Chapter Ten
Rory walked down the hallway and saw Angel looking into the kitchen.
"Hey you," She said brightly. He looked up at her voice.
"Hey," He said quietly giving her a small smile. She smiled back at him.
"I have redone that shirt wanna go and try it on?" She asked. He nodded, "Great,"
Rory lead the way up the stairs to their floor and to her room. She closed the door once they were both in it and looked at Warren. "Right," She stuttered.
Rory went over to the desk and picked up the shirt and handed it to Warren. He pulled off the brown tee shirt he was wearing and tried and failed to replace it with the shirt.
"Can you…?" Rory smiled at the question.
"'Course," She answered.
She walked over and slipped the shirt over his wings. It fit on with much more ease. Warren flexed his wings a little and looked at Rory.
"Well? How does it feel?" She asked smiling at him.
"Good," He said giving her a small smile.
"Great," she said beaming at him, "I will measure it and make a pattern for the shape and apply it to all the other shirts. It should be easy really I mean all…" She had realised she was babbling before she trailed off but couldn't seem to stop. The babbling had come to an end when her fingers had felt under the feathers at the base of Warren's wing and felt a massive scar. "What…"
Warren turning around quickly to face her and ended up knocking over a lamp with one of his wings, he went to pick it up but Rory grabbed his arm to make him face her. His jaw was set but she wasn't going to give up so easily.
"What happened?" She asked simply. He looked from her to the walls around the room as if they were closing in on him. "Come on, Warren you can tell me."
He looked at her, his blue eyes conveying such intensity that it made Rory shiver, but she held his glare. When he finally realised he wasn't going to stare her into submission he looked at the floor.
"It was when I first saw them," He said quietly not looking at Rory. She had an intense sense of foreboding that made the hairs on her neck stand up but she didn't want to run away from it. "I knew my father would never understand, he hated mutants and still does." He looked her in the eye as if challenging her to interrupt him but she stayed silent looking at him. "So I sawed them off." He said simply.
Rory couldn't help but falter at the words, "Your wings…" She stuttered and he continued to stare at her.
"Yes," He said. She shivered imagining how painful that must have been. His eyes had tears in them as if he was reliving the experience.
Rory moved in a flash. She had her arms tightly around his neck. He stood stock still for a few seconds before accepting the hug and wrapping his arms around her. She held him tightly.
"Never be ashamed," She whispered in his ear.
"It's hard," He said honestly, his voice choked with emotion. Rory pulled back a little to look him in the eyes.
"I know, but it gets easier." He nodded looking at her.
"Rory, I…" He started but never got to finish.
"Rory?" Rory sprung out of Warren's arms at the foreign voice. Warren instantly moved to look out the window. Rory turned to see a fifth grader standing in the doorway. The kid had had the decency to blush realising that he had just walked in on something. "Uh I think one of the ovens is on fire," He said to his feet.
"Right," Rory answered back absent-mindedly. She turned and looked at Warren, the closeness of their encounter still in her very being. "I will be back in a little while,"
He looked at her quickly and then nodded. Rory bit her lower lip and followed the kid through the school in a haze. What was Warren going to say to her? There was no point in even trying to guess. Warren was about as easy to read as a letter in Latin.
When she arrived in the kitchen indeed one of the ovens was smoking but it wasn't on fire. After ordering some kids to open all the doors and windows in the kitchen Rory got the cookies out of the oven. They were now shrivelled and black.
The kids collectively moaned. Rory wasn't all that disappointed, she knew if they had been taken out at the right time they still would have been gross, but that wasn't the point.
"I am sorry you guys," She apologized. They all looked at her. "How about I make you guys a chocolate cake tonight, to make up for the lost cookies and then we can try again next weekend."
They kids all nodded in agreement that that was a good plan and slowly left the kitchen so that Rory was left with all the cleaning up.
She quickly dumped the cookies and silently thanked god that she had wrapped all the cookie sheets in tin foil so all she had to do was throw out the foil and put away the multiple cookie sheets.
She dashed back up stair and ran into her room, which was empty. Her heart fell out through her feet. Kitty ran past Rory.
"Hey Kitty, have you seen Warren?" She yelled after Kitty.
