*-*-* Weeping Willow *-*-*
*-* Chapter Eight *-*
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
~ Mother Theresa
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As she passed by the living room outside the kitchen, she saw the television still covering the story on the White House attack. She came in and sat down on the couch next to a little boy of about twelve whom she called Blinkin'. All he did was sit on that couch, watching TV and changing the channels with his eyes. Willow didn't know exactly what his mutation was, but thought it must've been some kind of telekinesis.
"Hey, Blinkin'," Willow said and sat down.
"Hi," he said flatly.
"What's on the telly today?" she asked, trying to sound cheerful.
"Not much," he said. "Only this stupid story. They keep going on and on about it like the president actually got killed."
"Anything new about it?" asked Willow.
"Not so much. They found a knife in the president's desk with a tag that said 'Mutant Freedom Now' and some weird gas that was still in the air. They said they're checking to see what it is, but they always say that kind of stuff and never really tell you what it is," Blinkin' said.
"I hate that," Willow said. "Are you gonna keep watching it, or are you gonna flip channels? 'Cause I'm not gonna sit here and watch TV with you if you're going to just flip channels."
"There's nothing else on," Blinkin' said. He never really looked at people when he talked. He mostly had his eyes glued to the TV screen. Willow and Blinkin' sat on the comfortable couch and watched the story develop for well over an hour. Willow was about to get up and get something to drink when something new came on.
"A news update on the story that has shaken America: quick laboratory tests of the air in the oval office have come up with sulfuric gasses. These tests are of course cursory. More in depth tests will be run to see if the air is safe to breathe. A few of the security guards are conscious at this time, and say that they remember black smoke and a few quick glances at their attacker, whom they have described as 'a demon.' However, they did not get a close look at the mutant, so there are still no leads on who might have been so intent on killing America's president. Keep checking in or check out CNN.com for new details," the newscaster said. Willow's mouth was hanging open. Demon. Black smoke. No close look...Depending on their mutation, a single person could attack the White House...Kurt, she thought.
"There's no way," she whispered.
"What?" asked Blinkin'. Willow got up, her stomach in knots. It can't be him! She thought frantically. Her knees were shaking. "What's the matter?"
"I uh...," she muttered. "Do you know where the Professor is? I really need to talk to him."
"Probably in his office," Blinkin' said. She walked off quickly in the direction of Professor Xavier's office, but broke into a run, not being able to take it. She opened the door quickly. The Professor looked up upon her entrance.
"Professor," she stammered. "I think I know who attacked the White House."
"Close the door," the Professor said. Willow did what she was told, then came closer to the desk where the Professor was sitting. Her whole body was shaking and she was ringing her hands a little. "I want you to calm down," he told her. She nodded. "Who do you think did this?"
"I don't want to get him in trouble," Willow said.
"Don't worry," said Xavier. "That's not how we run things here. Can you tell me a name?"
"Kurt Wagner," Willow said hesitantly. Then she became distressed. "Professor, he wouldn't hurt a fly if a gun was pointed to his head! You have to understand that this is totally out of character for him. I can't imagine him ever thinking of something like this, and I'm sure he wouldn't just do it."
"I understand, Willow," said Xavier. "There may be outside elements that are playing into this situation. Now that we know who it is, we'll have to find him."
"Cerebro?" asked Willow. She'd only ever heard of it. She didn't know where in the school it was or how to get there, but she knew that Xavier used it to find mutants. The Professor nodded.
"Why don't you come with me? This does involve you, after all," Xavier suggested as he steered his wheelchair out from the desk and around to where Willow was standing.
"Alright," Willow agreed. She held the door open for him and followed him down the hall to one of the elevators.
"Can you press the Basement Level two button, please?" asked Xavier. Willow pushed the button with her index finger and the elevator began its decent into unexplored territory. The door slid open a moment later, and Willow stepped out into a light cobalt blue hallway. It was lit over head by white lights. Doors lined the hallway and one of them at the end was round with an X across it. Xavier took up the lead and headed towards the round door. He stopped about five feet in front of it. The blue circle in the center scanned the Professor's eye and slid open, greeting him with a mechanical "Welcome, Professor." A long catwalk lit by small spot lights that were connected to the sides of the walk way extended out to a circular platform where a control panel was located. The Professor rolled into Cerebro and approached the control panel. When Willow stepped inside, she found that the room itself was vast and round. The door shut behind her and they were alone inside Cerebro.
"Do you know how Cerebro works?" asked Xavier.
"No idea," Willow said.
