Chapter 3
When they had landed the sun had been up in the sky and Seraphina was taken to a room quickly and quietly. She had her sunglasses on and tried to ignore all the children that she knew were starring at her. Kurt and Storm took Seraphina to a room. After looking around it for a moment she turned to them and Storm said, "This room will be yours for as long as you like." Seraphina nodded absently and Storm continued, "We put you in the teachers wing away from the students. It's quieter around here and we thought you would like it better. Until you feel more comfortable around the students."
"Thank you." She said. "I haven't slept in an actual bed for a really long time." She winced and said, "But right now I really think I need to sleep."
"I'll get you some better clothes." Ororo said, "And I'll have Kurt come and get you when you feel better."
"What for?"
"To meet tha professor." Kurt replied. The two older mutants both saw a flash of fear in her eyes and Kurt spoke up again, "He runs this place for mutants, vith no vhere to go." He smiled gently "He is a very good man."
Seraphina nodded again and with that Kurt and Ororo left the room. Seraphina looked around and closed all the curtains tight and fell onto the bed and was asleep again in a matter of moments.
Seraphina was running through the snow. The cold bit into her bare feet. But she had to keep running, if she stopped they would catch her. She looked over she shoulder but all she could see were thick black shapes blocking her view. But the shapes began to take form, turning into huge black monsters with red glowing eyes. "NO!" she screamed, redoubling her speed. She could see woods in front of her. If she could just get to the woods then she could hide. But she tripped and fell, sprawling in the cold snow. The monsters began to laugh behind her. And she knew that they had caught her and that she was never going to get out of their evil blackness. The monsters melted into puddles, covering her. And as she fought to get them off her she screamed, over and over again.
Seraphina woke up, the sound of her screams woke her up, she was sweating. Looking around she realized that it was late and she was hungry. She stretched and finding a pair of black jeans and a black turtleneck she put them on and walked down stairs into the quite mansion. When she heard the sound of people coming down the hallway she realized that she had left her sunglasses in her room. She looked around frantically and pressing herself against a wall melted into the shadows on it. She watched as a group of teenagers walked past her smiling and laughing. Seraphina continued down through the mansion, sliding and jumping through the shadows until she reached the kitchen. Pulling herself out of a large shadow on the wall she walked into the large kitchen.
"That must be a handy trick. I didn't even smell you until you did that." A gruff, but not totally unpleasant voice said from behind her. Seraphina spun around so quickly she was dizzy. When the world stopped moving she could see that it was Logan and he was smiling, she guessed it was a smile, at her and going over to the fridge he opened it and said, "This place really needs a supply of beer. If I have to drink another goddamn Dr Pepper I'm going to puke."
She smiled at that, "Well what would a shadow smell like?" Sliding closer to him so she could look into the huge fridge said, "Do they have anything that I can eat in there?" Logan thrust a sandwich into her hand and a bottle of water into the other. "Thanks." She said fumbling with her now full hands.
Logan chuckled and grabbing another bottled water, helped guide her to the table. She flintched when he touched her and he said, "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know." She replied, "It's just that I don't like to be touched very much."
"I know how you feel." He said to her.
She didn't look at his face. She didn't want him to have to see her eyes. She just nodded, sat down and began to devour her sandwich.
"God girl you're doing that like you haven't eaten in days."
"Up until yeasterday." Seraphina said with a full mouth, "I hadn't."
"Oh." Logan said a little embarrassedly. He thought for a moment before asking another question. "You sound completely American. What were you doing wandering around Germany with no ID or passport?"
"Uh," Seraphina said between bites. "I was on a vacation with my parents and they sort of left me there."
"What?" Logan said in amazment.
"Well you see my..." she thought of the word carefully before continuing, "my 'condition' developed about a year ago. I tried to continue with my life but when my eyes changed they took me out of school, they acted different toward me but they seemed to want to help me. They told me that maybe a trip abroad would be nice and get my mind off of things. So we went to Germany and it was really good for the first month. We all went sightseeing and traveled around it was good. But then one day up in the mountains they brought me to a 'hospital' that my parents had wanted to put me in the whole time." Her voice cracked as she continued, "They told me that they had already told everyone that I was getting help for my 'problem' but that they never wanted me to come back. They took my passport and ID and left me with those doctors. What they did I don't want to talk about right now. But I was there for nearly half a year before I escaped." She turned her back to Logan and said, "Look."
