It seemed merely a few seconds later that John felt a soft, feathery pillow resting beneath his head. His eyes shot open, suspecting the worst, only to be quickly greeted with a blinding light shining from the ceiling down onto his face. He groaned loudly, raising his arm to shade his burning irises from the piercing glow, and rolled onto his side. A metal table laid beneath him, cold and hard, and the walls were metal as well, causing panic to surge through his veins; was he still with Magneto? What had he done to Cory? What the hell was going on? Shaking slightly, the blonde-headed boy decided to find out for himself.
Quite unfortunately, it was only after he'd rolled of the metallic table when John realized that he could barely walk. He almost laughed.
Untangling his legs and roughly pulling himself up with aid from the table, John (with much difficulty) made his way slowly to the door. Anxiety twisted his stomach into knots inside his chest. What if he was still with Magneto? What would the man do to him, now that John had betrayed him? Afraid that he might start hyperventilating, John took a deep breath and forced the thoughts out of his head, only then noticing that there was someone outside of the room. He stopped at the open door, cocking his head at the voices that drifted to his ears.
"You know if he'll be ok, doc?"
"I can't be sure, Logan. He could wake up anytime from now until next month, with the information I'm getting."
'Logan.' John's heart shot into his chest. Logan was here. And the other voice sounded a lot like Jean. That meant he wasn't with Magneto... the boy sighed heavily, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall as relief washed over him. But still... his eyes shot open. Where was Cory?
In a burst of determination, John stepped out of the metallic room to enter a very familiar hallway. 'The school,' he thought, happier than he ever thought he could be at seeing the place again, 'I'm at the bloody school.' He turned his gaze to the side of him, where (as he had suspected) Logan and Jean were whispering back and forth, as if they were afraid to wake someone. Probably him... neither of the two had noticed that John was there.
"But he will wake up, right? Y' know, eventually?"
John watched almost timidly as Logan took a smoldering cigar out of his mouth, and the blonde boy wondered why Jean didn't scold him for smoking in the mansion. He smirked, images of previous arguments Jean and Logan had had over that cigar flashing in his head. A reply from the doctor, however, broke into his thoughts.
"Most likely. We don't even know that for sure. It's possible that..."
The redhead trailed off, her gaze slipping from Logan's face to his shoulder and past. Straight at John.
"Oh... oh, God. John... how long have you been there?"
Without waiting for a response, the young woman brushed passed Logan as he spun around to face the younger boy. John simply bit his lip distractedly as Jean gently grabbed his arm.
"Come on, let's get you back into bed," she said softly, almost nervously pulling him back into the room. "You need to-"
"Jean, ah, Dr. Grey," he interrupted, hastily correcting his mistake, "is... I need to..."
Jean stopped, looking at the boy with an inquiring expression. "Yes?" Her face was concerned; not so much for the boy, but as if she was afraid of holding a conversation. John knew why. 'I'm evil now,' he said to himself. 'They think I don't want to be here. They think I'm gonna try something.'
He grinned impishly in an attempt to ease the tension between them, gently shrugging Jean's hand off his arm. "Dr. Grey, calm down. It's not like I'm gonna make a break for it." John saw the woman visibly relax, and a sad smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.
"How many times do I have to tell you, call me Jean," she said, prompting him to recall all the times she'd done so in the past.
'Ah, the mood has lightened. Mission complete.' "Sure thing," he said aloud, sending a mischievous wink in her direction. Jean's smirk grew into a smile, and she sighed.
"That's the John I remember."
Logan piped up from behind the two, blowing out a puff of smoke and eyeing John with an uncomfortably amused expression. "I dunno, I think I liked 'im better when he was asleep." John glared at the man, pursing his lips irritatedly, earning but a smirk from Logan. "Get in there, bub," Logan added, after exchanging a glance with Jean. "Dr. Grey needs t' check you over."
John's face turned serious as Jean started leading him to the metal table, and once again he shrugged her off. "Cory," he said, mentally cursing his voice for sounding so shaky. "Is she..."
"Fine," Logan answered gruffly. John turned quickly to Jean, shooting her a questioning look.
"She's in there," the woman replied, pointing to a room across the hall. "But be quiet, she might still be-"
John tuned out the rest of her sentence as he made for the room Jean had indicated. Stopping at the entrance, he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, trying to block out the panic that was beginning to reclaim him. He hadn't asked Jean about her condition; he hadn't really wanted to know.
Thoroughly aware of the two pairs of eyes boring into his back, John stepped quietly into the room and closed the door behind him, only opening his eyes when the door was shut tight. A heart monitor beeped, echoing off the metal walls, the irregular sound only deepening John's worry. The blonde boy's gaze lowered to the metal table at the far side of the room, eyeing the figure that lay on top of it with concern. Black hair, longer than he remembered, was strewn over a white pillow, icy blue irises concealed behind closed eyelids; pale skin glowing in the dim light. John let out a sigh, quickly regretting it once he realized how loud it was.
Moving to her side, John took the girl's frail hand in his own, pushing away a stray lock of hair from her face. It was Cory. Her eyes fluttered, and dread once again coursed through John's veins. Turning her head slightly, the raven-haired girl opened her eyes, her gaze instantly locking with John's.
And he smiled a true smile, for the first time in a very long while.
~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~
Hi people, thanks for reviewing. I'm finally finished... I think. I need you guys to tell me whether to add one more chapter. I'm thinking it will be John's POV, like the first chapter, only it takes place a few months after everything's "back to normal." I need suggestions and advice, so please review!!
Pichuva11224: Yeah, it'd be awesome if he had the accent in the movie! Aussies rock. Lol. Thanks for being patient with me, I know I take a long time to update. Stupid writer's block occurs too often. Thanks for reviewing though, I appreciate it!
