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Chapter 6: The Mind of a Mad Man
Fluttering eyes, slowly adjusted to the sudden morning light. Feeling her body was tight, the girl promptly stretched her arms, only to find that one arm had weight on it. Fully opening her eyes, the brunette looked around and suddenly noticed that she wasn't in her room.
A cool breeze blew and a small chill ran up the girl's spine. Looking down at her clothes, she saw little droplets of dew, beginning to disappear into the cloth. Shaking her head, trying to clear her mind, Kitty looked to her left. She pulled her head back at the sight of a sleeping Kurt Wagner. Then it all came back to her. Sighing, the teen realized that she had sat there all night, leaning on Kurt the entire time.
Kitty felt her face grow red. She had been sleeping on Kurt all night. Her mind rushed with worry. 'What if anyone saw us? What if someone told Lance? Why think of Lance? Why think of everyone else? Oh the accusations! My reputation would be tossed away. Reputation? As what?!' The thoughts raced through her head. Then suddenly, she reminded herself of something. 'You stayed because he asked you to… and because you wanted to.'
As Kitty thought this, she felt the weight on her arm suddenly lift.
Looking over at the blue teen, Kitty realized that he was just moving in his sleep. "You must be, like exhausted." Taking her right hand, the girl stroked the sleeping demon's cheek, brushing some hair out of his face, as his body now leaned up against the railing of the balcony for support. Now that her left arm was free she could leave before anyone discovered the two. However, she didn't want to leave.
Kitty was content with just sitting there, watching Kurt sleep. He seemed so peaceful compared to last night. His chest rising up and down in deep breaths. A sigh here and there as he enjoyed the dreams that came to him. Blue hair ruffled from- what was she thinking? Coming to her senses, Kitty slowly stood from her spot next to her best friend. He may have needed her last night, but he didn't need her now.
Trying to be as quiet as possible, the girl took one last look at the sleeping mutant before stepping into Kurt's room and fazing through the floor into the kitchen.
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Everyone else was asleep, leaving the two alone. The sun had risen above the mountains, allowing its light to enter the car. The man sat one side of the table, reading a newspaper that had been provided by one of the stewards. He would occasionally pull one either side of the paper to straighten it. While he did this, his eyes would look over the grey material at the girl whom sat across from him.
The blonde teen had a silver bracelet, with one red dot on it, and was enjoying twirling it around on the tabletop. Then she would just place her finger on the inside and spin it in the air, catching it on the finger and twirling it some more.
Jack put down the paper and watched as Robin played with his bracelet. "Careful my little vogel. I vouldn't vant you to get hurt." Smirking at the man, Robin smiled even more as she rolled the bracelet on its side from one finger to the other. "Vhy? It's just a bracelet." Shaking his head slightly, the man allowed the girl to continue with her antics.
As if to prove Jack's point, the bracelet came falling from one more toss. When Robin went to catch it with her finger, the bracelet slipped past it and went over her wrist. Immediately, it reduced in size, tightening itself against the slender wrist. Giving a small yelp, the girl found her feet touching the carpet of the train. Panicking, the girl tried to raise herself up in the air again, but couldn't.
Realizing what was causing her sudden fall to earth, the girl tried to take the bracelet off, but it would not loosen. Becoming even more frantic, Robin tried to get her nails under the bracelet. Shaking his head again, Jack reached over the table and firmly grabbed the blonde's wrist. Having her palm face upward, the man took his gloved hand and gently tapped the red dot. Immediately, the bracelet became wider and Jack was able to slide it gently off Robin's wrist.
Rubbing where the bracelet had been, the girl felt her self raise the few centimeters in the air that kept her from the ground. Although after loosing control like that, the girl wanted to just soar in the open skies. However, the train was moving too fast for her to be able to keep up. "Vhat vas zat?" Robin asked, eyeing the bracelet with hate.
