On the Wall
Part IV
You know all the crap. If you don't, you deserve to be beaten over
the head with a stick.
Due to new uploading policy,
or my stupidity, there might be a lot of versions of this story floating around
as I add new chapters…stick with me. Storm rules.
"OK,
where did you say you needed to go?" Pru asked, turning in her driver's seat to
look at the unfamiliar man and passed out woman in her back seat.
"Xavier's
School for the Gifted. Take a right of
37th and follow it for about twenty miles. Sorry, this place is out in the country."
"School? Aren't you two a little old for that?" Phoebe asked, as she shifted her arm to
support the woman, Ororo's, head. Ororo
sat in the middle, between Logan and herself. Logan growled under his breath.
"No,
we, err, teach there."
"Oh."
They
continued to drive in silence for some time, the only noise the clicking of
Piper's fingernails against the dash board. "So, what do you teach, Mr…?" asked Piper. She was still in the dark about their situation. All she knew was that amidst her euphoric
high of finding her sweater, she had been dragged from the store with Phoebe
whispering in her ear, "My innocent kicked my ass!"
"Logan,
just call me Logan. I'm kind of the, I
guess you'd say, survival skills teacher. I teach martial arts, boxing, endurance, stuff like that."
"So
you're pretty much a gym teacher," quipped Pru.
"Not
a gym teacher. I'll be damned if I make
anyone do a squat thrust."
"OK,
so then what does your friend teach?"
"Ororo's
a bit more academic. She has come
classes in history, science, botany, English, art, pretty much anything but
math."
It was
Phoebe's turn to ask a question. "You
said it was a school for the gifted. Does that mean there are a lot of miniature Bill Gates's running
around?"
Logan
actually grinned. "Well, I guess you
could say that." He shifted his weight and moved a strand of Ororo's hair
behind her ear. It had blown free and
had been whipping him in his face.
Pru
cleared her throat. "So, are you two happy with your jobs?"
"Um,
sure, I guess we are."
"Is
Ororo happy? There isn't anything wrong
with her job, or her life right now, is there?"
"Well, Piper was it? No, Pru, sorry. Well, Pru, I think her life is going fine. She had a little fall the other day, like I
already told Phoebe, but that's been about it. And, uhh, I just want to apologize for her behavior towards you
today. I think her doctor gave her a
few medications that didn't hold down to well. She was in a coma for a while, you see, and, well, he just didn't know if
she'd have any reactions to half the stuff he gave her."
Phoebe
smiled. "Oh, no problem, I've been
called worse."
"You
have?" asked Piper, her eyebrows raised.
The
smooth roads of the city began metamorphising into bumpy gravel, the building
becoming replaced with trees, and the sky becoming a bit bluer. "We're almost there. Only about ten minutes."
"Hey,
what's going on over there?" asked Piper, pointing to her right.
Everyone
in the car, including the driving Pru, looked over. About twenty people were surrounding a tree stump, where one man
stood, shouting into a megaphone while those below him cheered. To make it even more picturesque, someone
had even brought a torch with them, and waved it high in the air. A deep grumbling sound was omitted from
Logan's throat.
"It's
another one of those damned FOH rallies. They've taken to holding them out in the sticks, there's less trouble
with the city officials."
"FOH? What's that?" Phoebe asked, as her eyes
rolled over the men, now cheering and yelling happily.
"You
guys don't know who the FOH are? Where
did you say you were from."
"California."
"Just
think of them as the Ku Klux Klan…oh shit, stop the car."
"Why?"
Pru asked, shooting a glance in her rear view mirror.
"Just
stop the car. They're gonna hurt that
kid." Simultaneously, Pru stopped. Piper whispered in her sister's ear as they
undid their seat belts.
"This
kind of looks…evil."
"I
know."
Logan
had already unbuckled his seat belt and hopped out of the car, fast approaching
the FOH members. They had a young boy,
his hands tied behind his back, with an ugly shiner marking his face. He looked like he hadn't slept for
days.
"Hey,
idiots. What the hell are you
doing?" Heads turned to greet
Logan. A voice from the crowd shouted a
response.