"What it does is it connects my brain waves to every living person on the planet. I can specifically site out mutants because their life force is much stronger than a normal human being. This makes it easier to track down mutants. Now, I want you to stand perfectly still while I search for him," said Xavier. He put on a sort of helmet and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the walls of Cerebro were blown away. In its place at first was vast nothingness. Then a red pinpoint appeared. Then a couple more. They were all over the place, and soon, Willow could make out the shape of the continents of the Earth. Millions of red pinpoints were all over every single continent.
"The red dots are all the mutants," Xavier said.
"There are so many," Willow murmured.
"We're not as alone as people think," Xavier said. "Now...where is our friend?" North America became more defined as they seemed to zoom in on Pennsylvania. One red dot in particular shown out from the rest. "There he is," Xavier whispered. Kurt's red dot came closer and closer until Willow could hear his voice. He was muttering in German and it sounded as if he was crying, or at least very upset. She could see him in red now. He was squatting down and rocking back and forth, his face in his hands and his tail limp on the floor.
"Oh, Kurt," Willow said sadly. She hated seeing him so miserable. Suddenly he was getting farther and farther away, and she couldn't hear his voice any more. They zoomed out so much that eventually they were back inside Cerebro. Professor Xavier took off his headpiece and set it down on the control panel. He turned around looked up at Willow's troubled face. "That's him...but I know he didn't mean to do what he did. You saw him."
"I did indeed," the Professor "And I agree with you. I don't think that he was the only one involved in the attack. I have a friend that might know a thing or two about what's happened. It seems that a meeting is in order." The door of Cerebro slid open, and they both exited the great round chamber. "Do you recall hearing on the news about a year or so back about the mutant attack on Ellis Island?"
"I think so," Willow answered.
"The attack was mostly because of my friend. His name is Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto. He had a vision of completely wiping out the human race so that mutants could live free. This was of course nonsense, and he is in a place now where he has little chance of escaping, however...I wouldn't put it past him to arrange something like this," Xavier explained as they went down the hall back towards the elevator.
"And you'll talk to him about it?" asked Willow.
"Absolutely. I'll also keep an eye on our friend until he stops running. When he does, I'll send a team to go and collect him," Xavier told her as they got back into the elevator. "First floor, please," he said. Willow pressed the first floor button, and the elevator took them back up.
"I didn't get to know him very well, but...I would hate to see him get hurt," Willow said sadly.
"I'll work as quickly as I can," said Xavier. "And I promise to let you know where he's headed and when he stops."
"Thank you," said Willow. "I hope you can get to him before someone else does."
"We will," Xavier assured her as the elevator door opened in front of them. "I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't spread around how to get to Cerebro."
"I won't," Willow said. "I think I'm going to go up to the room."
"Alright, Willow. Please try not to worry," he said.
"I'll try. But I worry a lot," Willow said.
"I know you do," Xavier said with a tender smile.
"Bye, Professor," Willow said with a small smile.
"Good bye, Willow," Xavier said as they headed down the hall in opposite directions.
Willow couldn't sleep that night. She stayed awake, sitting on the edge of her bed and every once in a while, she'd sigh deeply. Kurt was alone, miserable, and scared somewhere, and Willow couldn't do anything for him. She still had yet to repay him for all the good he did. She sighed again.
"Will you quit that sighing and go to sleep?" muttered Jackie.
"I can help it. How can I sleep when someone I care about's alone and cold and scared?" asked Willow in a whisper.
"I don't know, but if you're going to keep sighing like that, you should take a walk or go watch some TV with Blinky," Jackie told her. Not a bad idea, Willow thought.
"I'll be back later," said Willow. Jackie grunted and rolled over. Willow got up and left the room. She wandered down the dark halls for a little while until the creaking sounds made by her feet sounded a little too loud for comfort. She made her way downstairs, and like always, Blinkin' was there watching TV.
"Back again?" he asked.
"Yep," Willow said.
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"Nope," she said as she sat down. "What're we watchin' tonight?"
"The Muppet Show," he said.
"Good choice," Willow said with a nod. They watched The Muppet Show for a few minutes until Willow asked, "Do you ever sleep?"
"Only once in a great while," Blinkin' said. Kermit the Frog appeared on the screen with a guitar in his hands.
"Greetings, Kermit the Frog here. Today, I'd like to talk about the color green," he began. After his speech, he began to sing 'It's Not That Easy Being Green.'
"Such truth," Willow sighed. "Me and Kermit the Frog. We're the only ones that know. It really isn't easy being green."
"But at least you're not all green. At least you're only green on your forearms," Blinkin' said, his eyes still fixed on the screen.
"True. Say, what's you're real name? I feel bad about calling you Blinkin' all the time," said Willow.
"It's Kyle," he said.
