The sound of the roaring fire crackled through the silence, as Charles made his way into the main lounge. He saw Mallory sit on the floor in front of the fire, leaning against one of the couches. She was staring mindlessly at the flames, unaware of his arrival.
For as long as she could remember, she had always chosen to sit on the floor – it allowed her to feel calmer, more grounded, and safe. She noticed a flicker in her peripherals and she looked up slowly, usually she would jump up at any change in her surroundings; but her body and mind were exhausted. She noticed Charles looking down at her with a pitiful facial expression, she knew exactly what he was going to say, and she decided not to fight it any longer…she was ready to provide Charles with all the information he needed.
"I assume you know why I'm here Mallory?" he asked quietly, already knowing the answer. She nodded silently at him and turned back to look at the fire.
"I need to have your consent for this procedure, it is incredibly invasive and you may begin to recall memories that you have managed to push back into your subconscious, which could possibly trigger emotions that you have difficulty coping with…" he started.
"You think I'll go on some hunting spree through your school…" she sneered quietly, not looking away from the fire. "I don't have to read minds to see what you all think since Kurt told you what happened. I've handled worse than a few bad memories."
"I understand perfectly why you did what you did Mallory…" Charles explained, moving slightly closer to her empathetically. "But I need to extract exactly what happened ready for when that accusation arises…I promised you that whilst you're here, you would be protected. The truth will do that-"
"-You said that you would be able to erase what Eden did to my powers…" she interrupted, before exhaling nervously and pulling her legs up to her chest.
"…What…what if my abilities are closed off to me for a reason? I can't remember even being taken there when I was eleven, I don't remember why I was taken away or what I did"
"You don't remember, or you don't want to?" Charles questioned, clasping his hands together and pushing himself forward in his chair.
"That's just it…I don't know." She sighed, feeling a dull ache in her chest as she felt her self loathing churn in her stomach.
"I also don't need to read minds to know that yours is full of more than just this procedure…" Charles explained, seeing her eyes falter and her face turn from defensive glare into a sorrowful frown. She looked up at him through her dark eyelashes and bit the inside of her cheek.
"He…didn't even react." Mallory muttered despairingly. "He looked straight through me, as if…he didn't even know me"
"…and how does that make you feel?"
"I don't know, I spent so long expecting him to somehow magically rescue me from Eden…but he never came, so I forced myself to forget him and it worked…I turned the disappointment into hatred for him. I never thought that the first place I'd be taken to would be…his home." Mallory mumbled, recalling the pain she felt through all the years of loneliness.
"I will be extracting your years at Eden to analyse, erasing the blocks they placed, extracting the moment your mother died…I can't erase any memories…but I can extract them?" Charles asked, noticing that the idea that came to Mallory was the same one he was thinking of. She looked back up at him with her brow furrowed in confusion.
"I don't know…" Mallory questioned herself. "I don't think he wants any part of this."
Charles sighed, understanding her self doubt and nervousness. But he also knew what was going through Logan's mind, his worry of becoming a failed father. Charles desperately wanted to get to the bottom of why Logan left, to provide him with some reasoning for his actions.
"It's entirely up to you…but at some point, you and Logan need to have a conversation if you are to move forward…"
Mallory nodded reluctantly, as she once again recalled the pain she felt when he looked down at her as if he had no idea who she was.