Here is chapter three! Last line from previous chapter (and, yes, it *does* make a difference):
"Oh, ja. Trust me. He'll know what to do."
***
"I don't know what to do." It seemed like the first time anyone had ever heard Scott utter those words. The melancholy group sat huddled around their lunch table, barely picking at their food. Even Evan seemed to be a little slow to sip at his milk. "I don't know what to tell you," said Scott, his face directed to the table. He turned his head up to look at them, the expression behind his sunglasses grave. "Only that we have to have faith in the Professor. I'm sure that, by now, with Forge's help, he's been able to bring Kurt back by now. In fact, I'll bet we'll be seeing Kurt the minute we get home from school." He said it the same way that everyone had been saying it all day: like he didn't believe it.
Rogue sat slumped on the bench next to Risty, watching Scott give his pep talk from afar. Then she watched Taryn, oblivious, bounce up to the X-Man and ask him something. Jean looked shocked.
"Looks like you just lost your shot, girl," Risty said to Rogue, who was trying her best to look indifferent. "Scott just got snagged!"
"It doesn't matter. I wasn't going anyway."
"Hey, how about we just…go together?"
Rogue thought about it, then shook her head. "Nah, I don't want to look like a loser. Uh - no offense." _In other words, I am *way* to depressed about my missing team-mate to think about going anywhere right now._
"None taken. But, I know you, Rogue. You're upset about something, aren't you?"
_Got it right on the nose._
"But don't let that stop you from having a little fun! Come on, live a little." Risty paused to fake a look of hurt. "Unless you don't want me as company."
"No, I…I don't know. I just don't want to go." Risty snapped out of her joking demeanor.
"Wow, something's *really* bothering you. What's the problem?" Rogue turned away and tried to eat her inedible cafeteria mac and cheese. "Come on, you can tell me."
"Well…you know that German kid from the Institute?"
"So - you're really from Germany and just in America 'cause you're a mutant?" There was little time to talk between hiding places, but Kathy and Kurt found a way. They were taking all the back-streets, where there were few people to watch them playing their game of 'spy.'
Kurt darted to his next hiding-place, in a tight alleyway between a pair of boarded-up pizza parlors. Kathy followed quickly, and, breathing hard, Kurt responded. "That would explain the accent, yeah." Kurt flashed a grin at her before cutting to the next tiny alley.
"Just two more runs," panted Kathy. "I hope we don't have to do this agai-" Kurt interrupted her with his sprint to the next hiding-place. Kathy took a deep breath and bounded after him. "Again," she finished, panting even harder. "You don't get tired easily, do you?"
He responded with another grin, this time baring his fangs at her. Turning faster than she could blink, Kurt darted to the final building between them and the mansion's gates. Kathy stayed behind, a little freaked out by the resemblance of his smile to that of a vampire's. Still staring at the blue form in front of her, she jogged slowly up to meet him. He was peeking around the corner at the immense gate leading to the mansion.
Kurt had a mischievous grin on his face. "After you," he said gallantly, gesturing towards the mansion. Rolling her eyes and storing any fright she had for later, Kathy slowly walked up to the gate, suddenly surprised at the sheer size of it. When she reached the space just in front of it, she reached over and pulled the doorbell. _Who *pulls* a doorbell?_ There was a distant chiming from somewhere beyond the wall, and Kathy found herself glancing back at Kurt for guidance. He didn't have any. Sighing, she tapped her foot and waited...
...for the damn bell to ring, come on, hurry up, she had to go home and see Kurt! The first thing she was going to do when she saw him was punch his lights out. That, or hug him to pieces. Either way, he was going to be in pain for making her worry. Her entire day had been agony, waiting for any news from home, or for the day to end, whichever one came first. Every teacher up until then had asked her what was bothering her, that is, every one except for Kitty's teacher for this period.
"Miss Pryde, would you mind speaking with me after class?" _Like, right on schedule,_ Kitty thought.
"Sure, Ms. Schultz." It took about a decade, but the bell finally rang, and Kitty found herself facing her sixth teacher of the day. She dismissed the teacher with a simple. "I'm pre-occupied with something at home, I'll be better tomorrow," and practically ran all the way to Scott's car.
Everyone waited impatiently as Scott and Rogue drove their separate vehicles home. Kitty and Evan, especially, were feeling the absence of their elven friend, since he usually sat squashed between the two of them in the backseat of the red sportscar. The only difference between Spyke and Shadowcat at this moment, though, was that Kitty showed her worry, whereas Evan, trying to maintain his "reputation," pretended to be totally cool about the whole situation. Scott and Jean, up front, were trying to set an example by acting confident, but their worry was plain on their faces, especially when they spotted the way Rogue was driving the X-van.
