Chapter 6
Seeking Answers
Kerri drove down the highway as fast as she could without breaking the law. Of course it didn't help the fact that Bobby kept changing the radio station to country music just to make her angry and annoyed since he didn't even like the music. "Well um we're going to have to spend a night in a cheep hotel." Kerri said pulling into one at one in the morning. "Hotel six? Are you crazy?" Bobby asked. "Yes I am because I stole the cash." "Wait you're telling me not only did we steal a car that was probably stolen in the fist place and it had stolen cash in it?" Bobby's voice was high pitched. "You didn't have to come and you can let the police arrest you if you spent the night in the car. What are you going to say? I'm sorry officer I'm sleeping in a stolen car but its not mine and I haven't driven in it I just saw it and it looked pretty so I'm spending my nap time in it?" Kerri asked. "Kay but tomorrow we're taking the Greyhound not the damn car." Bobby growled. "What do you want answers for anyway?" Bobby sighed as they walked to the hotel lobby. "Because Jean's my sister and she's in trouble. Well according to Xavier she is." Kerri said. "What? You guys certainly don't seem like you could be sisters she's nicer." Bobby said. "We only have one room with a double bed available." "Hey the floor's good enough for me." Bobby said. "Sixty dollars." Kerri handed him the bill. "Where is the nearest greyhound and what's the earliest time it leaves?" "Station across the street. Where ya headed?" The clerk asked. "Tahoe New Jersey." Kerri replied. "Seven a.m. would you two like a wake up call?" "You actually have that here?" Bobby asked in shock. "Most of our guest are in a hurry like yourselves and don't care what kind of accommodations they get." The clerk said shrugging. "All right wake up call at six a.m. We'll be checking out at six thirty." Bobby said. "And if anybody asks for us we're not here." "Hey if someone asks for me I'll get off this train ride." "You chose to come." "Not really. So leave nothing's stopping you." "Kerri said. The clerk held up the keys in the air watching the scene. "Well somebody's Gotta make sure you stay alive you haven't done very well. And besides Xavier would kill me if I didn't return without you." "Awe is little Bobby playing hero?" Kerri smirked as she took the keys to the hotel room. Bobby ignored her and led the way to room Twelve A.
"I lied I'm taking the Grey Hound back to Xavier's school for the gifted." Bobby said as soon as the half rotted door opened. A handful of bugs scurried out of the way. "Ew." Kerri said plugging her nose and stepping into the room. The mattress was on the floor. "Wow you guys have bad Motel 6s. In New Jersey we have halfway decent ones." "Like the guys said most guest are in a hurry and don't care." Bobby said grinning slyly. "Well I'm not the one sleeping on the floor." Kerri said flopping down on the mattress causing things to scuttle out from under it. Bobby tackled her. "No way I get the bed." "Absolutely not." "We could share it." Bobby teased her. "Absolutely not." "Well then I get the blanket." He said tugging it out from under her. Kerri tickled him to let it go. "I'll give you a corner of it since its so close to the damn floor anyways." "Nope." Bobby said in a sing song voice. "Aye. Fine have the bloody blanket. I'll just stay up all night." "You think I'm going to be able to sleep with critters crawling in my hair?" Bobby teased her. "You know we should just go to the bus shelter and wait under the roof it'd be better then here." Kerri said. "Why?" Bobby asked. "Cause this is a waist of sixty dollars." Kerri said. "True that." Bobby said as they both sat up. "All right well I'm going to shower. You can after so I don't have to smell you." Kerri teased him. "Please woman you could smell you from a mile away." "Are we getting along?" Bobby asked her. "God I hope not." Kerri snapped getting up and slamming the shower door shut. Bobby shook his head and created a sleeping bag out of a moth eaten blanket on the floor. He went to go find an extra blanket for her if one could be spared.
Kerri got out of the shower and was in shock to see the two blankets laid out. One on the ground and one for her. "Have you gotten soft?" Kerri asked him. "Hey don't look at me. Some weird dude bought it by. He said you were really hot. He had rotting teeth you want me to tell him you find him sexy?" Bobby teased. "You're disgusting." Kerri said crawling into her sleeping bag on the mattress hoping nothing else like bugs were creeping in with her.
"Yes the boy's got blonde hair and blue eyes pale white skin. The girl is four eleven blue eyes and brown hair. They're in a stolen Jaguar officer. It wasn't stolen by them Magneto stole it and they stole it from a man who would have done him serious injury." Xavier said into the phone. "You'll be on it then? All right. We think they might be headed to New Jersey. The girl lives there." Rogue, Stacy and Devian looked up as Storm came in the room and Xavier hung up the phone.
"How's the kid?" Xavier asked. "Well he's still setting things accidentally on fire but other than that he's all right. He's calming down and the drugs Magneto gave him are wearing off. He's actually thanking Kerri for shooting him." Storm said shaking her head. "What did the police say?" Rogue couldn't help asking. "They'll help us look for him. We're taking Wolverine's car. Storm is staying here." Xavier said. "I want to go. I want to know why Bobby went with her in the first place. I thought we were doing all right." Rogue said close to tears. Xavier nodded. "Well I'm coming too. Kerri's a good friend of mine. And I'd like to know myself just why Bobby is her traveling companion." Stacy said. Xavier nodded the door opened to his office again and in walked Wolverine and Scott.
"We're here. Engine's running ready to go. We've tracked the car down to Motel 6. As if Bobby and Kerri are there we don't know." Wolverine said. "We'll start there then maybe we can get some answers." Xavier, Stacy, Rogue, Scott and Wolverine left the office to the car garage. After the car doors were slammed shut Wolverine screeched out of the parking lot.
