been anywhere for quite a while he was starting to realise. He would sleep on it and then think it over. He felt safe here. Here he could think. But not now.
He scaled a tree, not as elegantly as he had when he was a child, but fairly well for a man in his late twenties. Finding a nice wide fork in the tree, he curled up safely in the hollow it provided, arms wrapped carefully around one of the larger branches. He smiled at the memory of taking naps like this as a kid, as though being high up could help him escape the endless chatter of the minds sharing his home with him. It had helped then, and it did now. He drifted off to sleep in mere moments.