Storm and I were caring for Kurt, while Jean left to contact the school. He explained to us what happened, while I cleaned his wounds.
"Zere vaz zo much shooting…" He mumbled, flinching slightly as I gingerly sanitized the gunshot on his arm.
"And you don't remember anything?" Storm asked, her brow furrowing. She and I exchanged a look of questioning before he answered.
"Nein, not at all. One minute I vaz here, den…" He rolled over, facing his back to us. I glanced at Storm, to confirm that I believed him. Something in my instincts knew that he was telling the truth. Her eyes were somewhere else completely, however. I followed her gaze, to what looked like a burn mark on the back of his neck. My eyes widened, my fingers immediately finding themselves to the blister.
"What on earth happened to you?" I whispered to myself, my voice reaching him anyway. His three-digit hand lifted up, touching the injury lightly. He shivered, and crawled back into a semi fetal position, attempting to heal his scars.
I looked at the numerous tattoos on his body. My hair stood up, recognizing them as Catholic symbols. I had seen them around my house, my mother a devout Catholic herself. Images of being screamed at for who I was, crosses digging into my skin to some how 'purify' me. My mother hated who I had become; she would scream at me, throwing sharp items at me It was her who made me hateful. I hated religion, my name, even myself at times. My fists were clenched tightly before Storm put her hand on my shoulder, indicating that it was time to go.
The ride back to the school was tense. Jean found herself very frustrated; nobody was picking up the phone. She had called the school 4 times, Scott 7. I could not blame her, since Scott always picked up the phone for her. But I was increasingly wary of how her aggravation might affect her powers, and in turn us. Storm also looked worried, which was more disturbing; due to her usually calm nature.
"Iz zometing wrong?" Kurt asked, jumping me out of my daze. My ears instantly perked up, my tail swishing in adrenaline. I turned my head to facing him, sighing.
"Yeah, pretty much," I replied, giving a sad smile in his direction. "It seems like we can not reach the school." His facial features twitch at the word 'school' and I instantly knew what he was thinking. He was afraid people would stare at him, just like I did when I first came to Xaviers. "They won't care, you know." He perked up, his golden eyes wide. "About how you look. Actually, they'll probably think it's kickass. Everyone's different there, and we embrace those differences, not judge them." I smiled at him reassuringly.
"And are you.. a teacher hat thiz school?" He asked.
"Yup!" I confirmed. "Me, Storm and Jean. I teach Biology and arts classes."
"And the professor, is he…?" He trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"Professor X? He's the kindest man I've ever met. Everyone has nothing but respect for him." He let out a breath, while I heard Storm come back with some good news.
"We finally reached someone," She started, and my ears lifted in hope. "Logan called. Him, Rogue, Bobby and John are in Boston with Bobby's parents. We're going there now."
"Why are they in Boston?" I asked, afraid of the answer. Storm only looked at me, no doubt mulling over the same question herself. Kurt decided now to but in.
"Did I ever tell you I vaz in ze zircus?" He asked, grinning a canine smile at the two of us.
"No way! For real?" I asked, motioning to Storm to sit on the bench next to me across from Kurt.
"Yez, I vaz known az ze Incredible Nightcrawler!" The pride in his eyes as he said this was incredible. Storm looked at me, and I could see a smile tugging at her lips.
"Well what did you do?" Storm asked lightly, yet encouragingly.
"I vaz an acrobat!" He declared, his hand proudly on his chest. "I could do many, many tricks!"
"What are you waiting for then? Show us one!" I demanded, my tail flicking in excitement. All of the sudden, he was on the other end of the plane, hanging from a rafter on his toes. He then proceeded to climb the ceiling, jumping from place to place, revealing he could attach to walls. For his 'final act,' he teleported in front of Storm and I, hanging from his tail. We looked at each other, and we both stood up and clapped.
"That was amazing!" Storm congratulated, before returning to the front of the plane to help a troubled Jean.
"I would have loved to see that in a real circus!" I exclaimed, still laughing from his antics.
"Thank you," He said, before becoming more serious and sitting down. I followed suit. "You know, outzide of ze zircus, people vere scared of me." I nodded, understanding fully.
"That must have been frustrating." I said sympathetically. He shook his head to my surprise.
"I vaz never angry vith zem," He clarified. "I pitied zem."
This I did not understand. "Why?"
"Because most people vill never zee past zer own two eyes"
It was then that I realized that Kurt Wagner had much more to him than his odd appearance. We sat there for a while, just looking at each other. How could someone so religious be so understanding? He was so at peace, like he knew why he was on the earth. He had purpose. And I envied him so much for it
a/n: Sorry this is late. I feel like I should tell you right now that my updates are scarce. It's Easter (yay!) so I finally could have caffeine, since that is what I gave up for Lent. That's pretty much why this is finally being uploaded! Thank you for reading, have a wonderful day