He sat once again in the warming sun. His spirit reached out through nature and he felt for her. And sure enough – she was there – but farther away than before.

He could feel her unease about her surroundings and then – he felt her hunger.

Go eat something. He told her. It's okay. I'm with you.

No! She replied. I will not leave my room again until… And her stomach growled.

I am with you. He smiled. It's okay. Just go.

Cautiously, X23 opened her door and peeked out in to the hall. A maid just outside her door stopped when their eyes met. For a moment the maid looked fearful, but then, suddenly, she smiled.

"So you're the terror of deck four, hunh?" The maid laughed hesitantly and only slightly.

X23 dropped her eyes. "I'm…" She searched for the word. "Im…pulsive." She decided.

The maid laughed again. "There are worse things to be. And I bet he had it coming." She smiled.

Her stomach growled again.

"Oh, hun, you probably haven't eaten since, have you?" The maid smiled. "Let me bring you a plate, okay?"

X23 cautiously looked the woman over. She could smell work as well as other children on the woman. She's a helper… She decided. Slowly she nodded in agreement and closed the door until it was only open a crack. Something nagged at her, from the back of her mind it swam out through the darkness to the surface.

"Please?" She said to the woman. "…And… Thank you."

The woman smiled sympathetically. "You're welcome. Of course." She said, putting her small cleaning cart to the side, locking its wheels in place and skittering off down the hall.

She closed her door and wondered. Why had she said those things? What did they mean? It was as the kind of thing that Logan would have taught her, like about the watch and appointments. It was a little thing, a detail – the kind of the thing she wasn't very good at.

"Please…" She said out loud. "And Thank you…" And she suddenly realized what they meant.

"Please is for asking…" She realized out loud. "Thank you for getting…" She marveled.

"Close enough." The boy whispered from his sunlit hilltop as he broke their connection. "And perhaps that's enough for today."

How did I know that? She wondered. And where did it come from?

"Where did this come from?" Kurt asked as he stared down at Alistaire's notebook. "The message I mean."

"It came through channels I suppose. It was on my voice-mail last night." Alistaire shrugged. "You haven't arranged any deliveries?"

"Just the crates I came with." Kurt stared at the notebook page. Vhat could Logan be sending me… He hadn't a clue.

"Ahh, yes. I tried to get after those crates again, after lunch, but I'm afraid that their contents have been… disassembled."

Kurt blinked twice as he turned to face Alistaire. "Disassembled?" He swallowed once. "But vhy?"

"I think it's a harassment technique myself. They're stalling. I'm sure of it. Talking about the technologies impact on the environment." Alistaire nodded.

Kurt let out a groan. "There's some pretty advanced communications technology in there." He said. "Experimental stuff too. I don't think they should be playing with it."

"I suppose they could be trying to learn as much as they can about it then, but I still think it's a part of the campaign against you."

"Could be." Kurt sighed. "And this woman in your apartment – she confirmed this conspiracy?"

"Indeed. And she seemed quite concerned that you might fall victim to it or succumb to the pressures of it."

"And she was dressed in white? With blonde hair?" He prodded.

"Indeed. She was scantily clad at that. Quite young. With one arm made out of metal." He added.

"Made out of…" Kurt eyed him. "Not 'covered in metal' instead?"

"Oh, no sir, it had fingerprints. I got a very good look at it up close. It was a hand, made of metal." He assured him. "Speaking of which – if I'm going to be dealing with attackers of superior skills, I thought I should consider some form of protection."

"What did you have in mind?" Kurt asked.

"Actually, I was looking for suggestions." He admitted.

"I'll think on it." Kurt added, not at all sure what he could tell this man to make him feel better. Instead, he left out the part about his visit from Emma Frost, in hopes of not adding any more fuel to the fire of paranoia he was beginning to see within the man.

Alistaire shivered slightly. "Is it getting cooler in here or is it just me?" He asked.

"No, it is." Kurt agreed and he stood up. Where has she been all day anyway? "Kitty, do you know…"

And then it happened again. A quick shriek of terror from below and then…

"FHOOOOMMM!" The fire ripped past the doorway like a great cloud of violence – singing everyone and everything it touched. Both Kurt and Alistaire were caught in its burst and the room filled with the smell of burning hair.