"You look like a Kyle," Willow told him. "Where are you from, Kyle?"
"New Jersey," he said. He took his eyes away from the screen. "Why d'you hang out with me all the time lately, anyways?"
"Because you're a cool little kid," Willow said. "And I know when I talk to you that you actually think about what I say. Lots of people, when you talk to them, you can tell they aren't really listening."
"I know how that feels," Kyle said. Silence fell over them and the focused on Kermit's song.
"But green is the color of spring," Kermit sang optimistically.
"That's true," Willow agreed.
"And green can be cool and friendly-like. And green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain!" Kermit sang.
"Amen, brother," Willow said with a single, important nod. Kermit finished his song, and Willow felt better about being somewhat green. Unfortunately, old Kermit the Frog couldn't help her with her other problems. She decided after The Muppet Show that she should at least try to sleep.
For the next two nights, Willow's dreams were horrible nightmares. She dreamed that Kurt was caught by the police and shot on the spot. She also dreamed that they tortured him first, then they killed him. Every time she had one of these nightmares, she'd wake up drenched in a cold sweat and would have to find something to do for the rest of the night. Her eyes looked horrible and blood shot during classes, she kept falling asleep.
"Willow," called Professor Xavier after Geometry was over and everyone had gone either to their next class or up to their dorms. Willow, he called telepathically. Willow woke up and wiped the spit from the side of her cheek.
"Hmm?" she asked. "Oh, crap, class is over, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," said the Professor.
"I'm going to be late for Literature," Willow groaned before she gathered up all her things.
"I want you to skip it," Xavier said. "You've been losing sleep, haven't you?"
"Yeah," sighed Willow. "I've been having nightmares, so I usually go and watch TV with Kyle."
"I've been tracking Kurt for the past few days, and he seems to be slowing down. My appointment to see Erik is tonight, so I'll have to leave. I promise to check once more before I go. I assure you, he'll be alright," said Xavier. "But I really do want you to skip Literature and go get some sleep."
"I'll miss a huge discussion," Willow protested.
"School can wait," the Professor told her. Willow sighed and reluctantly decided to try and sleep. She went up to the empty room and flopped her tired body down onto the sheets of her welcoming bed. She fell into a dreamless sleep almost instantly. She woke up twice. Once from Rogue coming in and getting her shoes out from under her bed, and another from Kitty coming in, seeing Willow asleep, and going out. Apart from these two interruptions, Willow's nap was peaceful and it filled her with energy when she decided to get up. She looked at the clock on Jubilee's nightstand. It read 6:14. Willow was astonished at how long she had slept. She did feel better though. She got up and headed downstairs in search of her friends.
Just as she was passing through the foyer, the door opened and a man with a bag over his shoulder entered. They stared at each other for a moment. He looked a little dangerous with his long side burns and piercing eyes.
"Hi," he said gruffly.
"Hi," Willow said back. "Whatcha doin'?"
"I need to see the Professor," said the man. "D'you know where he's at?"
"Nope," Willow said.
"Logan!" cried Rogue's happy voice from Willow's right. She and Bobby came into the foyer, and Rogue gave Logan a light hug.
"Hey," he said with a smile. "Who's this?" asked Logan, looking at Bobby.
"This is Bobby, he's my-," Rogue began to say.
"Boyfriend," Bobby finished. He held his hand out for Logan to shake it, and when he took it, Willow could see Logan's hand turn slightly blue with ice crystals. After Bobby let him go, Logan sort of shook his hand to get it warmer.
"Boyfriend, huh?" Logan said. "How do you guys, uh...."
"We're working on it," Bobby told him.
"So who's this one?" asked Logan, gesturing to Willow.
"Oh, this is one of my good friends. Willow, this is Logan," Rogue said.
"Hi," Willow said.
"Hi," he said once more. Willow nodded.
"Hey, Logan," said the voice of Jean as she came down the stairs.
"Hi, Jean," said Logan. Storm and Scott followed Jean down the stairs. They looked like they might be going somewhere.
"Are you guys going somewhere?" asked Willow.
"I'm going to go with the Professor to visit someone," said Scott. "And Storm and Jean are going to collect the mutant over in Boston."
"Can you do some babysitting, Logan?" asked Jean.
"Babysitting?" Logan repeated, his nose wrinkling slightly. Logan looked as if he'd remembered something. He took a ring of keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Scott. "Your motorcycle needs gas," he said. Scott caught the keys but then chucked them back.
"Fill 'er up," said Scott.
"I need to talk to the Professor," Logan said.
"He's down in Cerebro getting last minute coordinates," Scott told him. "Why do you need to talk to him?"
