It was getting considerably colder now. Autumn was ending and they
were caught in limbo before Winter came. Still there had been no sign of an
attack from Magneto. Chiara was starting to worry. What if it was a false
alarm?
One day, in an effort to straighten her thoughts she went down to the nearby lake on her motorbike. The cold was biting, but it seemed to clear her head, which was something she hadn't been able to do in a while.
She had a few problems to think about. First was the undecided impending doom that could end up with them all dead that was Magneto. Then there was Simon. And then there was dealing with her own confidence over both matters. As her uneasy pact with Yuako had demonstrated, she wasn't ready to be a leader.
Putting her bike aside she picked up some round stones from the lakeside and tried tossing them as far as she could.
So far, Magneto hadn't seemed much of a threat. His only appearance had been in their discussions of him and only the Professor's description of his actions had shocked her sufficiently. She tried to think herself out of being freaked by the concept. It didn't seem like much of an issue anymore. It had been almost a month since she'd first head it mentioned.
Simon on the other hand, was a matter that could not be forgotten. He seemed so persistent to get what he wanted all the time, yet he'd never approached her since the day she'd blown up the TV.
The question was if Simon did have these supposed 'feelings' for her, did she have the same from him. It was doubtful that she could ever start anything with him. He was almost three years older than her and about five social groups higher.
She threw a rock hard into the water in frustration. It hit the water with a hard splash and then sunk below the rippled surface. She was about to toss another when a hard, metallic noise sounded quietly. It didn't seem to ring or echo, but it was definitely there.
Chiara narrowed her eyes and threw another rock. The same thing happened. Not having to repeat the action again for clarification, she looked back towards her bike. It could just be there was a sunken car or piece of scrap metal at the bottom of the lake, but she was suspicious.
She pulled her bike up, landing on its seat. The sky above her was dimming to the east. She switched on her headlamps and started the engine, pushing the kickstand up with her foot. She pulled the acceleration and zoomed out of the meadow.
She pulled into the mansion's roundabout driveway. She threw her bike aside. It landed in the center flower place to the protest of a few students out enjoying the sun-setting sky.
She walked up the mansion stairs and knocked on the Professor's office. When there was no answer she opened it herself, finding him in the middle of conference with some late students.
"Can I help you?" he asked, looking up. The other students stared at her.
"Er..." Chiara stumbled, wondering if she should be mentioning this in front of other students. "I think there's something at the bottom of the lake." She said. "The one a few miles from here, I dunno what it's called."
Xavier sighed shortly.
"I'm sure it's nothing, Miss. Myste." He said.
"Professor..." she said through gritted teeth. The old man sighed again, for longer.
"You're dismissed." He told the students, who eagerly fled the office. Xavier pressed a button on his PA. "Storm, Logan, I need the two of you to investigate something at Coolidge Lake." He said. There was a coughed answer on the other end of the line. X switched off the system.
"Thank you, Chiara, for your notability, but I wouldn't worry about it." He said. Chiara nodded nervously and left the office. She started back towards the girl's dorms.
As she walked the corridor she remembered her bike.
"Shit." She mouthed as someone tapped her on the shoulder. "WHAT?!" she snapped.
A timid blonde haired, blue-eyed girl stood behind her, clutching a piece of paper.
"I'm sorry." She said. Chiara bit a lip.
"It's fine. What do you want?" she said, still sounding harsher than she expected.
"Do you know where I can find Boyd Michaels?" she asked. Chiara narrowed her eyes again.
"Why?"
"It's a student project. For chemistry lab." She said. Chiara nodded slightly.
"Silence's in dorm 024." She said, she turned her back on the girl, starting down the corridor. "Knock first!" she shouted back. "Incase he's in there with Twist!"
"Thank you!" the girl called nervously after her. As Chiara shut her door, the girl came up to it and took note of something on her paper. She heard a noise behind her and looked up with vivid orange eyes. She checked her paper over and then turned and hurried down the corridor.
One day, in an effort to straighten her thoughts she went down to the nearby lake on her motorbike. The cold was biting, but it seemed to clear her head, which was something she hadn't been able to do in a while.
She had a few problems to think about. First was the undecided impending doom that could end up with them all dead that was Magneto. Then there was Simon. And then there was dealing with her own confidence over both matters. As her uneasy pact with Yuako had demonstrated, she wasn't ready to be a leader.
Putting her bike aside she picked up some round stones from the lakeside and tried tossing them as far as she could.
So far, Magneto hadn't seemed much of a threat. His only appearance had been in their discussions of him and only the Professor's description of his actions had shocked her sufficiently. She tried to think herself out of being freaked by the concept. It didn't seem like much of an issue anymore. It had been almost a month since she'd first head it mentioned.
Simon on the other hand, was a matter that could not be forgotten. He seemed so persistent to get what he wanted all the time, yet he'd never approached her since the day she'd blown up the TV.
The question was if Simon did have these supposed 'feelings' for her, did she have the same from him. It was doubtful that she could ever start anything with him. He was almost three years older than her and about five social groups higher.
She threw a rock hard into the water in frustration. It hit the water with a hard splash and then sunk below the rippled surface. She was about to toss another when a hard, metallic noise sounded quietly. It didn't seem to ring or echo, but it was definitely there.
Chiara narrowed her eyes and threw another rock. The same thing happened. Not having to repeat the action again for clarification, she looked back towards her bike. It could just be there was a sunken car or piece of scrap metal at the bottom of the lake, but she was suspicious.
She pulled her bike up, landing on its seat. The sky above her was dimming to the east. She switched on her headlamps and started the engine, pushing the kickstand up with her foot. She pulled the acceleration and zoomed out of the meadow.
She pulled into the mansion's roundabout driveway. She threw her bike aside. It landed in the center flower place to the protest of a few students out enjoying the sun-setting sky.
She walked up the mansion stairs and knocked on the Professor's office. When there was no answer she opened it herself, finding him in the middle of conference with some late students.
"Can I help you?" he asked, looking up. The other students stared at her.
"Er..." Chiara stumbled, wondering if she should be mentioning this in front of other students. "I think there's something at the bottom of the lake." She said. "The one a few miles from here, I dunno what it's called."
Xavier sighed shortly.
"I'm sure it's nothing, Miss. Myste." He said.
"Professor..." she said through gritted teeth. The old man sighed again, for longer.
"You're dismissed." He told the students, who eagerly fled the office. Xavier pressed a button on his PA. "Storm, Logan, I need the two of you to investigate something at Coolidge Lake." He said. There was a coughed answer on the other end of the line. X switched off the system.
"Thank you, Chiara, for your notability, but I wouldn't worry about it." He said. Chiara nodded nervously and left the office. She started back towards the girl's dorms.
As she walked the corridor she remembered her bike.
"Shit." She mouthed as someone tapped her on the shoulder. "WHAT?!" she snapped.
A timid blonde haired, blue-eyed girl stood behind her, clutching a piece of paper.
"I'm sorry." She said. Chiara bit a lip.
"It's fine. What do you want?" she said, still sounding harsher than she expected.
"Do you know where I can find Boyd Michaels?" she asked. Chiara narrowed her eyes again.
"Why?"
"It's a student project. For chemistry lab." She said. Chiara nodded slightly.
"Silence's in dorm 024." She said, she turned her back on the girl, starting down the corridor. "Knock first!" she shouted back. "Incase he's in there with Twist!"
"Thank you!" the girl called nervously after her. As Chiara shut her door, the girl came up to it and took note of something on her paper. She heard a noise behind her and looked up with vivid orange eyes. She checked her paper over and then turned and hurried down the corridor.