Thanks again for checking this out! I was going to upload this last night, but I got distracted by the Attack on Titan premiere!

Chapter 4: The Xavier Institute

He dropped me off at the airport doors.

"I don't even have a ticket," I said. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He handed it to me. He also gave a fifty-dollar bill and a few ones. I unfolded the ticket and found that he had booked a flight to New York. Not New York. I couldn't go back there. Besides, how did he have a ticket for this flight? It was almost like this whole time he was waiting for the perfect moment to abandon me.

"The school, the one that you ran away from. That's where you're going. Tell them I sent you." He turned to go back to his truck.

"Logan," I called. "You're just going to leave me here? Forget about me? Please Logan you have to help me! ! Don't you think I'm dangerous? Don't you think I should be locked up? Hell, you just kill me! Take me out into the woods and shoot me. I don't care. I don't want to live like this anymore, I can't live like this anymore." I teared up again. Logan turned back toward me and stood there.

"You're not evil, and I'm not going to kill you. I don't want to kill anyone else," anyone else? What did that mean? Logan clearly had more secrets than he let on. "You just need help. And I'm telling you, the school is the best place to get it." He turned and walked back to the truck. I wanted to run after him, but I think deep down, I knew he was right. I didn't even know this guy. As horrifying as the thought was, I had to get help from someone. Real help.

I stood in front of the doors until Logan was out of sight. I had to see him leave so I was certain there was no other choice. When I turned around, I realized how much bigger the airport was than I had thought.

Once I was inside, I realized I didn't have any way of getting through the gate. I didn't have my ID or any money, I didn't know where I was going. I wandered aimlessly through the airport until I found the lines for security. I'm sure they knew who I was since I was labeled as a missing kid, but I had to try something. It was a Friday morning, so there were people lined up for weekend getaways, some returning from final trips before school started the next week.

As I made my way toward where I thought security would be, it felt like everyone's eyes were on me. How many of them had heard the broadcast? No doubt my face was plastered on all the news outlets. To the rest of the country, I was just a missing kid. If someone found me I had no idea what I would do. I could feel the gaze of one man in particular. I looked him up and down as quickly as I could without being noticed. He made eye contact with me and it felt like he was staring through my soul. I looked down and walked as quickly as I could toward the gate, pulling my jacket tighter around me.

I cautiously approached the gate. The guards were scanning people and checking passports. I was terrified. What if they knew who I was? What if they were already looking for me? Regardless, I approached the guards and handed them my ticket. The guard took it and looked it over. His expression stiffened. It was strange. His eyes glazed over and his body moved almost robotically. He didn't even look at me before he gave me the clear.

"Sir, are you alright?" A lady behind me asked the guard. He relaxed and came back, but I was walking away as fast as I could so I didn't find out what had happened to him.

My plane started boarding in ten minutes. I used this time to head to the bathroom to wash up. I looked in the mirror at myself. Even though I was supposed to start my senior year of high school in a few days, I looked like a much older man. My brown hair was tousled and in serious need of a cut. I had some scruff on my chin, but I was never particularly good at growing facial hair, so it was patchy and unkempt. I looked like a homeless man, which made perfect sense, considering I hadn't had a home since the incident two weeks ago. I splashed some cold water on my face and then rested my hands on the sink, just breathing.

I felt a slight twinge in my chest. Sounds got a little bit louder and my heart beat a little faster. No. I mumbled. Not today. Not right now. I clenched my teeth and tightened my muscles, but the pain subsided and I felt normal again. I was relieved, but also terrified. If I didn't switch right then, I would inevitably do it today or tomorrow. Switches became much more common, often three or four times a week. Like I told Logan, it was becoming more powerful, and for every switch, there remained a little less of me. If nothing else, I had to combat this. I had to find my sister, and I had to make sure my parents were going to be alright. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the first step was going back to that school.

I headed out of the bathroom and boarded my flight.

...

…

New York is such a pretty state. Upstate New York at least. When I was younger I used to run and play in the parks by my house. Pleasant memories filled my head, the canal, the playgrounds, the smell of the grass. My father used to take me to the parks and we'd play battle. We'd pretend to hit each other and fight, but he always let me win. He let me win the night I switched and nearly killed him too. But I didn't want to think about that. I knew I had to, but I couldn't do it now.

I walked down the streets, watching people pass me, listening to conversations on their phones. The people in cities always seemed to be in a rush. No time to stop and sit, or think about anything other than what was happening at that exact moment. It must be painfully exhausting to live like that.

I flagged a cab. I opened the door and hopped in the back. Luckily the guy didn't seem to recognize me.

"Where to?" the cabbie asked. He was an older man, probably mid-forties. He seemed nice enough.

"I don't have an address, but I'm looking for Xavier's School," I handed him the plane ticket and showed him the name Logan had scrawled on the bottom of the page.

"Another one? Wow. I've had four or five of you guys looking for this place in the last week," I forced a laugh. Did most people know about the true nature of the school? I couldn't be sure. We started driving, but neither of us really talked. The radio played behind us, but luckily it wasn't the am. The last thing I needed was for a cabbie to recognize me.

"You know, I heard that this guy, Xavier, hides mutants at this place," He finally said, "it's crazy to think that monsters might actually be living among us, you know?"

"I know," I said. I smiled to make it look more convincing.

"But I think that's a rumor. My mother raised me to be a God-fearing man and I can't see how God would ever allow people like that to exist, so I choose to believe that they don't," he laughed. "But I guess you're gonna have to tell me after I drop you off, right?" He chuckled again. I didn't say anything. Truth be told I wanted to sit in silence and just drive. Maybe look at some of the surroundings, but not talk. I wasn't in the mood for playful banter. I guess this was how Logan felt during our entire drive.

Logan. I still didn't understand everything about him. He never told me anything about his mutation or his past, or even why he chose to do this for me. I wondered if I'd ever see him again. I had the feeling that he liked to be alone, so I didn't get my hopes too high. But I promised that if I ever did see him again, I would make him tell me everything. I had to know more about him.

The cabbie finally stopped on the grounds of the school. It was an old mansion, huge. Probably 10,000 square feet at least. It had vines growing up on the sides and lush gardens surrounding it. At the front, I saw a pathway lined with shrubbery that had been meticulously carved, so not a single leaf was out of place. I couldn't help but wonde rhow lon git had taken someone to cut it so precisely. The sounds of kids laughing and playing could be heard from the back gardens, and I glimpsed some of the action as I watched s few boys throwing a football to each other. They all looked much younger than me, and none of them had visible mutations. I wondered what could possibly be wrong with them.

I remembered the place from my first visit, nearly four years ago, but I hoped the people I encountered would be gone. If this place could help me, I wanted to start on a clean slate.

I gave the cabbie all the money I had and waved him goodbye. He didn't seem too sad to be losing me. I couldn't guess why. I took careful steps on the gravel path to the front door. Other than the sound of kids in the back, it looked as though the mansion was totally empty on the inside. With school starting in a few days, I figured there must be at least a few people already moved in.

I got to the front door when a man opened it. I recognized him from my first visit. He was old but seemed content. His navy blue suit made him look like he was the CEO of a company in the city, not a teacher at a boarding school for mutants. He rolled his wheelchair out the front door to greet me.

"Hello Louis, it's nice to see you again,"