Chapter Five
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*blink* I know… I know it's been ages. I'm sorry. I've been busy… and I've had other projects… and I lost my muse for this fic… stop LOOKING at me like that…
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Jean sat in a balcony room at the top of the new place, resting on a long wicker sofa chair, made more comfortable with large cushions. The place was peaceful, painted white with large glass windows to let the light and air in.
From the seat placed in an alcove near the window you could see the forest stretching out underneath the house, and the clear sky and lack of light pollution let the stars shine clear during the night.
It was a place that Storm would have enjoyed, had she still been alive.
Jean did nothing but sit upright on the seat, hands demurely crossed in her lap, watching the world beneath her go on through eyes that had bled black.
Of all the X-men, the change wrought in Jean through the massacre of too many of their friends and surrogate family had been the worst. She was physically and mentally weak, frail and ethereal in her delicacy. Her hair had been left to grow long, and now reached the top of her thighs, although the luster had leaked from it, turning it a dull red brown instead of the lustrous copper of before.
The lack of her hair's health and the dark blackness of her eyes brought extra attention to the pallor and gauntness in her face. She barely talked at all anymore, and when she did her voice was soft, broken, lilting in a sing-song way that demonstrated her feeble mental condition worryingly.
"Jean? You're broadcasting again."
The soft low murmur of Xavier's voice helped Jean concentrate on trapping the emotions that were leaking from her and hide them back inside her own mind.
Xavier had been working steadily with his young protégé ever since she had recovered sufficiently from the battle. He had had to work intensively for two days after she had first awoken to stop the screams and wails of loss she was feeling from deafening the rest of the greatly culled school.
After he had helped her to build a simple 'box' inside her mind, where she could put all her thoughts and feelings in without leakage, he began working with her to help her build a similar box of her own, so that she could hold up her own mental walls.
She was doing very well, rebuilding everything she had learnt before the disastrous fight had smashed and pulled everything from her head. She was lucky to have escaped with her personality. She still had trouble holding her strong feelings and thoughts in, especially when she was stressed or tired. The worst problem she was having was what Xavier had termed 'accidental eavesdropping'. Without realising she was doing it, Jean was picking up thoughts and feelings from other people, and as the emotions running through the decimated group were anything but positive, her own mental health was being affected by it.
She suddenly turned her head towards the houses interior and whimpered softly.
"Professor?" She nearly stammered. "Who...?"
"What's wrong Jean?" Xavier asked, concerned.
Jean's brow furrowed as she concentrated.
"There's some kind of... chaos... a lot of turmoil, from the direction of the infirmary... I don't..." She seemed to reach the limits of her concentration and sank back, rubbing her head with her index finger and thumb. "I don't know who it is, but it's very unstable Professor. The things... the things I saw..." She shuddered, but Xavier put a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You did very well Jean, well done. A great improvement from last week."
She smiled and he broadcasted to Oljannie.
*Doctor, how is our young patient?*
//Oh! Professor, you know it scares me when you do that! The patient's name is Daqyrii Zadaris and he seems to claim to come from another plane. It's very confusing. Tell me, have you ever heard of the places Siwell, or Emaht, or... what was it... Helsiv! That was it. He says he was there last.//
The Professor mentally frowned.
*None of those places exist, as far as I know.* He replied. *What else did he say?*
//Well... its complicated professor. Maybe you would like to talk to him?//
*Is he well enough?*
//He had rather extensive injuries, including contusions, lacerations, burns and massive internal bleeding. Unless what he's saying is true, as far fetched as it is, he's also suffered a lot of mental damage... not that he'll be completely mentally well even if he IS telling the truth. He's been tortured Professor, that's the basis of it. He's only fifteen! When I find the people who did this to him...//
*Calm down Adelaide. You're giving me AND yourself a headache.* There was a slight smile in his voice. *Send the boy to my office, I'll be glad to talk with him. How is young Mister Tolensky?*
Adelaide sighed.
//I don't know Charles. Physically, he'll be okay, but I don't know how much longer it'll be until he snaps and tries something like that again. These children are all too young to have gone through what they have. We'll need to keep a close eye on him, and Lance, until we know their going to be able to manage on their own, for now at least.//
*Thank you Adelaide. And you're right, they have been through a lot. But life was never going to be easy for them, and it won't be while the people out there are still ignorant about us. Until the day comes that they become educated about our kind, and cease seeing us a threat none of our children are ever going to be safe.*
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Umm… Chapter six out sometime… if you have any ideas for the fic, mail me. Or, you know, if you just wanna chat ^___^