And then, just as before, the fire had burned itself out and left everything it touched coated in dark soot.

Alistaire dove out of the room and looked down the stairs the direction the fire had come from this time. "Kitty!" He called out.

And he heard her cough twice from down below. "I'm… okay!" She called back. "I figured out how to light the furnace!" She added almost cheerfully.

"Ahhh…" Alistaire looked up, then turned around to Kurt.

"The roof is on fire Mister Wagner." He said, pointing to the place where the flames were now hovering, eating away at the dry wood of the roof and frame.

Kurt teleported to the kitchen and grabbed a pot, then stuck it under the faucet and filled it with water.

"Please, Alistaire…" He called out before teleporting in to the rafters, putting out a section of flame and then back to the kitchen to repeat the process.

"Call me Kurt."

The maid knocked three times on the door.

X23 opened it just a crack.

The smell of the food had been there with the door closed, but with it open the smell was overwhelming.

The maid could see the hunger in her eyes and she smiled sadly. "Here you go luv." She handed her the tray. "You can just leave the dishes in there if you don't want to come out. I'll clean them up when we've reached port." She felt relieved when X23 took the tray from her. "And that should be tonight before midnight now – what with the way the Captain's been running the engines all day."

X23 paused. "We'll arrive early now?" She blinked once. "Tonight?"

"Oh, sure. We've been burning the fuel all day. Some think that the Captain has a family issue to deal with."

"Well, family… should come first." She was merely repeating something Logan had told her, but at the same time, she was testing its validity as well. Seeing if Logan was a liar and testing this woman at the same time.

"That it should dear. And it's a good man who'd put it first as well." She nodded happily. "Now you eat up and be sure you're packed and ready to go ashore."

"I am." She replied with a calm, strait face. Then she felt herself smile at the thought of the food as here eyes returned to it. "And I will."

And her mind fought for the memory. What was it… What do I say? She began to panic slightly as she said it, slowly looking the woman in the eye. "Thank you." She heard the words coming out. Was that the right one? For getting? Or was it the other way around?

The maid smiled. "Like I told you before. You're welcome." She let out a grandmotherly smile. "I'll be sure and come by to let you know when it's time to go, okay?" The woman asked.

Getting without asking… She was perplexed for a moment. This means something.

"Thank you." She said again, getting used to the phrase. "More."

The woman looked confused for a moment. Thank you … more… And then it became clear to her. "Oh, you're welcome again Dear. More." She added.

And then she took her cart and began pushing it slowly down the hall.

Getting without asking… She thought. It has to have a name. Logan would know its name. And for the first time in her life, X23 wished for the company of someone who could help her understand.

Kitty shook her head and rolled her eyes. Two days before she had been leisurely enjoying Xavier's mansion. And now…

"Stay in school kids." She said out loud, mocking herself as she swept up some of the soot.

She was looking down, right at the floor as it happened.

Footprints began to appear in the soot. they just kind of – floated up and swirled out of the way to leave the trail. And it appeared just as though a normal person were walking invisibly through the room.

Kitty felt herself begin to panic. She wondered how many mutants could become invisible. The thought made the hair stood up on the back of her neck and she took the broom and began swinging it back and forth through the air over the footprints.

Nothing happened.

And the footprints went right through the wall.

"Big deal." She shook her head, phasing through the wall. "See?" She asked.

And as she phased, she heard it.

"What the?" The man said.

"Hunh?" She asked, and she could see it – the man was standing outside the lighthouse, looking up at her. The door was in a different place on the wall but the scene was totally familiar. It was her lighthouse. He was a bearded old salt of a man. Wearing large rubber boots and carrying a burlap sack.

"Well, I'll be…" The man said, looking right at her. "A ghost!"

And at that moment, she had passed completely out of the wall and the image vanished, revealing the lighthouse, as it was today.

She shivered slightly. "Whoa." She looked around. Then phased in place. Still nothing happened. She debated going back in through the wall but then balked and reconsidered. And instead the walked around and went in the door.

"Too weird." She shivered, reclaiming the broom and slowly sweeping up the footprints before she realized what she was doing.

I'll show Kurt next time… She reasoned to cheer herself up. And it worked…

For about a second.

Next time? She swallowed. Oh, no!