~~~~Part II: Something Wicked This Way Comes~~~~

**Notes: Yes I did get this title from a TLC song...**
Raven dragged herself out of bed; she took a long hot shower and pulled on a pair of tight hip hugging blue jeans and a low cut black, long net sleeve shirt (Meaning the sleeves with made of a net like material) which showed off her flat muscled stomach. She pulled on her leather duster and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Raven heard Logan's voice from behind.

"Out, " Raven said without stopping.

"Out where?" Logan demanded.

"Nosy much?" Raven scoffed.

"Yeah well, last time you went out your friend hung up on me," Logan replied.

"I was busy," she said.

"So I heard," Logan rolled his eyes but let her go.

Raven didn't bother getting her car instead she wanted to walk, she often walked instead of take the car just to clear her head, but in order to clear her head now she'd need a long walk.
Raven entered Ritzy's Magick shop, which Ritzy had creatively called, Destiny's Pathway, business was slower than yesterday, and the parking lot was empty except for Dee's Hummer. When she walked in Dee was sitting on the counter, next to the register.

"S'up sister!" Dee greeted her.

Ritzy came out from the back room, "Hey, Raven, what's wrong?"

Ritzy had always been perceptive that way, she'd always been able to tell what mood other people were in even before actually seeing the person. Dee and Raven both knew she was tele-empathic, but Ritzy claimed it was a talent. " I need to look through some of your books before I decide if there really is anything wrong. Do you mind?" Raven asked.

"Why would I?" Ritzy smiled, "All the good ones are in the back, go on I have some stuff to do out here but if you need anything call me,"

" 'kay," Raven replied walking in the back.

Dee hopped back behind the resgister, when she heard the ding of the chimes hung over the door.

Logan walked into the small shop, the place smelled of several different types of herbs and incents, he walked over to the register where he saw a short pale girl with, short spiky black hair and several piercings going up both ears, and an assortment of strange necklaces.

"Is Raven here?" He asked the girl.

Dee was about to answer when she heard Ritzy say, "So what if she is you gotta problem?"

Logan turned and looked at the tall dark skinned girl, her curly black hair was splayed in all directions, and her dark eyes were slightly mocking as she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He'd only met the girl once, but he remembered her, she was one of those people who made an impression on people.

Logan actually smiled, "I might,"

"Score, I made Mr. Passive aggressive smile," Ritzy smiled at him.

Logan stopped smiling, "Don't push it,"

Logan glanced around the shop at the assortment of slightly odd things he wondered around slowly, realizing what kind of shop he actually was it. What has she gotten herself into? he thought.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Ritzy told him walking up behind him.

"What?" Logan wrinkled up his face.

"It's not that bad, promise, if your not used to the craft it may take some explaining though, " Ritzy told him.

"Really, what are you a psychic?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Not quite," Dee said speaking up, "but close enough, she's got this annoy knack for knowing what people are feeling, "

Raven came out of the room carrying a book, "Ritzy, come look at this I think I found what I was looking for,"

Raven's eyes fell on Logan, "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah well she's feeling pissed," Ritzy told him.

"Lets go now," Logan, said.

"No, I'm not finished," Raven narrowed her.

"Honey, chill I'll take a look at it and call you later," Ritzy told her.

"No, you need to call me while your looking at it, " Raven replied her eyes focused on Logan.

"Fine, but if y'all are gonna argue do it elsewhere, we now have customers, " Ritzy told them as two women walked in the store.

A chill ran down Raven's spine as the women walked by her, she knew something wasn't right about them but could quite place her finger on it.

"Do you sell in bulk?" one of them asked.

"Uh, yeah, sometimes," Ritzy replied suspiciously.

The other one raised her eyebrow, "Well, Can we have 100 athames?"

"We only sell herbs in bulk, sorry," Ritzy said quickly.

She sucked her teeth and walked out.

"Ritzy, we always sell athames in bulk what was that?" Dee asked from behind the counter.

"Didn't trust 'em," she said simply, "Raven, felt it too,"

Raven nodded, "Call me later, we need to talk,"

"Gotcha, Chow chica," Ritzy told her.

Raven turned on her heal and walked out.

"See ya grumpy," Ritzy called after Logan who followed after Raven not bothering to reply.

Raven walked into the institute in front of Logan, they'd both been quite so far, but she knew it wouldn't last long. Finally Logan grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. "What was that all about?" Logan demanded.

