Ororo and Jean lead Kurt inside the jet from which they came. Kurt
stood bewildered, looking around at the amazing mechanical devices and
such...until his eyes came upon another girl resting in one of the chairs.
She was curled up in such a fashion as a cat, that it almost made him laugh
out loud. "Oh, that's Cara." Said Ororo, noticing him catch his laugh,
"Trust me she's more catlike than you think. She offered to come with us
to find you. And although she is too young, she is part of the X-men as
well."
"X-men?" questioned Kurt.
"They're a league of mutants who also go to Xavier Institute." Jean answered, looking at the sleeping Cara as well.
"A league ov mutants?" he replied, "Vhy vould a school need a league ov mutants?"
Both Ororo and Jean softly smiled at this, but didn't answer. Kurt, confused but patient, accepted this and sat down in one of the seats in the back. As the jet was starting to take off, he began to have second thoughts about leaving his broken down church in which he lived in and considered his only home. But they said that this Professor Xavier, whoever he was, needed him. Then he reminded himself of his involuntary attack on the President, and clutched his rosary beads. Being taken away from his first home...the circus, and his adopted family by someone who promised him all he wanted until he resisted...that was something he had to deal with. With that thought, he glanced over at his knew friends who've come to save him, and then to his rosary beads. It was then that he began to pray to his God to give him the strength he needed for what lay ahead.
*~*~*
A few hours into the flight, the jet began to have turbulence, causing Cara to stir. She finally woke up, stretched her limbs for a moment and stood. At first, she was a little dazed and confused to where she was, but shook her head to remind herself that she was on a mission...which also reminded her.
"So when do we get that one person who attacked the President, already?" she asked, "It couldn't be that long to get to Boston from the school, could it?"
"He's here, and we're already on our trip back." Said Ororo reluctantly.
"What?!" Cara exclaimed in anger, standing up, "I'm part of this mission too you know!"
"But you were sleeping so soundly, we didn't want to wake you." Jean lied. Cara knew this already...she was very keen on people lying.
"You forget what I am capable of doing!" she said with a hint of pride in her voice, "I have instincts ten fold what a normal human, or mutant has! A hundred!"
"That's very nice, Cara." Ororo impatiently said, making Cara fall back into her seat, "Look, why don't you go over and talk to him. He seems to be quite shaken up by all of this." She pointed to the back of the jet where Kurt still sat praying. Cara turned in her seat to look at him but could only see his feet, or what looked like them. Both feet had only two toes and yellowing...claws protruding from them.
Curious, and somewhat shocked, she stood from her seat and carefully began to walk toward whatever was sitting there. She could here a language very similar to her...it was German. She traveled nearly the entire world, so she knew almost every language on it. She stepped ever closer now, listening to him speak. It was obvious to her that he was praying, for he spoke with such reverency, she wouldn't be surprised if he were a priest or something.
She finally got close enough now to see him properly. At first, Cara thought that her vision was off...of course this person before couldn't possibly be blue...could he? No, no...it was just the poor light around her. She bent down slightly, just to make sure, but accidentally tripped making Kurt sort of wake up from his chant. He looked up at her, revealing his deeply colored indigo face covered in rune like scars. He eyed her back, with slight confusement. Finally, he decided to break the silence by speaking.
"Guten tag..." he said tilting his head, "Vhat is your name?" Cara didn't answer. She was too set on how he looked. At first, she didn't fear him...she's seen many like him. She ventured to look lower to his hands holding the rosary beads of which he was praying with. She stepped back, not with fear...but pain. She never knew he had hands like...like...
"Your..." she stuttered, tears building up in her eyes, "your hands...they..." Kurt looked down at his own hands...what could be so bad about them? Especially, when she didn't seem to mind the rest of his appearance. Cara noticed her vision was getting blurry, but couldn't help it...she had thought that...
"I'm...sorry" she said, wiping her tears away from sight, "I mean...I'm Cara." He eyed her, still confused to the reaction was all about.
"Vell, I'm Kurt Vagner." he said, smiling sheepishly, "But in the Munic Circus, I vas known as the Incredible Nightcrawler!" She sighed and collected herself.
"Der unglaublich Nacht Kriechtier, eh?" she spoke, now in a more cheery mood. His eyes widened at her speaking his native tongue.
"Y-you can speak...?" he started to ask.
"German? Ja."
"How?"
"'Tis a secret, mein freund!"
Kurt laughed a little, as she sat down beside him. She had short red hair with longer curly tuffs of hair framing the sides of her face. Her eyes were slanted upward like an oriental person, but her skin was as pale as some rich English girl's. The only thing he could tell that would note that she was a mutant, were actually her eyes. The color of them were similar to his own, although her pupils were only large vertical slits. They seemed to be very curious and alert eyes, too. Both slits darting to one simple movement made, widening and narrowing to adjust to light or depth.
