Regina: Well, as I promised at the beginning of chapter seven of 'Trial by
Fire' here is the next bit of 'Beauty and the Beast'. Now I know a lot of
you were surprised to find that it was Duncan who broke into Jennifer's
house, and not Kelly, but I felt it was not in Kelly's nature to put on a
ski mask and break into a house. Now I could picture him manipulating
somebody into doing it for him, and the poor sap that was the last piece of
the puzzle would have to be Duncan. I know a lot of people don't like him,
so I wanted people to see him for something other than a jerk. That's what
happened to Pyro in 'Trial by Fire' - he went from the psycho Australian in
'Under Lock and Key', to the kind of softie that the bad-boy always turns
into when he falls in love. Oops! Shouldn't have said that! Better just get
on with what I should have said at the beginning.
My two websites, Randomland and Mutant High, although not complete, are up, so go check them out at (that's Randomland) and (if you can't figure out which one that is, then I'm not going to tell you. All right, it's Mutant High).
That's it from me. Happy reading!
Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Good and the Bad
Jennifer and Hank sat in stony silence in the car on the way back. Ororo, being the intelligent woman that she was, had decided to find another way back to the Institute.
Jennifer had not spoken a word since she had left the room where Duncan Matthews had been sitting, and revealed to her that it was Principal Kelly that had made him break into her house, inadvertently causing the fire that nearly killed her. Her jaw was set in a grim line, and her eyes were as dark as a black hole: no light escaped from them. Her small and delicate hands were clenched tightly into balls, and they were shaking as they hovered above her legs, which were finally able to move on their own.
As Hank was driving, he could not take her in his arms and comfort her, even though it was his only thought at the time. He was driving on auto- pilot, partially focused on the road ahead of him, but mostly on the woman sitting next to him.
She did not cry, even though he could tell she needed to. She had not cried when she had come out of the fire, she had not cried when she was told that she would have to spend some time in a wheel-chair, she did not even cry at the thought of permanent scarring because of the fire.
But she needed to cry now.
Finally, she spoke, breaking through the silence that haunted the car.
"He's gone."
Hank managed to keep on driving safely. Jennifer had just come out of one accident, and he didn't want to put her straight back into another. And he knew what another car accident could do to her, after the last one.
"Principal Kelly?" he asked after a pause.
Jennifer blinked, but it was not to hold back tears. Hank could see no sign of tears in her hazel eyes. "No. Duncan. Principal Kelly destroyed him. Duncan wasn't perfect, but still. . ."
"No one deserves to have that happen to them."
"It's more than that, Hank. I know what you and the others were thinking when I was in there talking to him." Her eyes broke away from that fixed point in front of her only she could see. "Everyone does it. No one understands why. . ."
"Why you forgive people so easily?" Hank asked gently.
She shook her head. "Why I can't hate. But now, when I think of what he did to Duncan, I can only think of that. It -" here Jennifer swallowed, and tried again "- frightens me." She sighed. "No one understands why I do things like that."
"Or why you look beyond what a person is, to who they are."
Jennifer did not smile, but Hank could see a slight light in her eyes, no longer so devoid of the light that normally filled them. "You do." She paused. "If only everyone else did. But no one ever truly will understand."
"Understand what?"
She looked away. "Nothing."
Hank realised that it would be useless to try and find out more.
*
It was Jean who had taken the news that it was Duncan who had done it the hardest. It was understandable, though, as she was the only one who had really known Duncan.
But everyone immediately accepted that it was Principal Kelly who had set the ball rolling.
"I can't believe it!" shouted Rogue, her gloved hands balled into fists. Although she was the most vocal of all the students (after Kurt, who was teleporting all around the mansion muttering to himself in German, using language that would make the others wince if they knew what he was saying), they all were angry.
They already had a strong dislike (although Jennifer was quickly corrected, whenever she tried to say this) for Principal Kelly, and so the news that it was him who had hurt their favourite human teacher did nothing to help him.
But they all agreed not to do anything bad towards him.
Even Tabitha, but that took a lot of convincing.
But while the students grumbled about being restrained from venting their feelings, Hank and Jennifer talked late into the night. Or rather, Hank talked, and Jennifer half-listened.
But they finally came to an agreement.
Although McPhearson was ready to take action, and arrest Kelly, Jennifer asked for a short reprieve (although Hank was not too happy about this), so that she could speak to him.