"We're
ridding our planet from a Godless mutant."
"Not
today."
The
leader spoke from his stump. "Are you
going to stop us, mutie lover?"
"I
ain't no mutant lover, bub. I'm a mutant." With a quick snikt, Logan's claws were unsheathed. "Now, which one of your brave men is going to
take me first?"
***
-Oh
shit, I'm unconscious. Gotta find a way
out, gotta find a way out- Storm looked up from her personal hell.
"You. Get out of my body!"
-oh,
like you're in any state to make me. Piss off, Barbie.-
"No,
I am getting my body back, you ethereal bitch."
-come and get it then-
***
The
Charmed Ones were still relatively close to their car when they saw Logan's
claws. "When did he get those things?"
Phoebe nearly yelled, as the shiny metal caught her eyes.
"Were
we giving a demon a rid home! Phoebe, I
thought you said they were the good guys!" screamed Pru.
"I
think he is the good guy. At least he's
not trying to kill that kid."
"Yeah,
whispered Piper, "but he's trying to kill everyone else!"
*cough
cough*
Three
heads turned to the car, where Storm was sitting up, grabbing her head while
frevrently coughing. -I made it.- She
leaned out of the car and threw up. Her
entire body was shaken and she felt a weakness she had never known, even after
battles with the fiercest competition. A cold sweat broke over her body as she tried to focus her eyes. She saw Logan, fighting about twenty FOH
members single-handedly.
"What
are you doing? Please, help him! Please?" Her last word was said as a plea, as she half fell out of the car.
Phoebe
rushed to her and helped her to stand up. "You shouldn't stand up right now."
"And
we should get you away from this demon," Pru added.
Storm
shoved the girls off of her. "He needs
help." Storm's eye's whited over as
thunder began rumbling in the distance.
"Phoebe,
what is she doing??" Pru yelled, as the thunder became louder. Lightening struck. Not the FOH members, but close enough to them that they got
scared. Suddenly, they weren't so big
and they fled to a barrage of cars that were parked in the distance.
Logan
looked towards them, from his fighting stance. "When did Ororo get up?" he
called, as he started walking back to them.
"A few
minutes ago," Piper replied, taking hold of her shoulder. Her eyes were still whited, but now she was
shaking uncontrollably.
"She
should have stayed down," a voice sneered. Piper looked up to see a man with a gun pointed at her face. "Die, mutant!" He squeezed the trigger. Piper's hands flew in the air to freeze him. Both him and the bullet lay in the air, frozen. She grabbed the bullet and threw it too the
ground.
"Hey,
Phoebe, hit him in the head or something."
"Sure." Phoebe marched behind him, removed one shoe,
and thwunked him. He unfroze and fell
to the ground.
Logan
was shocked. "I didn't know you were a
mutant."
"A
mutant?"
"So, you're not a mutant?"
"I don't think so…what's a mutant?"
"Oh
Goddess!" Ororo's head jerked back convulsively, hitting the roof of the
car. Her eyes went back to normal as
she gasped. "That was close," she
whispered to herself. She suddenly
became aware of the four people standing around her. "Are you all right?" they all asked, more or less. Ororo tilted her head, cracking her
neck. "I'm feeling much better now,
thank you. I think Beast gave me some
bad medicine, but I think I probably just threw it up."
***
Part
V
The
bumpy road had now, once again, turned into smooth pavement. The school loomed ahead of them, surrounded
by twisting iron gates. "Is this the
place?" Pru asked, staring intently at the intricate gargoyles that were on the
roof. -I wouldn't mind being a student
at this school.-
"Yeah,
this is the place. Listen, Piper, I
think you and your sisters should come in and talk to a professor here, Charles
Xavier. He could help you learn about
your mutation."
Piper
looked at Pru, not knowing what to do. She muttered a message to her sister under her breath. "Should we tell him that we're the
char-"
"I
think we should go with him, so we can figure out what we need to do to help
Ororo."