"Uh yeah he is in his room!" Kitty yelled back.
"Where are you going?"
"Bobby wants us to meet down stairs!" Rory knew what that meant. Rory nodded.
"Be careful!"
"Will do!" With that Kitty was gone again.
Rory turned and walked down the hall her heart pounding faster and faster as she reached Warren's door. She stood in it for a few seconds. Warren was looking out his window.
Rory looked down at herself. She was wearing a jean skirt that went to her knees and a peasant blouse that had a light pink band of lace around her arms at the elbow and under her bust. Her hair was back in a ponytail.
"Warren?" She said quietly. Warren turned and looked at her. He was pale and looked like he had been given quite a shock. "What's the matter?" Rory said walking into his room.
"I just heard…" He trailed off and looked out the window again.
"Just heard what?" She asked looking at him. "You can trust me Warren."
"I think Magneto is taking the brotherhood to Alcatraz." Rory was struck dumb by the random comment.
"What…how…why?" Was all she was able to stutter.
"I just heard them talking in the hall."
"Who?"
"I am not sure, but I understood what they meant. Magneto is going to Alcatraz to destroy the Labs, the kid, and my father." Warren raved. The sight of the other side of Warren took Rory aback. He was usually so shy, so contained, but now he was…. was…unleashed almost.
Rory shook her head to try and take in the information he was rapidly telling her, "Wait... wait, the kid? What kid?"
Warren shook his head starting to pace. "The cure it comes from the make up of a kid, a mutant. I dunno, his mutation … it drains other mutants of their mutation when around him."
Rory shook her head, "Wait, they are using a mutant to eradicate mutants?"
"I know, ironic right?" Warren said still pacing furiously around his room.
"Just a little, so okay let me see if I have this correct. Magneto and his brotherhood are going to Alcatraz to start this war… or whatever they think it coming is that right?" Rory asked Warren watching him pace.
"Yes," He said.
"Well you have to go there," Rory said simply. Warren stopped pacing and looked at her.
"What?" He said staring at her blankly.
"You have to go there, you will be able to get there before the X-Jet, your dad's there, Warren, Magneto will kill him."
Warren took a few steps closer to Rory, "I am not the solider that you seem to think I am… I am not an X-Man or whatever it is they call them."
"I am not saying you are Warren, but he is your dad you have to help him."
"I don't have to do anything for that man," He said, grabbing Rory by her upper arms and coldly staring into her eyes. Rory stared back with just as much intensity.
"You wanna know what my dad did? He drove me thousands of miles to drag me out of his El Camino and dump me at my grandmother's house. I haven't heard from him since, he could be dead for all I know." Warren's gaze faltered and he let go of her arms. Rory looked at her feet, "You dad doesn't understand Warren," Rory carefully placed her hand on his cheek. "He cares about you, I think… I think he is just scared. He doesn't know how to help you and he thought if he made you normal you would have a better life. He was wrong but that doesn't mean he doesn't care."
Warren looked at Rory and nodded, "You're right, I'll go," He stepped past her but stopped at the door. He turned and looked back at her. "Come with me,"
"Pardon?" Rory said raising her eyebrows. The ground shuddered as the X-Jet came up from under the basketball courts but Rory and Warren didn't notice it.
"Come with me,"
"I can't," She said simply staring at him like he was mad.
"Please, I need you help." Warren said standing in front of her.
"Warren, I can't-"
"Please Rory, I need your help."
"Warren…"
"I need you," Rory looked up at Warren's words.
"What?"
"I need you please come with me, I can't do it without you." Rory looked down at the floor he mind whirling. She felt lightheaded and didn't think that this was all possible. It was ridiculous.
She looked up at him, "Okay," She said quickly. He smiled and grabbed her hand.
They both ran through the mansion until they reached the front door. Warren pulled it open and they both ran out into the driveway. Warren turned and picked up Rory, one arm under her knees the other around her shoulders.
"Hold on," He said simply. He knelt down as Rory wrapped her arms around his neck tightly.
"Did I mention-" Rory started.
Warren kicked off from the ground the. His wings beating furiously propelling them higher and higher.
"I am not good with heights!" Rory screamed.