Logan pulled down the neck of her shirt and saw tattooed into the back of her neck a number. Logan sucked in his breath as anger bubbled up inside of him. How could anyone do this to a teenager? What kind of parents would leave their daughter with butchers like those doctors? Seraphina turned her ink black eyes to look at Logan and he said sadly, "I'm sorry, I know how it feels to be experimented on like some sick sort of lab rat. But this is a good place. We've recently had some heart brakes of our own. But we would all do whatever we could to help you."
"Thanks, that means a lot." She smiled at him. She sat in silence for a moment before she asked, "What kind of heartbreaks?"
Logan looked up at her and he said, "A great woman died about six months ago. She was one of The Professor's first students. Her name was Jean Grey."
"I'm sorry." She offered. She could see the pain that flashed over his face. But it was only there for a split second before his gruff exterior was back he looked at the clock and said, "It's pretty late. I think you should get some sleep. You'll be meeting a lot of people tomorrow."
"How many people?" She asked.
Logan chuckeled and said, "Don't worry about it kid. Try to get some more sleep."
She stood up and walked toward the door, opening it she turned and said, "Thanks Wolverine."
"Call me Logan."
She smiled and said, "Thanks Logan."
He gave her a small smile, "Goodnight kid."
"Night." And with that she walked out of the kitchen and back into the dark hallway.
Seraphina had been wandering around the mansion for over an hour now. She didn't want to sleep. Everytime she tried to sleep the nightmares were back. Not to mention she was more of a night person anyway. So she'd just been sliding around, from shadow to shadow, avoiding people. She had poked her head into one of the TV rooms to see a little boy flipping channels with his eyes. "Odd." She thought to herself and continued on her way.
This place was huge and very pretty, in an old, creepy sort of way. She was heading back to her room, about ready to try and sleep again when she saw a dark shape standing in front of her down the dark hallway. "No." she whispered in terror. She turned and started to run back the way she had come. She heard a whooshing sound and she ran right into the dark shape she screamed, "No! Let me go!" She struggled and then she heard a familiar voice.
"It's me. Seraphim."
"Oh Kurt!" Seraphina burst into tears clutching at Kurt's shirt.
"Hush child, you are safe here." Kurt's arms came up hesatently around the delicate body crushed up against him.
"I thought you were... I thought you were."
"I scared you?" Kurt said not being able to hide the pain in his voice.
Seraphina stepped back saying, "Oh no I didn't mean it like that. No, no I'm sorry. It's just my dreams were scaring me so I was a little frazzled to begin with."
Kurt looked down at the girl and said, "I don't sleep at night very much either. Come, let me tek you beck to your room. Everything vill be alright." Seraphina could only nod as Kurt put his arm around her and walked her back to her room. Kurt paused in front of it and said, "Good night Seraphim."
Seraphina's hand shot out and she said a little frantically, "Don't leave me alone. I don't want to sleep my nightmares are too much. Just stay and talk to me."
Kurt spoke surprised, "You want me to stay and talk vith you?"
"Yes please."
"Alright."
They had been talking for a good few hours now. They sat next to each other on Seraphina's bed talking. Both had told each other their stories and Kurt had actually cried when she had shown him her tattoo. "I guess ve both have our past's forever scared into our skin." He said.
"I guess." Seraphina said back.
It was silent for a long moment before Kurt finally asked, "Vhat our your dreams about Seraphim, dat dey vould make sleeping so hard for you?"
Seraphina closed her ink black eyes and said, "Sometimes it's memories of the others that were there at the hospital with me. The one's I couldn't help. I see their faces asking me to come back. But when I look again their only corpses talking to me. But there are also my really bad nightmares..." Seraphina shivered uncontrollably and Kurt tossed a blanket over her shoulders and Seraphina continued in a low whisper, "Sometimes I think that I am evil. I can see what hides in the darkness and it knows that I can see it. But their only shapes, black voids of nothingness coming to cover me and drag me into their void." She let out a loud sob.
Kurt put his arms around her and said, "It is not the darkness that mecks us evil but vhat ve do it that darkness."
"You probably think that I'm a real cry baby." She said between bouts of tears.
"Never." Kurt responded stroking her black hair lovingly.
Kurt laid her down on the bed but as he got up she touched his arm and said, "Please don't go. I don't want to wake up. The last time you held me I was okay."
"I don't know if dat vould be proper." Kurt said.
"Please, just for a little while then."
Kurt nodded and laid down next, making sure his tail was out of the way, to Seraphina winding his arms around her and pulling her to him. Seraphina let out a sigh of relief as she felt Kurt's arms. She wrapper her hands around his three fingered hands and felt better.
