Chapter 8
The taxi squeaked to a halt in front of the old abandoned building that had once been an institute of learning. The once bright yellow walls were now charred with black soot and the several windows were broken or boarded up. "Hey, you sure you wanna get out here lady?" The surly cabbie asked her. "Yeah, I'm sure." Sami replied. "How much?" "Fifteen bucks." The cab driver said. "Here you go." She said handing him a twenty. "Keep the change." "Hey thanks." The cabbie replied. "Look lady, at least take this card and call me when you wanna go back down to town. If you got one of dem cellular phones that is?" "Yeah I do, thanks." Sami said taking the card and turning back to look at the rusty gates as the cab pulled away from the building. Sami walked slowly through the gates, noticing that the sign that had once identified the school swung limply from a wire attached to them. The writing on it was all but gone so that now it only read "For The Gifted." She walked up the steps to the front doors. There was a chain locking them and several signs saying "Condemned! Do Not Enter!" were posted on them. The lock connecting the chains looked rusted and Sami tested it to see if perhaps it might magically unlock. But no such luck, although it suddenly turned ice cold, almost as if frozen. She let go of it and looked around for something to try to break it with. She found a large rock and began to bang on the ancient looking padlock. It took only one knock before the lock sprang open and Sami was able to remove it and the chain from the doors. Taking a deep breath she pushed open the doors and stepped into her past.
The man in the wheelchair continued to look up at the dumbfounded group of people before him. "What do you mean perhaps you can assist us?" John asked him. What do you know about Samantha's disappearance?" "I am not sure that I can tell you when or how Samantha fled the hospital, but I believe I might have the answers you seek regarding why she left and where she might have gone." The man answered enigmatically. "Well then start talking." Roman said, approaching the man threateningly.
"I want to know where my daughter is and what you have to do with it! And I wanna know now! And you can start by telling us just who in da hell you are!" "Wait!" Marlena cried with a restraining hand on Roman's arm. She approached the man, her eyes searching his face in question. "I know you." She said to him. The man merely smiled up at her. "I do know you don't I!" The others looked from the man to Marlena in question. "Why certainly you know me Dr. Evans." The man answered her. "A long time ago, your children were entrusted into my care and guidance, at the school that I ran. I am Professor Charles Xavier."