So she found him, where he normally was on a school day, in his office.
He stood up very quickly when Jennifer walked through the door. "What are you doing here?" he demanded of the woman in front of him.
"Ray forgot his homework, and Charles asked me if I would be able to bring it in for him." Jennifer smiled. "And since I was here, I thought I might pay a visit to a few old friends." Her hazel eyes narrowed. "Namely you."
Kelly glanced around nervously. "Is he here?"
"Hank? He's waiting in the car."
Kelly seemed to compose himself. "What do you want, Ms Reed?"
"I just want to talk, Edward. About Duncan Matthews."
Kelly loosened his tie. "What about Duncan Matthews?"
Jennifer sat down in the chair in front of her. "I'm sure you've heard that he suffered from a mental breakdown, and has been taken to a place where he can get the best treatment possible."
"It's a shame. He was a good football player."
Jennifer raised her voice slightly. "Is that all you have to say about this? 'He was a good football player'? Well." Jennifer leaned back in her chair. "I doubt you will have heard about what he told us before his breakdown. About what really happened the night of the fire."
Kelly was a bad liar. "No, I have no idea."
Jennifer rose from her chair. "That's all I wanted to say to you, Edward." She walked to the door, and opened. Her hand on the handle, she turned back to face Principal Kelly, and said, "Oh, and Edward? Tell Detective McPhearson I said hello."
She walked from the room, before Kelly could answer.
*
There was some good news, and some bad news waiting for the students at the Institute when they got home. The good news was that Duncan was doing much better (although some people wondered if that could really be considered 'good news'. All of the teachers insisted that it was.), but it was the bad news that caused the biggest reaction.
"What do you mean, they can't do anything?" asked Bobby.
"They can't arrest Principal Kelly just yet, as they are still trying to get enough evidence together for a warrant," explained Hank.
"But Duncan told them it was him!" replied Roberto.
"The word of a crazy person doesn't weigh much in this situation."
"Logan!"
"All right, all right. The boy's not crazy."
"He's sick, that's all," said Jean quietly, coming to Duncan's defence.
"Jean is right," agreed Xavier. "Duncan is as much a victim of Principal Kelly as Jennifer."
"Or you, for that matter," added Jennifer.
"We know."
"It just occurred to me," said Jennifer, trying to change the subject, "that in all of the commotion, we have forgotten that it is nearly the end of the school year." She looked at Scott and Jean. "And you two are going to be graduating."
"You're right," replied Scott.
"Well, then, what are we going to do about that?"
My two websites, Randomland and Mutant High, although not complete, are up, so go check them out at (that's Randomland) and (if you can't figure out which one that is, then I'm not going to tell you. All right, it's Mutant High).
That's it from me. Happy reading!
Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Good and the Bad
Jennifer and Hank sat in stony silence in the car on the way back. Ororo, being the intelligent woman that she was, had decided to find another way back to the Institute.
Jennifer had not spoken a word since she had left the room where Duncan Matthews had been sitting, and revealed to her that it was Principal Kelly that had made him break into her house, inadvertently causing the fire that nearly killed her. Her jaw was set in a grim line, and her eyes were as dark as a black hole: no light escaped from them. Her small and delicate hands were clenched tightly into balls, and they were shaking as they hovered above her legs, which were finally able to move on their own.
As Hank was driving, he could not take her in his arms and comfort her, even though it was his only thought at the time. He was driving on auto- pilot, partially focused on the road ahead of him, but mostly on the woman sitting next to him.
She did not cry, even though he could tell she needed to. She had not cried when she had come out of the fire, she had not cried when she was told that she would have to spend some time in a wheel-chair, she did not even cry at the thought of permanent scarring because of the fire.
But she needed to cry now.
Finally, she spoke, breaking through the silence that haunted the car.
"He's gone."
Hank managed to keep on driving safely. Jennifer had just come out of one accident, and he didn't want to put her straight back into another. And he knew what another car accident could do to her, after the last one.
"Principal Kelly?" he asked after a pause.
Jennifer blinked, but it was not to hold back tears. Hank could see no sign of tears in her hazel eyes. "No. Duncan. Principal Kelly destroyed him. Duncan wasn't perfect, but still. . ."
"No one deserves to have that happen to them."