"What was what all about?" Raven hissed back.

"The Tarot cards, the crystal balls, the books in languages that don't exist, what was that?" he growled back.

"It's called a magick shop Logan, and Hello if the language didn't exist then how could there be books written in it obviously it does exist smart one," Raven snarled.

"You do know none of that is real right?" he asked her.

"Neither, is a girl who talks to animals, a guy who can read minds, and an a jerk brother who doesn't stay hurt for more than a few seconds," she scoffed.

"That's different its called Physics, but that is magick, something some freak show magician does to entertain the small minded," Logan retorted.

"Supernatural, Paranormal, Metaphysics, all it is, is science narrow minded people like you don't understand," Raven shot back.

"Narrow minded? Look around, you can't be narrow minded here but maybe you should try being level headed, this, this stuff its evil it'll brain wash you," Logan told her.

"Something's only as evil as the person using it, and if you didn't know anything about mutants you'd swear up and down that they were fake, so yes you can be narrow minded, besides, you had no right to follow me you invaded my personal space, " Raven growled back.

"Someone had to, since obviously you have no sense of judgment," Logan scoffed.

"No sense of judgment, coming from someone who'll dive first and look for sharks later, hypocritic much," Raven replied.

"That's not the same, I wouldn't go out and join some devil worshipping occult, " Logan snapped.

"For your information, neither Ritzy nor Dee nor I for that matter believe in the devil, you can't worship him if he doesn't exist, genius," Raven tossed back, "and you know what? What I do in my spare time is my own business and none of yours, so why don't you stay out of my business and worry about your own, jeez why don't you try self help classes or something, for all I care you can go take salsa classes but leave me alone!"

"Sorry to interrupt your lovely conversation, but, Uh, Professor X wants to talk to you, Wolvy," Gambit told Logan sauntering slowly down the stairs, cigarette in hand.

Logan rolled his eyes and walked off without another word. Raven headed up toward her room, Gambit following.

Raven plopped down on her bed, before noticing that Gambit had followed her. He stood in the doorway of her room, "Chere, don't think your gettin' away from me that easily, you okay?" Gambit said.

"Well come in if your coming in and lock the door I don't want Logan in here he's an a..." Gambit cut her off.

"Ol' Wolvy's really not gonna like that," Gambit said closing and locking the door.

Raven rubbed her temples, then ran her hands through her hair, "Does it look like I care?" she replied, "and could you please put out the cigarette, those things'll kill you,"

"I'm still here," he replied, but stubbed out the cigarette and tossed it in the trashcan.

"Yeah well while your giving yourself cancer your giving the rest the world cancer too," she told him cracking her neck.

She heard a loud squawk at her window and saw Lenna sitting on the balcony.

"Ohmigod, I'm so sorry, baby I forgot all about you I didn't mean too," she apologized running over to the window and opening it. Lenna flew in and landed on her bedpost.

"What's with the bird?" Gambit asked.

"That's Lenna, Johnny scorched her feathers yesterday morning," Raven explained.

"Her feathers don't look scorched," he said examining the bird, who fluttered her wings uncomfortably.

"I healed her, with that supposedly evil witchcraft Logan was going on about," Raven replied rubbing her shoulders.

"Really?" Gambit gasped.

"Do you see any burnt feathers?" Raven demanded reaching for her bottle aspirin and dry swallowing four.

Gambit shook his head, "Hey, chere, you never answered my question,"

"What question?" Raven asked him.

"Are you okay?" Gambit clarified.

"Headache," She responded bluntly.

Gambit pulled a chair out from the desk in the corner of her room, and gestured for her to sit in it.

"Why?" Raven asked getting up slowly.

"Just do it," Gambit told her as she slowly sat down looking at him suspiciously.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, and slowly started massaging them.

"I knew there was some reason I liked you," Raven said relaxing.

Gambit smiled, but didn't respond.
"Logan, you really shouldn't be so hard on her, she's not doing anyone any harm," Xavier told Logan.

"Yeah she may not be now, but when she started slitting people's throats for some non-existent god that requires daily sacrifices, don't say I didn't warn ya Charlie," Logan replied.

"She wouldn't do that," He said back.

Logan nodded knowing he was right, but he really didn't think this occult crap was healthy.

"It doesn't matter what you think, it is her life, let her choose, besides I think she might be on to something," the professor replied to his thought.