Tobyas: Thank you, Toby, for that wonderful, descriptive, exceptional review you gave me. Could've been shorter, though. Lol, just kidding... please review again. Look at me! I'm desperate! ::puppy look::
Quite unfortunately, it was only after he'd rolled of the metallic table when John realized that he could barely walk. He almost laughed.
Untangling his legs and roughly pulling himself up with aid from the table, John (with much difficulty) made his way slowly to the door. Anxiety twisted his stomach into knots inside his chest. What if he was still with Magneto? What would the man do to him, now that John had betrayed him? Afraid that he might start hyperventilating, John took a deep breath and forced the thoughts out of his head, only then noticing that there was someone outside of the room. He stopped at the open door, cocking his head at the voices that drifted to his ears.
"You know if he'll be ok, doc?"
"I can't be sure, Logan. He could wake up anytime from now until next month, with the information I'm getting."
'Logan.' John's heart shot into his chest. Logan was here. And the other voice sounded a lot like Jean. That meant he wasn't with Magneto... the boy sighed heavily, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall as relief washed over him. But still... his eyes shot open. Where was Cory?
In a burst of determination, John stepped out of the metallic room to enter a very familiar hallway. 'The school,' he thought, happier than he ever thought he could be at seeing the place again, 'I'm at the bloody school.' He turned his gaze to the side of him, where (as he had suspected) Logan and Jean were whispering back and forth, as if they were afraid to wake someone. Probably him... neither of the two had noticed that John was there.
"But he will wake up, right? Y' know, eventually?"
John watched almost timidly as Logan took a smoldering cigar out of his mouth, and the blonde boy wondered why Jean didn't scold him for smoking in the mansion. He smirked, images of previous arguments Jean and Logan had had over that cigar flashing in his head. A reply from the doctor, however, broke into his thoughts.
"Most likely. We don't even know that for sure. It's possible that..."
The redhead trailed off, her gaze slipping from Logan's face to his shoulder and past. Straight at John.
"Oh... oh, God. John... how long have you been there?"
Without waiting for a response, the young woman brushed passed Logan as he spun around to face the younger boy. John simply bit his lip distractedly as Jean gently grabbed his arm.
"Come on, let's get you back into bed," she said softly, almost nervously pulling him back into the room. "You need to-"
"Jean, ah, Dr. Grey," he interrupted, hastily correcting his mistake, "is... I need to..."
Jean stopped, looking at the boy with an inquiring expression. "Yes?" Her face was concerned; not so much for the boy, but as if she was afraid of holding a conversation. John knew why. 'I'm evil now,' he said to himself. 'They think I don't want to be here. They think I'm gonna try something.'
He grinned impishly in an attempt to ease the tension between them, gently shrugging Jean's hand off his arm. "Dr. Grey, calm down. It's not like I'm gonna make a break for it." John saw the woman visibly relax, and a sad smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.
"How many times do I have to tell you, call me Jean," she said, prompting him to recall all the times she'd done so in the past.
'Ah, the mood has lightened. Mission complete.' "Sure thing," he said aloud, sending a mischievous wink in her direction. Jean's smirk grew into a smile, and she sighed.
"That's the John I remember."
Logan piped up from behind the two, blowing out a puff of smoke and eyeing John with an uncomfortably amused expression. "I dunno, I think I liked 'im better when he was asleep." John glared at the man, pursing his lips irritatedly, earning but a smirk from Logan. "Get in there, bub," Logan added, after exchanging a glance with Jean. "Dr. Grey needs t' check you over."
John's face turned serious as Jean started leading him to the metal table, and once again he shrugged her off. "Cory," he said, mentally cursing his voice for sounding so shaky. "Is she..."
"Fine," Logan answered gruffly. John turned quickly to Jean, shooting her a questioning look.
"She's in there," the woman replied, pointing to a room across the hall. "But be quiet, she might still be-"
John tuned out the rest of her sentence as he made for the room Jean had indicated. Stopping at the entrance, he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, trying to block out the panic that was beginning to reclaim him. He hadn't asked Jean about her condition; he hadn't really wanted to know.
Thoroughly aware of the two pairs of eyes boring into his back, John stepped quietly into the room and closed the door behind him, only opening his eyes when the door was shut tight. A heart monitor beeped, echoing off the metal walls, the irregular sound only deepening John's worry. The blonde boy's gaze lowered to the metal table at the far side of the room, eyeing the figure that lay on top of it with concern. Black hair, longer than he remembered, was strewn over a white pillow, icy blue irises concealed behind closed eyelids; pale skin glowing in the dim light. John let out a sigh, quickly regretting it once he realized how loud it was.
Moving to her side, John took the girl's frail hand in his own, pushing away a stray lock of hair from her face. It was Cory. Her eyes fluttered, and dread once again coursed through John's veins. Turning her head slightly, the raven-haired girl opened her eyes, her gaze instantly locking with John's.
And he smiled a true smile, for the first time in a very long while.
~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~
Hi people, thanks for reviewing. I'm finally finished... I think. I need you guys to tell me whether to add one more chapter. I'm thinking it will be John's POV, like the first chapter, only it takes place a few months after everything's "back to normal." I need suggestions and advice, so please review!!
Pichuva11224: Yeah, it'd be awesome if he had the accent in the movie! Aussies rock. Lol. Thanks for being patient with me, I know I take a long time to update. Stupid writer's block occurs too often. Thanks for reviewing though, I appreciate it!
Tobyas: Thank you, Toby, for that wonderful, descriptive, exceptional review you gave me. Could've been shorter, though. Lol, just kidding... please review again. Look at me! I'm desperate! ::puppy look::