"It's more than that, Hank. I know what you and the others were thinking when I was in there talking to him." Her eyes broke away from that fixed point in front of her only she could see. "Everyone does it. No one understands why. . ."
"Why you forgive people so easily?" Hank asked gently.
She shook her head. "Why I can't hate. But now, when I think of what he did to Duncan, I can only think of that. It -" here Jennifer swallowed, and tried again "- frightens me." She sighed. "No one understands why I do things like that."
"Or why you look beyond what a person is, to who they are."
Jennifer did not smile, but Hank could see a slight light in her eyes, no longer so devoid of the light that normally filled them. "You do." She paused. "If only everyone else did. But no one ever truly will understand."
"Understand what?"
She looked away. "Nothing."
Hank realised that it would be useless to try and find out more.
*
It was Jean who had taken the news that it was Duncan who had done it the hardest. It was understandable, though, as she was the only one who had really known Duncan.
But everyone immediately accepted that it was Principal Kelly who had set the ball rolling.
"I can't believe it!" shouted Rogue, her gloved hands balled into fists. Although she was the most vocal of all the students (after Kurt, who was teleporting all around the mansion muttering to himself in German, using language that would make the others wince if they knew what he was saying), they all were angry.
They already had a strong dislike (although Jennifer was quickly corrected, whenever she tried to say this) for Principal Kelly, and so the news that it was him who had hurt their favourite human teacher did nothing to help him.
But they all agreed not to do anything bad towards him.
Even Tabitha, but that took a lot of convincing.
But while the students grumbled about being restrained from venting their feelings, Hank and Jennifer talked late into the night. Or rather, Hank talked, and Jennifer half-listened.
But they finally came to an agreement.
Although McPhearson was ready to take action, and arrest Kelly, Jennifer asked for a short reprieve (although Hank was not too happy about this), so that she could speak to him.
So she found him, where he normally was on a school day, in his office.
He stood up very quickly when Jennifer walked through the door. "What are you doing here?" he demanded of the woman in front of him.
"Ray forgot his homework, and Charles asked me if I would be able to bring it in for him." Jennifer smiled. "And since I was here, I thought I might pay a visit to a few old friends." Her hazel eyes narrowed. "Namely you."
Kelly glanced around nervously. "Is he here?"
"Hank? He's waiting in the car."
Kelly seemed to compose himself. "What do you want, Ms Reed?"
"I just want to talk, Edward. About Duncan Matthews."
Kelly loosened his tie. "What about Duncan Matthews?"
Jennifer sat down in the chair in front of her. "I'm sure you've heard that he suffered from a mental breakdown, and has been taken to a place where he can get the best treatment possible."
"It's a shame. He was a good football player."
Jennifer raised her voice slightly. "Is that all you have to say about this? 'He was a good football player'? Well." Jennifer leaned back in her chair. "I doubt you will have heard about what he told us before his breakdown. About what really happened the night of the fire."
Kelly was a bad liar. "No, I have no idea."
Jennifer rose from her chair. "That's all I wanted to say to you, Edward." She walked to the door, and opened. Her hand on the handle, she turned back to face Principal Kelly, and said, "Oh, and Edward? Tell Detective McPhearson I said hello."
She walked from the room, before Kelly could answer.
*
There was some good news, and some bad news waiting for the students at the Institute when they got home. The good news was that Duncan was doing much better (although some people wondered if that could really be considered 'good news'. All of the teachers insisted that it was.), but it was the bad news that caused the biggest reaction.
"What do you mean, they can't do anything?" asked Bobby.
"They can't arrest Principal Kelly just yet, as they are still trying to get enough evidence together for a warrant," explained Hank.
"But Duncan told them it was him!" replied Roberto.
"The word of a crazy person doesn't weigh much in this situation."
"Logan!"
"All right, all right. The boy's not crazy."
"He's sick, that's all," said Jean quietly, coming to Duncan's defence.
"Jean is right," agreed Xavier. "Duncan is as much a victim of Principal Kelly as Jennifer."
"Or you, for that matter," added Jennifer.
"We know."
"It just occurred to me," said Jennifer, trying to change the subject, "that in all of the commotion, we have forgotten that it is nearly the end of the school year." She looked at Scott and Jean. "And you two are going to be graduating."
"You're right," replied Scott.
"Well, then, what are we going to do about that?"