"I Tried"
Furor Paxx (VulgateOfEarth@hotmail.com)
Chapter 24- Look into the Crystal
"Kaysin, are you all right?" Professor Xavier asked him as soon as he walked into the kitchen.
"Well, I'm kinda confused, but I think I understand. It was just a dream." Kaysin sat in a chair and put his head on the table.
Scott glanced at the Professor and then looked back at Kaysin. "Are you sure that's all? You don't look too good."
"Just tired. That's all."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. Yes. But it'll sound really stupid."
"No stupider than you usually sound." Jaysin muttered darkly.
"That's alright, go ahead." Scott took a seat at the table as well.
Kaysin lifted his head, but decided it was too much trouble. He put it back on the table. "I dreamt that we figured out where Todd was, but it was underground and when we looked for him with the computers we saw the skeletons and Lance got scared so there were a bunch of earthquakes and then Bayville was gone and we were trapped and then Todd fell out of the sky and then I woke up in the dream, but I was really just seeing from Todd's point of view and he was waking up- not me and do you understand any of what I'm saying?"
There was a minute of silence as everyone's mind struggled to follow what Kaysin was saying.
"You had a dream about Todd." Scott said.
"Yeah. And I think I know where we might find him. That is, I have a very general idea and it's better than standing around here doing nothing."
"So, where?" Scott leaned forward.
Kaysin sighed. "I think he's underneath the house."
"We already looked under there."
"No, there are passages that go from the house to this space underneath. I think that's where he is."
"So where is this secret passage?"
Kaysin fidgeted and glanced at the Professor, who kept his face neutral. Kaysin stood up and opened the cabinet that Lance had found the tunnel behind.
There, caught in a seam, was a tuft of purple.
"Unbelievable. That looks like Todd's shirt... How did you know?"
"It happened in my dream." Kaysin pushed against the back of the cabinet and the whole wall sank away.
"Hang on. I'll go get the others." Scott ran from the room, leaving the Dantzler brothers and the Professor staring into the hole. The whole crowd came barging in a minute later.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Pietro glared at Kaysin. He didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged.
"Alright. Let's hurry up and find him." Lance started passing out flashlights and giving instructions. "We'll spilt into groups of three so we cover more ground. Don't get lost down there."
"Yeah, like we needed you to tell us that." Logan muttered.
"Can it, Logan. I already told you where you can go."
"Don't push it, bub."
They all stepped into the hidden passage and took a look around.
"Oh, yeah," Kaysin began, but Logan cut him off.
"There's something in here." The mutant unsheathed his claws.
"Yeah, it's-"
Logan stepped forward. "I smell blood."
"Oh, boy." Kaysin said.
There was a soft whooshing noise and Logan shouted and swiped his claws at his attacker.
"Logan, it's a rake."
"Shut up, I think I see him." Logan stepped forward on the rake again and swore as it clunked him on the head.
"Logan. It's a RAKE."
"What are you talking about?"
Kaysin shined his flashlight on the ground at Logan's feet. The rake was half visible beneath the dust. "Just like in my dream."
"So where is he?"
"Hmm." Kaysin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know."
There was a very pointed silence at that.
"I mean, I could tell you what should happen next, but that wouldn't help at all. Besides, by this time in my dream, we had already tracked him with the computers."
"Of course!" Pietro raced up to Kaysin and hugged him. "You're a genius! All we have to do is use the computers, there's this really extensive map of underground Bayville. It'll be easy!"
"But-"
"What?"
"We can't. Because then we see the skeletons and Lance does his earthquake thing and Bayville is destroyed and that's bad so we have to just wait."
"Uh-huh. Can someone translate, please?" Lance looked around the group. "I thought I heard my name, but it may have been the word ants."
Jaysin shrugged. "Who knows. He's been right so far, so I say we go with it."
"But what about Todd?"
"He'll drop in sooner or later." Kaysin said confidently.
"You saw this in your dream?"
"Yep. He falls through the ceiling after Bayville gets destroyed."
"...Really."
"Yep."
"Then I guess we should just wait."
"Yes, that's what I said."
"Kay, you worry me sometimes."
