The shock of the mansion raid weighed heavily on the students for the
next few days. In the first three days five students had been withdrawn by
their parents to be taken home and not return.
Chiara put down the book she was trying to study with a bang on the desk. The sudden noise in the small dorm made Streak, Twist and Alyx jump. Chiara glared at the page. George Washington glared back serenely. One by one her roommates settled back into their studying as if she had remained silent.
Her uprising speech - or sentence – about going to find Magneto themselves had not been put into action at the slightest. On the contrary, a sullen quiet and depression had settled over the mansion. They seemed totally hopeless, preferring to study and sleep rather than question the rules.
The X-men Dream Team had been darting in and out of the mansion on a regular basis. They hadn't been present for most classes, leaving their students to a long hour of sitting in silence with a book. Whispers in the corridors rumored they'd found Magneto's location.
"This sucks." Chiara said loudly. Streak, Twist and Alyx stiffened again.
"I know, the whole thing with the apple tree and the no lying-" Alyx started.
"No!" Chiara snapped. She stood up and pushed her chair angrily under the desk. "It sucks not knowing /I!" she mumbled to herself, leaving the room in a temper.
The corridors were as deathly quiet as the room had been. She stormed down the stairs. The quiet sound of the television was coming from the living room. She walked through it, listening to the sound of the erupted static as she passed through. It was almost comforting.
She walked out into the hall, trying to think why she'd left the dorm altogether. She sat down on one of small staircases, propping her head on her hands. She sighed loudly. She needed to see Xavier.
She stood up again, turning up the stairs to find the Professor's office. She walked straight into someone.
"Sorry," she excused, not looking up to see who it was. She was too suspicious it could be Simon again. She continued up the stairs.
"Whoa... wait." Said the person she knocked into. Chiara looked back. It was Connor. She almost sighed, but didn't. He seemed to be holding his arm, wincing slightly.
"Sorry." She said again. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... you just hit my arm. I guess I under estimated Twist's TK abilities. She threw a pencil at me." He said. Chiara smiled slightly.
"Sharp pencil?" she asked walking down one step, then another. He nodded.
"Yeah. Where're you going?" he asked, "You seem to be in a hurry."
"X's office. I want to see what's happening with this whole... student thing." She said.
"Mind if I come?" he asked. "I'd like to find out as much as I can about this Silence guy." Chiara bit her lip.
"Well... I was planning to scream at him, but if you can stand that..." she trailed off, pleased that he was smiling. He followed her the rest of the way up the stairs then walked next to her through the classroom corridor.
"So." He said, looking at the doors they were passing, each labeled with the class name.
"So." She repeated. "You decided whether if yours going to stay yet?" he asked. He looked back at her, eyes meeting hers quickly.
"I think I might." He said. Chiara felt herself start to blush. She looked down at her feet.
"Good then." She said. "I could use another newbie here to pretend I'm superior to." Connor laughed slightly.
"Are we lost?" he asked.
"I... I hope not." Chiara said, looking around. They'd come to some intersection with a new stairs case and the continuing classroom doors. "I've never taken this detour before."
"I think it's this way." He said, pointing down the stairs. "I was getting back from the dorms this way," he finalized, gesturing the main corridor.
"I know my way from the dorms." Chiara said. Without waiting for a reply she grabbed his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"Okay..." Connor said quietly without protest. She let go of his hand and turned a corner. Before them stretched another dark hallway with a warm, yellow light coming from the end. A silhouette of a man in a wheelchair was coming towards them.
"Miss. Myste." He nodded, stopping in front of them. "Mr...." He started, looking at Connor.
"Larson." Connor said. "Connor Larson." He extended a hand for the Professor to shake. Xavier ignored him.
"Is there a problem Miss. Myste? Or are you just lost? Together?" he said with a slight smile. Chiara narrowed her eyes.
"No." she said firmly. "I just wanted to ask you if you had heard anything more about Magneto's location."
"We do." X said. "But why should I alert you to those matters?"
"They're my friends!" Chiara said loudly. "I was on that list! They could come for me next! I deserve to know!" The Professor gazed at her for a moment. Chiara looked away, not wanting him in her mind. Connor looked confused.
"I think anything could help right now." He explained to the Professor. Chiara was about to snap at him, but she didn't. Xavier sighed.
"We've located him on the Canadian border." He said. "I won't tell you where. I do not want you to disobey me, Chiara." He gave her a look. Chiara nodded once and started to walk again.
"Thank you." Connor said quickly. He rushed after her, catching her arm.
"What?" Chiara said fiercely, stopping and looking at him.
"You got what you wanted, why are pissed off again?" he asked.
"I didn't get what I wanted. I don't want to sit here and not be able to know what's happening around me." She said, pulling her arm away. Connor was about to say something else, but Chiara didn't let him. She turned and walked away quickly.
Connor watched her disappear through the halls. He sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair. After a moment, he glanced back the way they'd come and then followed her slowly back to the dorms.
Watching him where a pair of orange eyes, luminescent, but he had not seen them. Xavier stood up, pushing the wheelchair aside. He watched as Connor's figure finally disappeared from view and then morphed into a woman with blue textured skin and slicked back orange hair. Her glowing eyes flared again.