Bobby rolled over as their Motel alarm clock went off at six a.m. He slapped it and sat up. Kerri was still sleeping on the mattress obviously she hadn't heard it. "Come on wake up." Bobby said shaking her. Kerri groaned and sat up. "You got a spider on your back." "Oh my god!" Kerri shrieked. "God I was kidding." Bobby said. Kerri smacked him and got up and pulled her shoes on. "Jeez somebody's in a good mood." Bobby grumbled getting up himself. "Moron. Let's go." Kerri muttered.
Bobby kept watch nervously as the Greyhound bus station became slowly more crowded as Kerri purchased their tickets. "Kay we're getting rid of the money in New Jersey. I'd rather have no connection left with the crime." Kerri said. "You'll have your finger prints. On the ones I touched and gave to people yes but the other is kept safely in an envelope and I touch as little as possible can't be too careful." "Yeah I'd hate for us to be spending a night in jail or shot because we took the robber's money." Bobby muttered. "Quit yapping our bus is number twelve." Kerri said. "A lucky number maybe by the grace of god we'll make it to New Jersey alive." "Shut your yap let's go. It's going to take us a day and a half." Kerri growled leading the way. Sheesh some people were up tight.
The bus drive did take a day in a half. Unfortunately the only seats they could find together had no bar in between. When the sun went down the first night both of them were finally able to get some sleep. Bobby woke up to find Kerri's head on his shoulder. He felt slightly guilty and though he would never have admitted it out loud he enjoyed it. And it was even better in the morning when Kerri realized what happened. She flipped. "I did what?" "You laid your head there I didn't." Bobby said defensively. "Aye and you didn't move it?" Kerri snapped. As they saw welcome to New Jersey sign. "Because I didn't know until I woke up." Bobby lied. "Right. Just stay away from me okay?" Kerri said shaking her head and staring moodily out of the window. "Fine with me. Don't let your head land on my shoulder then." Bobby said throwing his hands up into the air. She was impossible!
Kerri staggered off the bus a little soar from all the events that happened. A little sign hung over the Depot read: Tahoe New Jersey. Bobby slightly dazed follow. This was definitely a small town. Kerri went up the desk to ask directions and they walked down Main Street to try and find 1908 Glen Glade where her parents and older brother and fiancé lived.
Jean shook herself awake. How long had she been trapped in her ice prison now? She should have died at least a year ago maybe longer. But being a doctor herself she knew a few tricks of keeping herself alive. Why she did she didn't know. Suddenly the ice turned a little blue and it began to crack open. Jean didn't know why but there was a little ball of light floating in front of her. Jean reached out to touch it but moved away. Stiffly Jean sat up and the light bobbed around her head. Jean slowly stood up and walked a few steps forward following the little blue light. It paused when she did but always led her forward.
Jean didn't know it but the little ball of blue light was leading her to a little town of Tahoe New Jersey. She didn't even know she was in New Jersey. She just remembered the ice breaking as the Xavier and the others were able to take off and then being almost frozen to death in her ice prison. Jean marched into the woods not paying attention to any noises in the wood or the fact that it was night or day or light or dark. Those concepts were lost on her at the moment.
Bobby knocked on the door because suddenly Kerri was scared and hiding behind him. Luckily Mr. Simpson was not at home but it was Mrs. Simpson who answered. At first Mrs. Simpson seemed afraid to see her daughter on their doorstep but she managed to be pleased after all she loved her children even Jean. She was going to have to talk to her husband or leave him because she wanted all her children back with her. Kerri was given her old room and Bobby was given Jean. When Mr. Simpson came home there was a terrible row the car door slamming and the revving of the car. Mrs. Simpson eyed Bobby and Kerri and apologized.
"I'm so sorry he is disturbed. He had a run in with someone of Mutant power that nearly killed him and so he's afraid of it you see." Mrs. Simpson said offering to make tea. "Why didn't you tell me about Jean mom?" Kerri demanded. "Because I missed her terribly my heart still aches for her. If I could see her again and know that she's all right I would appreciate it." Mrs. Simpson said. "Well, she was all right till Magneto tried to kill her. We don't know if she's alive anymore. She became a doctor." Bobby said. "A Doctor imagine that! Kerri would you like to go back to the school or stay at home?" Mrs. Simpson asked. "I'd like to go back mom. I know you guys wouldn't mind but I think some of the normal people would have problems and I have friends there." Kerri said shocking even Bobby.
They heard a car rev into the driveway. Mr. Simpson dragged Jean out of the truck and held a gun to her head. "My dear wife since you will not have me I will kill you." "Dad don't!" Kerri's older brother Jacob came running out of the barn. "Please don't kill me I don't know who you are!" Jean sobbed. "Jean!" Kerri cried. "Sir please step away from the lady." Bobby asked. Jacob shot him a dirty look. Bobby couldn't blame him without a weapon he was useless. Unless. Bobby concentrated hard and the gun became frozen in the mans hand and his feet got stuck in the ground. Bobby was then able to free Jean. "You okay?" Jacob asked her. "Who are you?" "I'm your brother Jacob that's your sister Kerri and your mother. But there's no time come inside." Suddenly a huge explosion let out behind Mr. Simpson. "Um that's not Xavier. Let's go." Bobby said as another bomb was let over their heads. All of them ran inside the house. Bobby didn't know why since that was probably Magneto's next target. He waited for a bomb but for some reason it never came. Then he realized Kerri had gone outside again. Bobby told the Simpson family to stay inside before rushing out himself.