Cara glanced at him after several minutes of silence and noticed he had been staring at her the whole time.
"Vas?" she asked quietly.
"It's just zat..." Kurt said, still amazed she could speak German, "...you're eyes, zey're..."
"Unnerving?"
"No..."
"Horrifying?"
"No...zat's not it."
"Then, what?"
He paused for a moment trying to think of a way to speak and not offend her.
"Zey say zat ze eyes are ze doorway to one's inner beauty." He said smiling thoughtfully.
"You mean that?" she said smiling back, but her smile soon faded, "Well, it's not like that philosophy is believed by everyone...at least not by normal people." She lifted her legs so that her feet were on the seat and her face could be buried half behind her knees. Her arms wrapped around her legs so that she looked like a small, tightly packed ball of some sort. She looked as though she was about to cry again. Kurt, noticing this, rested his hand on her should, his rosary still held inside. Her eyes shifted so she could see it dangling between his hand and her shoulder.
"Rosary beads...you're Catholic, aren't you?" she observed, "...Why...do you believe in God?" Kurt blinked in shock, but had no words. Noticing this, shespoke again.
"Why worship Him, when he made us into this?" she asked, only half expecting an answer, "Why not just send us to all to Hell? It's better than here, being feared and hated... this is Hell."
"Nein" he responded, but understood. He once thought this too, "No, zat's not it at all, Cara."
"Then what is?!" she said, with much loathing in her voice.
"Do you know nozing ov ze Bible and it's teachings?" he asked.
"Why would I want to read that book?! I wish to hear nothing of what the supposed 'all powerful' God has to say." Kurt shook his head in pity for her.
"Until you know vhat it is you are hating so much, you have no right to hate it." he said simply, removing his hand.
Cara's head emerged slightly from behind her knees and faced him with a look of challenge upon her face.
"Really, then?" she said, shifting her legs so that she sat on the bench correctly, "Well, then why don't you teach me?" He smiled lightly and shook his head.
"What? Why not?!"
"I don't know...if you really hate mein Gott, my teachings vould be in vain." he said, teasing her ever more into his little trap, "Unless, ov course..."
"A deal, then!" she said, "you teach me of your God, and I'll...uh..."
"Vell...I am curious about zat little secret of yours..." he hinted, "I vould also like to know about vhy your reaction vas the vay it vas earlier." She hesitated, thinking extremely hard.
"Err...fine, fine! It's a deal..." she said reluctantly. She put her hand out to shake his. Kurt's eyebrows lifted as his hand went to shake hers. There was a slight pause, but she thrust her hand toward his hesitantly and gripped.
*~*~*
~End Chapter One~
"They're a league of mutants who also go to Xavier Institute." Jean answered, looking at the sleeping Cara as well.
"A league ov mutants?" he replied, "Vhy vould a school need a league ov mutants?"
Both Ororo and Jean softly smiled at this, but didn't answer. Kurt, confused but patient, accepted this and sat down in one of the seats in the back. As the jet was starting to take off, he began to have second thoughts about leaving his broken down church in which he lived in and considered his only home. But they said that this Professor Xavier, whoever he was, needed him. Then he reminded himself of his involuntary attack on the President, and clutched his rosary beads. Being taken away from his first home...the circus, and his adopted family by someone who promised him all he wanted until he resisted...that was something he had to deal with. With that thought, he glanced over at his knew friends who've come to save him, and then to his rosary beads. It was then that he began to pray to his God to give him the strength he needed for what lay ahead.
*~*~*
A few hours into the flight, the jet began to have turbulence, causing Cara to stir. She finally woke up, stretched her limbs for a moment and stood. At first, she was a little dazed and confused to where she was, but shook her head to remind herself that she was on a mission...which also reminded her.
"So when do we get that one person who attacked the President, already?" she asked, "It couldn't be that long to get to Boston from the school, could it?"
"He's here, and we're already on our trip back." Said Ororo reluctantly.
"What?!" Cara exclaimed in anger, standing up, "I'm part of this mission too you know!"
"But you were sleeping so soundly, we didn't want to wake you." Jean lied. Cara knew this already...she was very keen on people lying.
"You forget what I am capable of doing!" she said with a hint of pride in her voice, "I have instincts ten fold what a normal human, or mutant has! A hundred!"
"That's very nice, Cara." Ororo impatiently said, making Cara fall back into her seat, "Look, why don't you go over and talk to him. He seems to be quite shaken up by all of this." She pointed to the back of the jet where Kurt still sat praying. Cara turned in her seat to look at him but could only see his feet, or what looked like them. Both feet had only two toes and yellowing...claws protruding from them.