"None of your business," Logan said. Willow could tell there was some tension between Scott and Logan. Perhaps even dislike.
"Come on, Willow, we're leaving," Jean said.
"Am I coming?" asked Willow.
"Sure. Come on," said Jean.
"Wait, I gotta get my shoes on and I haven't got my coat on," Willow said a little panicky. She hated when she had to rush.
"Don't worry about it. You can wear one of the uniforms," said Jean.
"Hey, why don't Ah ever get to go on missions?" asked Rogue.
"Because your friend isn't in danger, and Willow's a couple years older. You'll have your time, Rogue, don't worry," said Jean. Willow flashed Rogue a quick, helpless smile that said 'sorry' quite plainly before she followed Jean and Storm to the nearest elevator. They took it down to the second basement level, the same level that held Cerebro, and got out. They headed down the opposite direction of the large round door. In a display case, several uniforms were hung up. Storm opened up the glass door and got one out for herself, Jean, and Willow. Storm gave Willow a pair of boots that looked like they would probably end just below her knee. They were lace ups with three buckles over the top.
"Can I just go get my coat and shoes? I dunno if I want to wear one of those...," Willow said hesitantly.
"If you really don't want to wear it, you can go get your shoes," Jean said. Willow hurried back to the elevator and pushed the second floor button. She got out and walked quickly to the room. Jackie was inside and looked up when Willow came in.
"What're you in such a hurry for?" asked Jackie.
"I'm going with Storm and Jean to go find Kurt," said Willow. "Where're my shoes?"
"Under that towel there," Jackie said. Willow found her black converse all stars.
"Thanks," said Willow.
"How come you get to go?" asked Jackie.
"Because. Kurt's my friend," Willow said as she stuffed her feet in her shoes and tied the laces. "I need," she said slowly. "My hoodie."
"Under your bed," Jackie said. Willow threw the blanket that was blocking her view up onto her bed and snatched her hoodie. She put it on and stuck her thumbs through the holes at the edge of the sleeves. She tied her hair back into a ponytail at the base of her neck. "When're you coming back?" asked Jackie
"I dunno," Willow said. "But pretty much all the teachers are gone for tonight. One of Rogue's friends is babysitting. He's sorta scary lookin', so you might wanna keep that wallet chain handy." Jackie grinned.
"Word," she said mischievously.
"I gotta go. Talk to you later," said Willow.
"Bye. Don't get killed," Jackie joked.
"Same to you," Willow returned. She left the dorm room and headed back down to the second basement level where Jean and Storm were in their uniforms. They still looked incredibly uncomfortable.
"Ready to go?" asked Jean.
"Sure," Willow said. Storm opened the door at the very end of the hallway. A light automatically flickered on. Willow's jaw dropped as soon as she saw what was inside the gigantic room. A jet, not like one she'd ever seen, loomed over them. "We've got a jet?!" Willow asked.
"We've got lots of things we don't let you know about," Jean said. Willow followed Jean and Storm into the jet by way of a hatch that was already open. Willow climbed the stairs of the hatch and marveled at what was inside. The jet could be driven by two people and behind the pilot and co pilot seats were around ten passenger seats. Jean and Storm sat down in the two pilot seats and fastened their seat belts.
"You might want to sit down and buckle your seat belt," Jean said.
"Oh, right," Willow said. She sat down in the nearest seat and fooled around with the seat belt until she figured out how to fasten it. Storm had turned the jet on, which hummed all over the place. Willow was a little nervous. She had never flown in a plane before. She took a big breath as the ceiling opened up above them and Storm put up the landing gear. The jet hovered for a moment, then rose through the gap in the ceiling. The jet hummed louder for a second before taking off, gaining altitude much quicker than any normal plane. They leveled out when they were far above the clouds. The sun had begun to set, and Willow could see the faint twinkling of stars as the light failed.
"I hope Kurt's alright," Willow said.
"I'm sure he's fine," Storm said from the front.
"How long do you think it'll take to get there?" asked Willow.
"Not too long. An hour, maybe," said Storm.
"Good," Willow said. She felt something inside the long pocket in the front of her hoodie. She wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. She took it out and discovered that it was her Discman. Inside was a Jimmy Eat World CD. Lucky me, Willow said putting on her headphones. She watched New York pass below them when clouds were absent. Flying wasn't too bad. They hit turbulence a couple times, but it didn't scare her or anything. She looked at the battery level on her Discman. The batteries were all the way charged, but she didn't like not hearing what was going on. She put the headphones around her neck and listened to the calm hum of the jet's engines.
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Aww, poor Kurt. It gets worse before it gets better!