When they had landed the sun had been up in the sky and Seraphina was taken to a room quickly and quietly. She had her sunglasses on and tried to ignore all the children that she knew were starring at her. Kurt and Storm took Seraphina to a room. After looking around it for a moment she turned to them and Storm said, "This room will be yours for as long as you like." Seraphina nodded absently and Storm continued, "We put you in the teachers wing away from the students. It's quieter around here and we thought you would like it better. Until you feel more comfortable around the students."
"Thank you." She said. "I haven't slept in an actual bed for a really long time." She winced and said, "But right now I really think I need to sleep."
"I'll get you some better clothes." Ororo said, "And I'll have Kurt come and get you when you feel better."
"What for?"
"To meet tha professor." Kurt replied. The two older mutants both saw a flash of fear in her eyes and Kurt spoke up again, "He runs this place for mutants, vith no vhere to go." He smiled gently "He is a very good man."
Seraphina nodded again and with that Kurt and Ororo left the room. Seraphina looked around and closed all the curtains tight and fell onto the bed and was asleep again in a matter of moments.
Seraphina was running through the snow. The cold bit into her bare feet. But she had to keep running, if she stopped they would catch her. She looked over she shoulder but all she could see were thick black shapes blocking her view. But the shapes began to take form, turning into huge black monsters with red glowing eyes. "NO!" she screamed, redoubling her speed. She could see woods in front of her. If she could just get to the woods then she could hide. But she tripped and fell, sprawling in the cold snow. The monsters began to laugh behind her. And she knew that they had caught her and that she was never going to get out of their evil blackness. The monsters melted into puddles, covering her. And as she fought to get them off her she screamed, over and over again.
Seraphina woke up, the sound of her screams woke her up, she was sweating. Looking around she realized that it was late and she was hungry. She stretched and finding a pair of black jeans and a black turtleneck she put them on and walked down stairs into the quite mansion. When she heard the sound of people coming down the hallway she realized that she had left her sunglasses in her room. She looked around frantically and pressing herself against a wall melted into the shadows on it. She watched as a group of teenagers walked past her smiling and laughing. Seraphina continued down through the mansion, sliding and jumping through the shadows until she reached the kitchen. Pulling herself out of a large shadow on the wall she walked into the large kitchen.
"That must be a handy trick. I didn't even smell you until you did that." A gruff, but not totally unpleasant voice said from behind her. Seraphina spun around so quickly she was dizzy. When the world stopped moving she could see that it was Logan and he was smiling, she guessed it was a smile, at her and going over to the fridge he opened it and said, "This place really needs a supply of beer. If I have to drink another goddamn Dr Pepper I'm going to puke."
She smiled at that, "Well what would a shadow smell like?" Sliding closer to him so she could look into the huge fridge said, "Do they have anything that I can eat in there?" Logan thrust a sandwich into her hand and a bottle of water into the other. "Thanks." She said fumbling with her now full hands.
Logan chuckled and grabbing another bottled water, helped guide her to the table. She flintched when he touched her and he said, "I'm not going to hurt you."
"I know." She replied, "It's just that I don't like to be touched very much."
"I know how you feel." He said to her.
She didn't look at his face. She didn't want him to have to see her eyes. She just nodded, sat down and began to devour her sandwich.
"God girl you're doing that like you haven't eaten in days."
"Up until yeasterday." Seraphina said with a full mouth, "I hadn't."
"Oh." Logan said a little embarrassedly. He thought for a moment before asking another question. "You sound completely American. What were you doing wandering around Germany with no ID or passport?"
"Uh," Seraphina said between bites. "I was on a vacation with my parents and they sort of left me there."
"What?" Logan said in amazment.
"Well you see my..." she thought of the word carefully before continuing, "my 'condition' developed about a year ago. I tried to continue with my life but when my eyes changed they took me out of school, they acted different toward me but they seemed to want to help me. They told me that maybe a trip abroad would be nice and get my mind off of things. So we went to Germany and it was really good for the first month. We all went sightseeing and traveled around it was good. But then one day up in the mountains they brought me to a 'hospital' that my parents had wanted to put me in the whole time." Her voice cracked as she continued, "They told me that they had already told everyone that I was getting help for my 'problem' but that they never wanted me to come back. They took my passport and ID and left me with those doctors. What they did I don't want to talk about right now. But I was there for nearly half a year before I escaped." She turned her back to Logan and said, "Look."