"Why?"
"People, especially Todd, do not just fall through ceilings. They just got done putting a new roof on the place."
"My roof?" Lance interrupted. "He's gonna wreck my roof? Hell, no."
"But, Lance. That means we get to do it again." Freddy pointed out. "It would probably hurt Todd though."
Pietro stared at Freddy, Lance and Jaysin. "I don't believe this, you guys are putting this much faith in my sister's boyfriend? Are you insane?"
"Obviously. Why are we still down here? My allergies are going to kick ass if I stay in here much longer." Lance looked around the group. "SO, anyone want to stay here and look for Todd under all this dust, or shall we wait?"
"I'm tired of waiting." Logan growled.
"Then you're welcome to get lost down here if you want to. I'm going back upstairs."
"You're not scared are you?"
"Yes, I'm terrified that I'm going to sneeze and drown us all in snot and dust." Lance shot back on his way to the kitchen, closely followed by Pietro and Kaysin.
"I'll just, you know. Surf the net or something." Pietro muttered as he headed for the basement.
"Whatever." Lance answered. Everyone else decided to keep searching.
In the kitchen, Professor Xavier asked what had happened. Lance told him and waited for the professor to say something, but the old man was silent.
"What are you thinking?"
"I think someone's hiding a secret from us, Lance. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on young Kaysin. He seems to be a bit more than he appears."
"Well, I hope so, otherwise I'm throwing Wanda out. The longer I'm near the little prick, the stupider I get."
"Now, Lance, that's not a very charitable thing to say."
Lance shrugged. "Where's the Salvation Army sign? I don't bother with charity."
There was a loud thump from above and both the Professor and Lance looked up. "That sounded bad."
Pietro was at their side within the next second. "What was that?"
"Go get the others, I really don't want to go by myself."
"Scared?"
"Yeah, I've never seen anyone's guts before."
Pietro nodded and disappeared.
"Do you think it's Todd?" Lance asked the Professor.
"I can't tell. I still don't sense him nearby."
Lance took a deep breath. "Well, maybe we'll find out why."
Furor Paxx (VulgateOfEarth@hotmail.com)
Chapter 24- Look into the Crystal
"Kaysin, are you all right?" Professor Xavier asked him as soon as he walked into the kitchen.
"Well, I'm kinda confused, but I think I understand. It was just a dream." Kaysin sat in a chair and put his head on the table.
Scott glanced at the Professor and then looked back at Kaysin. "Are you sure that's all? You don't look too good."
"Just tired. That's all."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. Yes. But it'll sound really stupid."
"No stupider than you usually sound." Jaysin muttered darkly.
"That's alright, go ahead." Scott took a seat at the table as well.
Kaysin lifted his head, but decided it was too much trouble. He put it back on the table. "I dreamt that we figured out where Todd was, but it was underground and when we looked for him with the computers we saw the skeletons and Lance got scared so there were a bunch of earthquakes and then Bayville was gone and we were trapped and then Todd fell out of the sky and then I woke up in the dream, but I was really just seeing from Todd's point of view and he was waking up- not me and do you understand any of what I'm saying?"
There was a minute of silence as everyone's mind struggled to follow what Kaysin was saying.
"You had a dream about Todd." Scott said.
"Yeah. And I think I know where we might find him. That is, I have a very general idea and it's better than standing around here doing nothing."
"So, where?" Scott leaned forward.
Kaysin sighed. "I think he's underneath the house."
"We already looked under there."
"No, there are passages that go from the house to this space underneath. I think that's where he is."
"So where is this secret passage?"
Kaysin fidgeted and glanced at the Professor, who kept his face neutral. Kaysin stood up and opened the cabinet that Lance had found the tunnel behind.
There, caught in a seam, was a tuft of purple.
"Unbelievable. That looks like Todd's shirt... How did you know?"
"It happened in my dream." Kaysin pushed against the back of the cabinet and the whole wall sank away.
"Hang on. I'll go get the others." Scott ran from the room, leaving the Dantzler brothers and the Professor staring into the hole. The whole crowd came barging in a minute later.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Pietro glared at Kaysin. He didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged.