Phoebe
ran her fingers through her hair, all the while listening to her sister's
"secret" conversation. She could hear
them all too well, and judging by how Logan was leaning forward intently, she
guessed he could hear them too. "Well,
Queens of Discreteness, I say we go with Logan and meet this Charles guy. It would help our, er, mission."
Pru
looked up, with a little blush on her face. She never was good at being sneaky. "Oh, right. Let's get in then. Do you have a key to the gate or
something?"
"The
only key I need is right up here," Logan muttered, as he tapped his forehead. "Hey, Chuck, open the gate. Ororo and I have some guests that would like to meet you."
Phoebe
looked at Logan skeptically, until there was slight metal creek and the gates
slowly began opening. "Go ahead and
drive on in. We won't bite."
-Maybe
I would- Storm thought to herself, as she leaned back in her seat. She hadn't said much after the FOH
encounter, claiming that she felt too tired because of the bad medicines. The truth was, she was scared as hell and
trying to figure out how to get the Charmed Ones out of her business. Like everyone else in the car, she had heard
Pru's and Piper's whispered conversation, and it looked like they were on to
her, sort of. -Don't worry, there's still
time. All they know is that Ororo might
be in trouble. They don't know anything
about you, and you'll have taken care of them before they figure that much
out.-
The
sleek green car slid into the school grounds like quicksilver, silently passing
shrubs, trees, basketball courts, and a few buildings. "Just keep driving to the main building down
there. You can park to the right of
it."
"Thanks,"
Pru said, as she maneuvered the car into the desired space. When they were finally parked, everyone had
gotten out except Ororo. Logan peered
into the car. "Ororo, do you need any
help getting out."
Ororo
gulped. Her nerves were already wracked
just from having to share the same car with those witches. "Yes, I think I could use some help. I still feel a bit weak." Logan grunted in reply and reached into the
car to grab her. With his help, she
slid out of the car. He slung one of
her arms over his shoulder and began helping her walk towards the
building.
"Oh,
here, let me help, too" Pru said, lifting up Ororo's arm. Involuntarily, Ororo shuttered at the touch
of the Charmed One. "Are you okay?" Pru
asked, looking down at her charge.
"Just
a bit…I'm fine."
The
group made their way up the marble steps and were just about to push open the
tall, oak doors when one of them flew open. Bobby ran out quickly, giving a shrill scream as he slid on his ice
slide. Logan reached out with his free
hand and yanked his collar, pulling him off the ice.
"What
do ya think yer doing, Bobby? You
should be in your detention with Scott right now."
"I
am, I mean, I was, but Jubilee is chasing me and…oh crap, let go!" Bobby wrenched himself free of Logan's grasp
and continued his way on his ice slide. The Halliwells stood there, jaws open, as they watched the boy slide
away into the distance, but they were soon distracted by a young Asian girl who
quickly shoved them aside. She was
waving her hands in the air and screaming, all the while running like a jack
rabbit.
"Come
back here, Bobby! You totally ruined my
N Sync poster, you little butt munch!"
"Umm,
forgive the students. They're just
kids, ya know." Logan said gruffly, as
he pushed his way into the building.
Piper
turned to Pru. "What is this, a school
for demons?"
"Mutants,"
Pheobe interjected. "He said that they
were mutants."
Being
back in the school made Storm a little more comfortable, and she slid out of
Pru's grasp. "Thank you, but I think I
can manage from here. Logan, err, if
it's all right with you, I think I'll just head back to my room-"
"Not
this time, darling. We're all gonna go
see the Professor and Beast, as a big happy family."
"Oh. Fun."
~I'm
in my office, Logan~ Logan looked
towards the group. "The Professor's in
his office."
"And
you know that how?" Pheobe asked, while
her eyes hungrily examined her surroundings. Her community college was nothing like this.
"He
just sent a telepathic message to me."
"Oh,
of course."
The
walk to the oak panel was a short one, and Logan quietly pushed it open. The Professor looked up from his desk and
smiled. "Logan, Ororo, good to see you
two again. And it appears that you've
brought guests. Please, everyone, have
a seat." There was a slightly intense
scuffling noise as everyone found a chair and adjusted in it. "Now, Ororo, could you tell me what exactly possessed
you to carry on as you did at the mall today. I took the liberty of having Logan tell me about it while we had our
link established."