Curious, and somewhat shocked, she stood from her seat and carefully began to walk toward whatever was sitting there. She could here a language very similar to her...it was German. She traveled nearly the entire world, so she knew almost every language on it. She stepped ever closer now, listening to him speak. It was obvious to her that he was praying, for he spoke with such reverency, she wouldn't be surprised if he were a priest or something.
She finally got close enough now to see him properly. At first, Cara thought that her vision was off...of course this person before couldn't possibly be blue...could he? No, no...it was just the poor light around her. She bent down slightly, just to make sure, but accidentally tripped making Kurt sort of wake up from his chant. He looked up at her, revealing his deeply colored indigo face covered in rune like scars. He eyed her back, with slight confusement. Finally, he decided to break the silence by speaking.
"Guten tag..." he said tilting his head, "Vhat is your name?" Cara didn't answer. She was too set on how he looked. At first, she didn't fear him...she's seen many like him. She ventured to look lower to his hands holding the rosary beads of which he was praying with. She stepped back, not with fear...but pain. She never knew he had hands like...like...
"Your..." she stuttered, tears building up in her eyes, "your hands...they..." Kurt looked down at his own hands...what could be so bad about them? Especially, when she didn't seem to mind the rest of his appearance. Cara noticed her vision was getting blurry, but couldn't help it...she had thought that...
"I'm...sorry" she said, wiping her tears away from sight, "I mean...I'm Cara." He eyed her, still confused to the reaction was all about.
"Vell, I'm Kurt Vagner." he said, smiling sheepishly, "But in the Munic Circus, I vas known as the Incredible Nightcrawler!" She sighed and collected herself.
"Der unglaublich Nacht Kriechtier, eh?" she spoke, now in a more cheery mood. His eyes widened at her speaking his native tongue.
"Y-you can speak...?" he started to ask.
"German? Ja."
"How?"
"'Tis a secret, mein freund!"
Kurt laughed a little, as she sat down beside him. She had short red hair with longer curly tuffs of hair framing the sides of her face. Her eyes were slanted upward like an oriental person, but her skin was as pale as some rich English girl's. The only thing he could tell that would note that she was a mutant, were actually her eyes. The color of them were similar to his own, although her pupils were only large vertical slits. They seemed to be very curious and alert eyes, too. Both slits darting to one simple movement made, widening and narrowing to adjust to light or depth.
Cara glanced at him after several minutes of silence and noticed he had been staring at her the whole time.
"Vas?" she asked quietly.
"It's just zat..." Kurt said, still amazed she could speak German, "...you're eyes, zey're..."
"Unnerving?"
"No..."
"Horrifying?"
"No...zat's not it."
"Then, what?"
He paused for a moment trying to think of a way to speak and not offend her.
"Zey say zat ze eyes are ze doorway to one's inner beauty." He said smiling thoughtfully.
"You mean that?" she said smiling back, but her smile soon faded, "Well, it's not like that philosophy is believed by everyone...at least not by normal people." She lifted her legs so that her feet were on the seat and her face could be buried half behind her knees. Her arms wrapped around her legs so that she looked like a small, tightly packed ball of some sort. She looked as though she was about to cry again. Kurt, noticing this, rested his hand on her should, his rosary still held inside. Her eyes shifted so she could see it dangling between his hand and her shoulder.
"Rosary beads...you're Catholic, aren't you?" she observed, "...Why...do you believe in God?" Kurt blinked in shock, but had no words. Noticing this, shespoke again.
"Why worship Him, when he made us into this?" she asked, only half expecting an answer, "Why not just send us to all to Hell? It's better than here, being feared and hated... this is Hell."
"Nein" he responded, but understood. He once thought this too, "No, zat's not it at all, Cara."
"Then what is?!" she said, with much loathing in her voice.
"Do you know nozing ov ze Bible and it's teachings?" he asked.
"Why would I want to read that book?! I wish to hear nothing of what the supposed 'all powerful' God has to say." Kurt shook his head in pity for her.
"Until you know vhat it is you are hating so much, you have no right to hate it." he said simply, removing his hand.
Cara's head emerged slightly from behind her knees and faced him with a look of challenge upon her face.
"Really, then?" she said, shifting her legs so that she sat on the bench correctly, "Well, then why don't you teach me?" He smiled lightly and shook his head.
"What? Why not?!"
"I don't know...if you really hate mein Gott, my teachings vould be in vain." he said, teasing her ever more into his little trap, "Unless, ov course..."
"A deal, then!" she said, "you teach me of your God, and I'll...uh..."
"Vell...I am curious about zat little secret of yours..." he hinted, "I vould also like to know about vhy your reaction vas the vay it vas earlier." She hesitated, thinking extremely hard.
"Err...fine, fine! It's a deal..." she said reluctantly. She put her hand out to shake his. Kurt's eyebrows lifted as his hand went to shake hers. There was a slight pause, but she thrust her hand toward his hesitantly and gripped.
*~*~*
~End Chapter One~