"Alright. Let's hurry up and find him." Lance started passing out flashlights and giving instructions. "We'll spilt into groups of three so we cover more ground. Don't get lost down there."
"Yeah, like we needed you to tell us that." Logan muttered.
"Can it, Logan. I already told you where you can go."
"Don't push it, bub."
They all stepped into the hidden passage and took a look around.
"Oh, yeah," Kaysin began, but Logan cut him off.
"There's something in here." The mutant unsheathed his claws.
"Yeah, it's-"
Logan stepped forward. "I smell blood."
"Oh, boy." Kaysin said.
There was a soft whooshing noise and Logan shouted and swiped his claws at his attacker.
"Logan, it's a rake."
"Shut up, I think I see him." Logan stepped forward on the rake again and swore as it clunked him on the head.
"Logan. It's a RAKE."
"What are you talking about?"
Kaysin shined his flashlight on the ground at Logan's feet. The rake was half visible beneath the dust. "Just like in my dream."
"So where is he?"
"Hmm." Kaysin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know."
There was a very pointed silence at that.
"I mean, I could tell you what should happen next, but that wouldn't help at all. Besides, by this time in my dream, we had already tracked him with the computers."
"Of course!" Pietro raced up to Kaysin and hugged him. "You're a genius! All we have to do is use the computers, there's this really extensive map of underground Bayville. It'll be easy!"
"But-"
"What?"
"We can't. Because then we see the skeletons and Lance does his earthquake thing and Bayville is destroyed and that's bad so we have to just wait."
"Uh-huh. Can someone translate, please?" Lance looked around the group. "I thought I heard my name, but it may have been the word ants."
Jaysin shrugged. "Who knows. He's been right so far, so I say we go with it."
"But what about Todd?"
"He'll drop in sooner or later." Kaysin said confidently.
"You saw this in your dream?"
"Yep. He falls through the ceiling after Bayville gets destroyed."
"...Really."
"Yep."
"Then I guess we should just wait."
"Yes, that's what I said."
"Kay, you worry me sometimes."
"Why?"
"People, especially Todd, do not just fall through ceilings. They just got done putting a new roof on the place."
"My roof?" Lance interrupted. "He's gonna wreck my roof? Hell, no."
"But, Lance. That means we get to do it again." Freddy pointed out. "It would probably hurt Todd though."
Pietro stared at Freddy, Lance and Jaysin. "I don't believe this, you guys are putting this much faith in my sister's boyfriend? Are you insane?"
"Obviously. Why are we still down here? My allergies are going to kick ass if I stay in here much longer." Lance looked around the group. "SO, anyone want to stay here and look for Todd under all this dust, or shall we wait?"
"I'm tired of waiting." Logan growled.
"Then you're welcome to get lost down here if you want to. I'm going back upstairs."
"You're not scared are you?"
"Yes, I'm terrified that I'm going to sneeze and drown us all in snot and dust." Lance shot back on his way to the kitchen, closely followed by Pietro and Kaysin.
"I'll just, you know. Surf the net or something." Pietro muttered as he headed for the basement.
"Whatever." Lance answered. Everyone else decided to keep searching.
In the kitchen, Professor Xavier asked what had happened. Lance told him and waited for the professor to say something, but the old man was silent.
"What are you thinking?"
"I think someone's hiding a secret from us, Lance. If I were you, I'd keep an eye on young Kaysin. He seems to be a bit more than he appears."
"Well, I hope so, otherwise I'm throwing Wanda out. The longer I'm near the little prick, the stupider I get."
"Now, Lance, that's not a very charitable thing to say."
Lance shrugged. "Where's the Salvation Army sign? I don't bother with charity."
There was a loud thump from above and both the Professor and Lance looked up. "That sounded bad."
Pietro was at their side within the next second. "What was that?"
"Go get the others, I really don't want to go by myself."
"Scared?"
"Yeah, I've never seen anyone's guts before."
Pietro nodded and disappeared.
"Do you think it's Todd?" Lance asked the Professor.
"I can't tell. I still don't sense him nearby."
Lance took a deep breath. "Well, maybe we'll find out why."