"Sooraya?" David gasped, surprised by his former classmate's new look. "I didn't recognize you."
"There is no reason you should have," Sooraya responded. "You have never even seen my face."
"That's right," David realized. "What happened to your burqa?"
"Let us just say that I have been facing a bit of spiritual confusion in the last few years," Sooraya said. From the sadness in her voice David wanted to probe her for more information, but he decided it wasn't his place. He and Sooraya had never been the closest of friends. The truth is David and Sooraya had never been particularly close. And a part of him still couldn't get over the fact that Sooraya was revealing her face in public. The burqa had been such a huge part of who she was that he felt he was now looking at a virtual stranger.
"I have to admit, I'm a bit surprised to see you here," David admitted. "Aside from Jay, you were never particularly close to anyone in school. How did you hear about the funeral?"
Two seconds after the question was out of his mouth, David wished he could take it back. Stupid question, he thought to himself. Fortunately Sooraya didn't seem to think so. "I suspect there are not many Americans who do not know of Sofia's sacrifice," Sooraya responded with a smile. "Even the most bigoted of newscasters is singing her praises. Sofia was a very special woman."
"I agree."
David jumped slightly, having not heard Julian and Santo approach him from behind. David turned to face Julian, the first time he had looked the man in the eyes since Sofia's death. He didn't know how he wanted to respond, whether to hug the man or slap him in the face.
"I'm glad you both could make it," Julian said, his expression soft and somber. "You both look well."
"Thank you," Sooraya said, her eyes dodging to the ground. David couldn't help but notice that her face reddened slightly. She has a crush on him, he realized.
A part of him was sickened by the thought. Julian's wife had just died. But David had to admit that Julian was a very attractive man and there was no way Sooraya could turn off her feelings, even during a time such as this. David was reminded of the time Julian and Sooraya had been teammates in the Hellions squad back in high school. Sooraya was always a good student and seemed pretty smart, yet she had done many foolish things under Julian's command. Looking back on it, David suspected Sooraya had feelings for Julian even back then. Old habits die hard, he thought to himself.
"David, it's good to see again."
The deep voice came from Santo, who had been David's biggest rival during their time at Xavier's. David had never been close to Julian, but he had made peace with the man when he discovered Sofia's feelings for him. Santo, on the other hand, had remained distant from the rest of David's friends. It seemed off to hear Santo saying something nice to him, but he was glad the big man could put aside their differences in honor of Sofia.
"How have you been?" David asked, instantly regretting the question as soon as it was past his lips. Stupid question, he thought to himself. Santo had been involved in the battle with Seraph and had nearly even been killed before Josh healed him. Then again, knowing how strong Josh was, it was quite possible that Santo HAD been killed in the battle. No one knew for sure how powerful Josh was; he might have been able to bring back the dead.
Too bad he couldn't have used his powers to save himself, David thought.
hr>
Later that night David returned to his hotel room to lie down. Professor Xavier, who had returned to the school after three years in Genosha, had invited everyone attending Sofia's funeral a place to sleep in the mansion, but David had refused his offer. While he knew the beds were much more comfortable at Xavier's than at the Holiday Inn's, he refused to stay at the mansion. While Sofia wasn't actually an X-Man, she WAS a hero, and David felt Xavier's was condoning the dangerous lifestyle that had taken Sofia's life.
David was disturbed from his thoughts by a knock at the door. Climbing from his bed, David wondered who would possibly be paying him a visitor at this hour. He briefly wondered if it was Sooraya before dismissing the notion. Sooraya may no longer wear the burqa, but he doubted she would be paying men any visits this late at night. Opening the door, David was surprised to see Santo.
"What are you doing here?" David asked, falling back into old habits. He knew Santo had matured, but a part of him still considered the man a rival. Santo, for his part, didn't seem to notice the tone in David's voice. The big mountain of rock was grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm here to make you an offer," Santo said, his voice low and deep, "an offer you simply can't refuse."