When the two cars finally pulled into the garage, there was a mad dash for the door leading into the mansion. The thunder of many teenagers' shoes could be heard coming down the hallway, and the Professor did his very best not to look too disturbed by the whole situation. With a heavy heart he watched every young face in the room fall in disappointment and upset. He then tried as best as he could to remain impassive as Scott sank heavily into a chair, as Jean's features tightened up while she fought to keep her shields in place. As nearly everyone else bolted for their rooms, with the exception of a few of the new mutants, who just stood there in shock. Then he turned his wheelchair and rolled out of the room, leaving Storm, Beast, and Wolverine to explain as best they could that, yes, they'd been trying their best, and, of course they were still looking for him, and, try to keep your spirits up, but don't be disappointed if you have to wait awhile.
That was when, careful to keep his voice from shaking, Xavier picked up the phone in the hall and proceeded to call Kurt's parents in Germany.
"Who's there?" came the woman's voice out of the speaker. Kathy hadn't even noticed it was there, and jumped at the sound.
"Uh - uh, Kathy Pryde. I, um, I have to talk to Professor Xavier," she managed after figuring out that you had to press the button to make it work.
There was a heavy sigh from the other end. "All right, come on in." There was a buzzing noise and the gate began to open slowly.
Quickly, Kathy pushed the button a second time, still a bit unsure of herself. "Uh, I'm not here alone. My friend needs to come in, too."
"Fine, fine," came the tired, accented reply. Turning, Kathy waved frantically to Kurt, who immediately darted through the shadows cast by the wall to her side. He looked a little nervous, himself. He had told her earlier that normally, he would just get in using his pin code in the security system, but, since this was "some kind of different dimension or something," he wasn't sure if it would work.
Stepping cautiously, the two made their way through the overgrown lawns and gardens in front of the mansion, and up to what looked to be the main door. Kurt was looking more uneasy every minute. "I take it that these plants should be well-tended?" Kathy asked quietly, in awe of the spooky aura that surrounded the place. He nodded wordlessly.
Suddenly, the door opened in front of them, and Kurt braced himself for any bad reactions to his appearance. A tired-looking woman peeked her head around the solid wood. Her eyes paused on Kurt, but then moved on as if nothing she was looking at was important. She had brown hair, but her face was very familiar…
"Ororo?"
***
There you go, another cliffhanger with a woman's name being the last thing said (by the same person)! I was going to write more, but I wanted to put it up, already, and, considering that I already pulled this trick once, it seemed like a good idea to pull it again. :D Sorry it took so long to update, but I was...um, occupied with other things. Please review and tell me what you think!
"Oh, ja. Trust me. He'll know what to do."
***
"I don't know what to do." It seemed like the first time anyone had ever heard Scott utter those words. The melancholy group sat huddled around their lunch table, barely picking at their food. Even Evan seemed to be a little slow to sip at his milk. "I don't know what to tell you," said Scott, his face directed to the table. He turned his head up to look at them, the expression behind his sunglasses grave. "Only that we have to have faith in the Professor. I'm sure that, by now, with Forge's help, he's been able to bring Kurt back by now. In fact, I'll bet we'll be seeing Kurt the minute we get home from school." He said it the same way that everyone had been saying it all day: like he didn't believe it.
Rogue sat slumped on the bench next to Risty, watching Scott give his pep talk from afar. Then she watched Taryn, oblivious, bounce up to the X-Man and ask him something. Jean looked shocked.
"Looks like you just lost your shot, girl," Risty said to Rogue, who was trying her best to look indifferent. "Scott just got snagged!"
"It doesn't matter. I wasn't going anyway."
"Hey, how about we just…go together?"
Rogue thought about it, then shook her head. "Nah, I don't want to look like a loser. Uh - no offense." _In other words, I am *way* to depressed about my missing team-mate to think about going anywhere right now._
"None taken. But, I know you, Rogue. You're upset about something, aren't you?"
_Got it right on the nose._
"But don't let that stop you from having a little fun! Come on, live a little." Risty paused to fake a look of hurt. "Unless you don't want me as company."
"No, I…I don't know. I just don't want to go." Risty snapped out of her joking demeanor.
"Wow, something's *really* bothering you. What's the problem?" Rogue turned away and tried to eat her inedible cafeteria mac and cheese. "Come on, you can tell me."
"Well…you know that German kid from the Institute?"
"So - you're really from Germany and just in America 'cause you're a mutant?" There was little time to talk between hiding places, but Kathy and Kurt found a way. They were taking all the back-streets, where there were few people to watch them playing their game of 'spy.'
Kurt darted to his next hiding-place, in a tight alleyway between a pair of boarded-up pizza parlors. Kathy followed quickly, and, breathing hard, Kurt responded. "That would explain the accent, yeah." Kurt flashed a grin at her before cutting to the next tiny alley.
"Just two more runs," panted Kathy. "I hope we don't have to do this agai-" Kurt interrupted her with his sprint to the next hiding-place. Kathy took a deep breath and bounded after him. "Again," she finished, panting even harder. "You don't get tired easily, do you?"