She watched the corridor for another moment and then turned back into the shadows.
Chiara put down the book she was trying to study with a bang on the desk. The sudden noise in the small dorm made Streak, Twist and Alyx jump. Chiara glared at the page. George Washington glared back serenely. One by one her roommates settled back into their studying as if she had remained silent.
Her uprising speech - or sentence – about going to find Magneto themselves had not been put into action at the slightest. On the contrary, a sullen quiet and depression had settled over the mansion. They seemed totally hopeless, preferring to study and sleep rather than question the rules.
The X-men Dream Team had been darting in and out of the mansion on a regular basis. They hadn't been present for most classes, leaving their students to a long hour of sitting in silence with a book. Whispers in the corridors rumored they'd found Magneto's location.
"This sucks." Chiara said loudly. Streak, Twist and Alyx stiffened again.
"I know, the whole thing with the apple tree and the no lying-" Alyx started.
"No!" Chiara snapped. She stood up and pushed her chair angrily under the desk. "It sucks not knowing /I!" she mumbled to herself, leaving the room in a temper.
The corridors were as deathly quiet as the room had been. She stormed down the stairs. The quiet sound of the television was coming from the living room. She walked through it, listening to the sound of the erupted static as she passed through. It was almost comforting.
She walked out into the hall, trying to think why she'd left the dorm altogether. She sat down on one of small staircases, propping her head on her hands. She sighed loudly. She needed to see Xavier.
She stood up again, turning up the stairs to find the Professor's office. She walked straight into someone.
"Sorry," she excused, not looking up to see who it was. She was too suspicious it could be Simon again. She continued up the stairs.
"Whoa... wait." Said the person she knocked into. Chiara looked back. It was Connor. She almost sighed, but didn't. He seemed to be holding his arm, wincing slightly.
"Sorry." She said again. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... you just hit my arm. I guess I under estimated Twist's TK abilities. She threw a pencil at me." He said. Chiara smiled slightly.
"Sharp pencil?" she asked walking down one step, then another. He nodded.
"Yeah. Where're you going?" he asked, "You seem to be in a hurry."
"X's office. I want to see what's happening with this whole... student thing." She said.
"Mind if I come?" he asked. "I'd like to find out as much as I can about this Silence guy." Chiara bit her lip.
"Well... I was planning to scream at him, but if you can stand that..." she trailed off, pleased that he was smiling. He followed her the rest of the way up the stairs then walked next to her through the classroom corridor.
"So." He said, looking at the doors they were passing, each labeled with the class name.
"So." She repeated. "You decided whether if yours going to stay yet?" he asked. He looked back at her, eyes meeting hers quickly.
"I think I might." He said. Chiara felt herself start to blush. She looked down at her feet.
"Good then." She said. "I could use another newbie here to pretend I'm superior to." Connor laughed slightly.
"Are we lost?" he asked.
"I... I hope not." Chiara said, looking around. They'd come to some intersection with a new stairs case and the continuing classroom doors. "I've never taken this detour before."
"I think it's this way." He said, pointing down the stairs. "I was getting back from the dorms this way," he finalized, gesturing the main corridor.
"I know my way from the dorms." Chiara said. Without waiting for a reply she grabbed his arm and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"Okay..." Connor said quietly without protest. She let go of his hand and turned a corner. Before them stretched another dark hallway with a warm, yellow light coming from the end. A silhouette of a man in a wheelchair was coming towards them.
"Miss. Myste." He nodded, stopping in front of them. "Mr...." He started, looking at Connor.
"Larson." Connor said. "Connor Larson." He extended a hand for the Professor to shake. Xavier ignored him.
"Is there a problem Miss. Myste? Or are you just lost? Together?" he said with a slight smile. Chiara narrowed her eyes.
"No." she said firmly. "I just wanted to ask you if you had heard anything more about Magneto's location."
"We do." X said. "But why should I alert you to those matters?"
"They're my friends!" Chiara said loudly. "I was on that list! They could come for me next! I deserve to know!" The Professor gazed at her for a moment. Chiara looked away, not wanting him in her mind. Connor looked confused.
"I think anything could help right now." He explained to the Professor. Chiara was about to snap at him, but she didn't. Xavier sighed.
"We've located him on the Canadian border." He said. "I won't tell you where. I do not want you to disobey me, Chiara." He gave her a look. Chiara nodded once and started to walk again.
"Thank you." Connor said quickly. He rushed after her, catching her arm.
"What?" Chiara said fiercely, stopping and looking at him.
"You got what you wanted, why are pissed off again?" he asked.
"I didn't get what I wanted. I don't want to sit here and not be able to know what's happening around me." She said, pulling her arm away. Connor was about to say something else, but Chiara didn't let him. She turned and walked away quickly.
Connor watched her disappear through the halls. He sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair. After a moment, he glanced back the way they'd come and then followed her slowly back to the dorms.
Watching him where a pair of orange eyes, luminescent, but he had not seen them. Xavier stood up, pushing the wheelchair aside. He watched as Connor's figure finally disappeared from view and then morphed into a woman with blue textured skin and slicked back orange hair. Her glowing eyes flared again.
She watched the corridor for another moment and then turned back into the shadows.