"Zis, mein vogel, is my latest creation. Zis bracelet vill tighten around one's vrist. Draining a mutant of all zeir pover. You may try to struggle against it, but it vill only release at my touch." Jack completed his explanation by taken one index finger and pointing it in the air.
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Already midday, the circus had less then nine hours to get set up and go over the act. Much like actors would a play. In fact, one could compare it to a play. Each performer holding a part and memorizing moves and actions instead of words. Going in turn to entertain an audience of spectators. Only, this show was more spectacular than any play and enjoyed by many people in all stages of life.
Trucks pulled carts along behind them, heading for the small town of Bayville. There were five trucks in all. Jack and Catrina drove the first won, while Urs took the second, Von the third, and Robin the fourth. Two hired hands rode in the fifth and final one, both excited to see the circus that night (two tickets being their payment).
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"Can you tell where he is yet Charles?" Ororo stood in the older man's office, watching his facial expressions as he tried to locate their newest threat. Xavier kept his eyes closed as he tried to concentrate on the thoughts of Jack. At first, they were fuzzy and unclear, the man not being close enough for him to get a solid lock. As the morning came, the man progressed closer and closer to Bayville. When he was close enough, the memories slowly began to appear. Then they were frighteningly clear.
Horrible images of suffering people, burning, poison, death… Xavier didn't want to go further, he tried pulling out, but something was holding him. Screams of children, women, men, and animals. It was all too much for the professor. He had never seen such a mind. It was more distorted and disturbing then any mentally ill he had tried to help. Now there was the laughter of many. Maniacal laughter from the hearts of demons, the hearts of the hated, the hearts of average people.
Then it all went away, leaving the Xavier in a dark place. Suddenly, a light clicked on and shone on one spot in the darkness. A dark figure kneeled in the light, its shoulders hunched in defeat and its head hung in shame. Then Xavier could hear quiet sobs. Trying to move closer, he soon realized that the figure was just a child, no more than eight years of age. Reaching out for the boy, the professor tried to calm him. "It's alright, I'm hear to help."
"Hilfe!? Vhat help can you possibly give me!" the child's head snapped up, fierce golden eyes staring at the man before him. Tears streamed down soft, blue cheeks. Xavier was shocked when he saw the face of the boy. As much surprise was in the boy's face as he recognized the man. "Please…" he whispered. Just as he did this, Xavier felt himself suddenly being pulled away from the child. Three blue fingers reached out for the professor from under the cloak, one last of desperation and fear present on his features before Charles was thrown from the mind of the mad man.
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Gasping, Charles suddenly leaned forward from his chair, placing his elbows on the desk for support. Ororo rushed to his side as the man placed one hand on his furrowing brow, a headache being the result from the trip into Jack's mind. "Are you alright?" Xavier nodded as the woman placed a supporting hand on the man's back. "Yes, yes I'll be alright." With his free hand, the man told Storm that it was alright by making a gesture for her to back away.
"What did you find?" seeing that the man was okay, Ororo immediately went to the reason for the intrusion of the ringleader's head thoughts. For a moment, Xavier didn't want to tell Ororo of what he had witnessed. He couldn't understand them all, and he didn't want to think of the many images he had seen. However, the last one stayed in his thoughts. The helplessness in the boy's eyes, his pleading voice… he couldn't imagine what Kurt had gone through to break him down so.
Just as Xavier decided to tell Storm of what had progressed, the door to the office flew open. There was chaos in the manor as students ran through the halls, all of them calling out a name. The pungent smell of sulfur wafted into the office. "Over here!" "No, he's here!" Storm and the professor rushed to the door where a concerned Cyclops stood.
"Scott, what is going on?"
"It's Kurt! He just-" A blood curdling scream ripped through the manor as the three mutant turned to look down the hall. A screaming Kurt Wagner lay there, his hands gripping his head fiercely. His eyes were wide with pain and fear as his back arched and his feet kicked at the ground, trying to drive away whatever was haunting him. Then he was gone in a wisp of smoke and sulfur.
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