He responded with another grin, this time baring his fangs at her. Turning faster than she could blink, Kurt darted to the final building between them and the mansion's gates. Kathy stayed behind, a little freaked out by the resemblance of his smile to that of a vampire's. Still staring at the blue form in front of her, she jogged slowly up to meet him. He was peeking around the corner at the immense gate leading to the mansion.
Kurt had a mischievous grin on his face. "After you," he said gallantly, gesturing towards the mansion. Rolling her eyes and storing any fright she had for later, Kathy slowly walked up to the gate, suddenly surprised at the sheer size of it. When she reached the space just in front of it, she reached over and pulled the doorbell. _Who *pulls* a doorbell?_ There was a distant chiming from somewhere beyond the wall, and Kathy found herself glancing back at Kurt for guidance. He didn't have any. Sighing, she tapped her foot and waited...
...for the damn bell to ring, come on, hurry up, she had to go home and see Kurt! The first thing she was going to do when she saw him was punch his lights out. That, or hug him to pieces. Either way, he was going to be in pain for making her worry. Her entire day had been agony, waiting for any news from home, or for the day to end, whichever one came first. Every teacher up until then had asked her what was bothering her, that is, every one except for Kitty's teacher for this period.
"Miss Pryde, would you mind speaking with me after class?" _Like, right on schedule,_ Kitty thought.
"Sure, Ms. Schultz." It took about a decade, but the bell finally rang, and Kitty found herself facing her sixth teacher of the day. She dismissed the teacher with a simple. "I'm pre-occupied with something at home, I'll be better tomorrow," and practically ran all the way to Scott's car.
Everyone waited impatiently as Scott and Rogue drove their separate vehicles home. Kitty and Evan, especially, were feeling the absence of their elven friend, since he usually sat squashed between the two of them in the backseat of the red sportscar. The only difference between Spyke and Shadowcat at this moment, though, was that Kitty showed her worry, whereas Evan, trying to maintain his "reputation," pretended to be totally cool about the whole situation. Scott and Jean, up front, were trying to set an example by acting confident, but their worry was plain on their faces, especially when they spotted the way Rogue was driving the X-van.
When the two cars finally pulled into the garage, there was a mad dash for the door leading into the mansion. The thunder of many teenagers' shoes could be heard coming down the hallway, and the Professor did his very best not to look too disturbed by the whole situation. With a heavy heart he watched every young face in the room fall in disappointment and upset. He then tried as best as he could to remain impassive as Scott sank heavily into a chair, as Jean's features tightened up while she fought to keep her shields in place. As nearly everyone else bolted for their rooms, with the exception of a few of the new mutants, who just stood there in shock. Then he turned his wheelchair and rolled out of the room, leaving Storm, Beast, and Wolverine to explain as best they could that, yes, they'd been trying their best, and, of course they were still looking for him, and, try to keep your spirits up, but don't be disappointed if you have to wait awhile.
That was when, careful to keep his voice from shaking, Xavier picked up the phone in the hall and proceeded to call Kurt's parents in Germany.
"Who's there?" came the woman's voice out of the speaker. Kathy hadn't even noticed it was there, and jumped at the sound.
"Uh - uh, Kathy Pryde. I, um, I have to talk to Professor Xavier," she managed after figuring out that you had to press the button to make it work.
There was a heavy sigh from the other end. "All right, come on in." There was a buzzing noise and the gate began to open slowly.
Quickly, Kathy pushed the button a second time, still a bit unsure of herself. "Uh, I'm not here alone. My friend needs to come in, too."
"Fine, fine," came the tired, accented reply. Turning, Kathy waved frantically to Kurt, who immediately darted through the shadows cast by the wall to her side. He looked a little nervous, himself. He had told her earlier that normally, he would just get in using his pin code in the security system, but, since this was "some kind of different dimension or something," he wasn't sure if it would work.
Stepping cautiously, the two made their way through the overgrown lawns and gardens in front of the mansion, and up to what looked to be the main door. Kurt was looking more uneasy every minute. "I take it that these plants should be well-tended?" Kathy asked quietly, in awe of the spooky aura that surrounded the place. He nodded wordlessly.
Suddenly, the door opened in front of them, and Kurt braced himself for any bad reactions to his appearance. A tired-looking woman peeked her head around the solid wood. Her eyes paused on Kurt, but then moved on as if nothing she was looking at was important. She had brown hair, but her face was very familiar…
"Ororo?"
***
There you go, another cliffhanger with a woman's name being the last thing said (by the same person)! I was going to write more, but I wanted to put it up, already, and, considering that I already pulled this trick once, it seemed like a good idea to pull it again. :D Sorry it took so long to update, but I was...um, occupied with other things. Please review and tell me what you think!