Logan pulled down the neck of her shirt and saw tattooed into the back of her neck a number. Logan sucked in his breath as anger bubbled up inside of him. How could anyone do this to a teenager? What kind of parents would leave their daughter with butchers like those doctors? Seraphina turned her ink black eyes to look at Logan and he said sadly, "I'm sorry, I know how it feels to be experimented on like some sick sort of lab rat. But this is a good place. We've recently had some heart brakes of our own. But we would all do whatever we could to help you."
"Thanks, that means a lot." She smiled at him. She sat in silence for a moment before she asked, "What kind of heartbreaks?"
Logan looked up at her and he said, "A great woman died about six months ago. She was one of The Professor's first students. Her name was Jean Grey."
"I'm sorry." She offered. She could see the pain that flashed over his face. But it was only there for a split second before his gruff exterior was back he looked at the clock and said, "It's pretty late. I think you should get some sleep. You'll be meeting a lot of people tomorrow."
"How many people?" She asked.
Logan chuckeled and said, "Don't worry about it kid. Try to get some more sleep."
She stood up and walked toward the door, opening it she turned and said, "Thanks Wolverine."
"Call me Logan."
She smiled and said, "Thanks Logan."
He gave her a small smile, "Goodnight kid."
"Night." And with that she walked out of the kitchen and back into the dark hallway.
Seraphina had been wandering around the mansion for over an hour now. She didn't want to sleep. Everytime she tried to sleep the nightmares were back. Not to mention she was more of a night person anyway. So she'd just been sliding around, from shadow to shadow, avoiding people. She had poked her head into one of the TV rooms to see a little boy flipping channels with his eyes. "Odd." She thought to herself and continued on her way.
This place was huge and very pretty, in an old, creepy sort of way. She was heading back to her room, about ready to try and sleep again when she saw a dark shape standing in front of her down the dark hallway. "No." she whispered in terror. She turned and started to run back the way she had come. She heard a whooshing sound and she ran right into the dark shape she screamed, "No! Let me go!" She struggled and then she heard a familiar voice.
"It's me. Seraphim."
"Oh Kurt!" Seraphina burst into tears clutching at Kurt's shirt.
"Hush child, you are safe here." Kurt's arms came up hesatently around the delicate body crushed up against him.
"I thought you were... I thought you were."
"I scared you?" Kurt said not being able to hide the pain in his voice.
Seraphina stepped back saying, "Oh no I didn't mean it like that. No, no I'm sorry. It's just my dreams were scaring me so I was a little frazzled to begin with."
Kurt looked down at the girl and said, "I don't sleep at night very much either. Come, let me tek you beck to your room. Everything vill be alright." Seraphina could only nod as Kurt put his arm around her and walked her back to her room. Kurt paused in front of it and said, "Good night Seraphim."
Seraphina's hand shot out and she said a little frantically, "Don't leave me alone. I don't want to sleep my nightmares are too much. Just stay and talk to me."
Kurt spoke surprised, "You want me to stay and talk vith you?"
"Yes please."
"Alright."
They had been talking for a good few hours now. They sat next to each other on Seraphina's bed talking. Both had told each other their stories and Kurt had actually cried when she had shown him her tattoo. "I guess ve both have our past's forever scared into our skin." He said.
"I guess." Seraphina said back.
It was silent for a long moment before Kurt finally asked, "Vhat our your dreams about Seraphim, dat dey vould make sleeping so hard for you?"
Seraphina closed her ink black eyes and said, "Sometimes it's memories of the others that were there at the hospital with me. The one's I couldn't help. I see their faces asking me to come back. But when I look again their only corpses talking to me. But there are also my really bad nightmares..." Seraphina shivered uncontrollably and Kurt tossed a blanket over her shoulders and Seraphina continued in a low whisper, "Sometimes I think that I am evil. I can see what hides in the darkness and it knows that I can see it. But their only shapes, black voids of nothingness coming to cover me and drag me into their void." She let out a loud sob.
Kurt put his arms around her and said, "It is not the darkness that mecks us evil but vhat ve do it that darkness."
"You probably think that I'm a real cry baby." She said between bouts of tears.
"Never." Kurt responded stroking her black hair lovingly.
Kurt laid her down on the bed but as he got up she touched his arm and said, "Please don't go. I don't want to wake up. The last time you held me I was okay."
"I don't know if dat vould be proper." Kurt said.
"Please, just for a little while then."
Kurt nodded and laid down next, making sure his tail was out of the way, to Seraphina winding his arms around her and pulling her to him. Seraphina let out a sigh of relief as she felt Kurt's arms. She wrapper her hands around his three fingered hands and felt better.