Logan clamped his mouth shut, the professor being the only one he'd give the respect of doing that for, but since he was a telepath it didn't help much. On to what, he thought involuntarily, what could she possibly be on to? None of that stuff exists, what did she figure out how to make faerie dust? Logan felt another presents in his head, maybe you do need to be a little more open minded Logan, the professor 'told' him.

"Great, so now your taking her side," Logan said out loud.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, Logan, I don't believe she's harming anyone, or is planning to," he responded.

"Whatever you say Charlie, I just hope you know what you're doing," Logan said walking out.

The ice-cold wind pierced her skin as she ran, but she didn't notice. Her legs felt like rubber, and her feet like cement. Her lungs burned for air, but she kept on running. She craned her neck to see if they were still following, she saw no one, she paused, and pulled her gray tattered trench coat around her.

"Ana Lisa, We only want to help," the guy said in a soft voice.

"W-w-where did you come from?" Ana Lisa stuttered her heart now pounding even faster as if it were going to burst from her chest.

"You can't out run us, we'll always be able to find you," the guy said stepping out of the shadows with five other people.

"P-please just leave me alone," she stuttered. The full moon cast light on her dirty smudged face, and her unkempt blonde hair.

"We can't do that, you betrayed us, maybe you didn't understand the saying 'till death do us part' we're part of a family you can't leave, not without paying the price," he told her calmly.

"You can't do this, people will find me, they'll know," Ana Lisa pleaded.

"They'll know what? That a misguided homeless girl died in a freak accident?" he replied.

The five people closed in around her forming a circle, they joined hands as the guy chanted in a foreign tongue. She felt and unbearable burning in side her throat, she tried to cry out in pain but found she couldn't the painful burning spread from the inside out, she collapsed on the ground, convulsing in agony. The last thing she saw was his face, who had a satisfied smile on his face.

Raven suddenly jerked her head up..."What's wrong?" Gambit asked.

She pushed Gambit away frantically search for...something. "Gambit you see my phone anywhere?" She asked sounding slightly distracted.

Gambit scanned the room, "nope why?"

Lenna cawed anxiously, Raven searched the pocket of her jacket and pulled out her small delicate looking red cellphone. "Thanks Lenna," she told him.

"Smart bird," Gambit commented.

Raven pushed some buttons on her phone, "Hey Ritzy did you call?"

"I didn't hear the phone," Gambit said.

"I had it on quiet, I heard it, I have good hearing...duh," she smiled.

"Hey first of all, chica, you need to answer the phone when I call you, second of all How are you gonna call me back and talk to someone else?" Ritzy told her.

"Ah, callate," Raven tossed back, "Un momento, por favor...Gambit, you know I love ya, right?"

"Your about to kick me out aren't cha?" Gambit sighed.

Raven smiled apologetically.

"Figures the only time you'd say that, is if it was followed by 'get out'," he grumbled.

"Oh don't take it personal, I need to talk to Ritzy..." she said ruffling his hair.

"Fine, see ya later, chere," Gambit said unlocking the door and walking out into the hallway.

"See ya," Raven replied, "Okay I'm back..."

"You wanna tell me why you marked this page?" Ritzy asked.

"A friend of mine, saw that symbol, painted on the floor, on fire, and he died, in the center was a pool of blood, and, I saw a face and he said 'join or die'," Raven told her.

"This could be bad, this guy was a powerful mutant with occult powers, that symbol means someone's trying to raise him from the dead...he could destroy the world," Ritzy sighed, "If he said join or die, I'm thinkin' your friend wasn't of the human race, and I'm thinkin' he wasn't talkin' to your non-human friend...also I'm thinkin' that its your power he wants, so all in all, he wanted you to see what your friend saw, he was the messenger, and I guess he severed his purpose...his name's Despair...how appropriate,"

"So what should we do? I'm not joining this guy and I don't kill easily," Raven replied.

"Well if this guy at the institute that your at is some big shot mutant, maybe he could help," Ritzy suggested.

"Oh know you have know idea of the argument me and my brother just had, to give you an idea brain-washing, devil worshipping, and evil, were tossed around a couple times," Raven explained.

"Ouch, yeah I'll talk to him, but uh, you don't have to say anything to him I said the big shot mutant," Ritzy replied.

"Xavier? I'm not sure if he would..." Raven began but Ritzy cut her off.

"Well you won't know if you don't ask and gets to askin' I 've got stuff to do now..." Ritzy hung up the phone.

"Well," Raven huffed staring at the phone.