Somewhere I Belong

Chapter 8

The air was thick, muggy. Logan could smell the rain he knew was pouring down only a few miles away. Along with the small of rain, Logan could pick of Shay's scent, though it was more then half an hour old.

He couldn't hear her anymore, but her scent drew a clear line for him to follow into the woods. He moved slowly, trying to stay quiet. All he needed to do was scare her even more. After seeing her sparring with Kurt earlier in the afternoon, he knew she could defend herself. Logan wondered for a moment where she would have learned it.

That's when he heard her soft crying a few feet away. He looked up into one of the larger trees. Towards the bottom of the tree, about five or six feet up was an occupied branch, seeing that Shay was curled up on it, head on her knees, crying softly.

Logan didn't move any closer. He was actually surprised he'd gotten this close without Shay hearing him. Though not as sensitive as his own, Shay's senses were slightly enhanced, according to Hank's tests. Her eyes, ears or nose should have picked up on Logan long ago. Something was definitely wrong with her.

At that moment, while Logan thought he would have liked to sample a little of Charles' telepathy, Shay finally raised her head. Hurting and weak, she climbed down out of the tree, pausing for a few seconds while she rested. Logan raised an eyebrow at her 'fuck you, dad' and watched her leave, walking slowly back to the house.

What in the hell was that? Logan waited a few minutes to follow her back into the Institute, letting enough time pass to ensure she wouldn't be around. The kid needed privacy, but if something bad was eating away at her, she needed help more.

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Shay mounted the main staircase slowly, hand gripping the banister tightly. She was relieved no one had been in the foyer when she came in. She really didn't feel like talking to anyone and she was beginning to think she could hear her bed calling to her. Most importantly though, she had to get out of her wet clothes.

Just as she stumbled through the door to her room, she heard someone call her name.

"Hey Shay. You ok?"

She turned slowly and tried to smile at the red-head across the hall. "Yeah Jean, I'm fine. I just needed some alone time."

Jean took a step closer to Shay and looked her straight in the eye, causing Shay to grow a little defensive.

"You've been crying?" Jean said more like a statement then a question.

"It's nothing, ok?" Shay could feel her face darken with embarrassment. No one saw her cry. Crying was weakness. "Just leave me alone, ok?" Shay turned quickly and pushed her door open.

"Shay, wait," Jean said hurriedly.

Shay paused for a moment in the doorway, though she didn't turn around. "What?"

Jean made a move to touch Shay's shoulder, but stopped, remembering the look on the girl's face when she attacked Kurt. "If you need to talk, I'm right here."

Stepping into the room, Shay turned and looked at Jean. "Whatever you say, Jean Grey." With that, Shay shut the door between the two.

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"Charles?" Logan knocked on the Professor's door.

Come in, Logan, flashed in his mind. He opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him.

"What is it, Logan?" Xavier's crisp, British accent came from the wheelchair behind the desk.

"It's Shay," Logan began as he lowered himself into a chair infront of the desk. He sat silent for a few moments, watching Xavier. Logan knew the Professor was, at that very moment, searching the Institute for Shay's mind, making sure she was still safe and sound.

Charles' face darkened for a moment, in concentration, then he looked back to Logan, smiling sadly. "She seems fine, it not a little shaken."

"Shaken about what?" Logan asked quickly. "Kitty and the elf said she jumped up and ran outside about an hour ago, didn't say a word."

Charles continued to watch Logan, never opening his mouth to speak.

"What's going on here, Charles? What scared her this bad?"

"Logan, Shay's past is her own, just as yours is to you. She's facing her demons and unfortunately she will not accept my help. She just needs time."

"Demons? Like her father?"

Charles furrowed his brow, but Logan continued to stare him in the eye.

"Shay's father is probably the main demon, though I'd like to know how you found out about him."

Logan shrugged. "I was worried about the kid so I followed her. She had a few choice words for him."

"You talked to her?"

"No." Logan shook his head. "Overheard."

Charles 'hmmed' and shifted his gaze away from Logan, deep in thought.

"Look Charlie, I know she's probably got a few skeletons hidden for a reason. I just want to know if she's dangerous."

"Dangerous? Oh, no," Charles assured him. "Shay does know how to fight and defend herself, but she'll only use it in defense."

"Defense against what? She coulda killed Kurt today, Charles."

"Granted, she may not be stable yet, but with time-"

"With time she may end up killing someone-"

"With time," Charles stressed, stopping Logan, "she may be able to control her demons, just like you."

Logan let out a defeated sigh for a few seconds and stood up from the chair. "Alright, Charles, but I'm going to keep my eye on her."

"Please do, Logan. If she has another episode like today, you'll let me know, won't you?"

"Yeah," he grunted as he left. Only after the door had shut did Logan realize Xavier hadn't answered any of his questions.

****Notes****

So, you get a little view from Logan here. I like Charlie. He's a cool guy. Taking in mutants when everyone else would heave a stone at 'em rather then look at 'em. Plus, he's got the coolest eyebrows in the old cartoons. I mean, jeez, those eyebrows defy the laws of physics, shooting up like that. It's crazy. The next part will be really important, so don't miss it, ok? It finally gets the ACTUAL plot moving. Yahoo for plots!