Ororo
gulped. -Here comes the smooth
talking- "I believe that Beast gave me
a few medications that I reacted poorly to. Reflecting upon the situation, I feel like my actions were completely
out of character and induced by something other than myself."
"Yes,
Ororo, that's what I thought as well. We'll have to tell Beast to not administer those medications to you
anymore as soon as he's feeling better. He's been in his room all day. The flu, I believe."
"I
have a question for you, Professor. While we were driving here, we cam across some…hate group holding a
rally. Logan said that they were anti-mutant-"
Pru said, before getting cut off by Phoebe. Phoebe, who up until now had tried to think of an easy way to phrase her
question, decided to just say it bluntly.
"What
is a mutant anyway?"
The
Professor glanced warily at Logan. "Where
did you say they were from?"
"California,"
he replied, shifting in his chair.
"Well,
Miss Prudence and Miss Phoebe, and Miss Piper too, a mutant is a species of
human. Homo Superior. They're a generation of mutated humans, and
with each mutation comes a special gift. These mutations are just now occurring, perhaps for maybe the past
hundred years, so it is feasible that no large scale knowledge of mutants has
made its way to California."
"Whoa,"
was all Phoebe had to say.
"Wait
a minute, how did you know our names?" Piper asked, not lifting her gaze from
the sitting man.
Charles
paused for a thought before continuing. "I myself am a mutant, as is everyone at this school. My gift, or power, is telepathy. Logan's is, as you might of seen from his
battle with the FOH, that he posses animal instincts, heightened senses, an
incredible healing factor-"
"And
a shiny set of claws," Pru added, stealing a glance at Logan's now normal
knuckles.
"And
a set of claws."
"What's
Ororo's? Is it that she can make it
rain?" Phoebe asked eagerly. -This is sooo incredibly cool. It's like being a witch without the
obligation-
"Ororo
can control all the forces of weather, so yes, she can make it rain, or any
other natural phenomena."
"I
can also fly," she weakly added, sinking back in her chair. She needed to get away from those witches,
so she could think of a plan.
"That
is wicked awesome! I can fly…kind of."
Phoebe commented, proudly.
"That
leads me to my next query for you three. Logan also said that you, Miss Piper, appear to be a mutant
yourself. He said that you 'froze' a
man and a bullet in midair."
The
three sisters looked at each other questioningly. Pru gave a curt nod. Piper cleared her throat, knowing that she was going to be the one to
explain it. "Actually, Professor, we
aren't mutants. My sister and I are
witches." She paused long enough to let
Ororo finish coughing. "We each have
powers. I can freeze time, Pru can
astral project herself and has telekenetic powers, and Phoebe can levitate and
has premontions."
"Interesting,"
was all the Professor had to say.
Logan,
on the other hand, reacted much differently. "You've got to be kidding. Witches? Ladies, this ain't no
fairy tale."
"Logan,
they are telling the truth." All eyes
went to Ororo. She had been the one to
say that. The Professor looked at her
with curiousity in his eyes.
"It
is true, Ororo, but how did you know that?"
-holy
shit, you stupid mofo, what the hell did you do that for- "I can..feel it. There's some natural connection between the
three of them, that I've only ever felt with myself and the earth. Like primal magic."
"Yes,
I believe you are more than qualified to pronounce them magical, Weather
Goddess."
"Goddess?"
Pru asked, turning to face Ororo. She
gave a weak smile.
Phoebe
cleared her throat. For once, she was
going to be the one to keep them on track. "Yes, we are witches, and we came to New York to see Ororo…wait! That's why you look familiar. I attended one of your lectures!"
"Focus,
Phoebe," Piper whispered.
"Sorry. You see, I had a vision of her, and she was
in trouble, and it's our duty to protect innocents."
"Much
like it is ours," Charles murmerd.
"And
that's why it's very important that we know if there is anything going wrong
here, even a little thing, or if there's anyone who wants to hurt her."
Logan
snorted. "Now that's a long list."