Chapter Seven- Hurt

My pinky curled around his as we strolled down the sidewalk. "So you had two dads?" Logan asked looking at me out the corner of his eye "Never a mom?"

I shook my head 'No, I can't remember my mother, she gave me up and I spent a lot of time with my older brother in an orphanage. It was pretty miserable but we had each other...Richard and Lewis saved us...we were always grateful for the fact that they took us both...my brother and I were inseparable' I explained slowly with a fond smile on closed lips.

"Where is your brother now?" He asked flatly as we rounded a corner, the weight of his hand dragged on mine a bit.

I exhaled slowly and bit into my lower lip "He's dead" the thought left my head quickly. I didn't want it to linger there for long.

"I'm sorry-" I cut him off abruptly 'Please don't say that. Do not pity me, Logan. I don't need it. You can't remember a thing about your past unless your having nightmares...even those memories disappear when you wake up...you have it worse then I do so do not feel sorry for me'

A loud gust of wind moved through my hair as I turned to look up at him, shifting my weight to one leg "You really are something else, ya know that?" a slow smile spread out on his lips. "You don't lie, you don't envy anybody, you don't take favors, you don't curse, You don't pity yourself...if everyone was like you the world would be a perfect place, Lira"

'I wouldn't change this world' I responded slowly 'it's perfectly imperfect and should stay that way...it's beautiful and ugly all at once but if there was never bad we wouldn't appreciate the good...if everyone was like me...you and I wouldn't be talking tonight, now would we Logan?'

He shook his head "No ma'am I suppose you're right" his eyes were sincere but his voice was sarcastic. I met his eyes and smiled a soft smile as we rounded the corner of the street where a small carry out was lit up. "You hungry?" he muttered. I shook my head in response and looked up at the sky.

Our foot steps lingered with faint sound in the night air as we turned a corner and I gave his hand a light squeeze, a signal that I wanted to ask him a question. 'Where is it...you run off to for two...three days at a time?'

"I just get around" he answered with subtle blue grey eyes "Try to figure out what I can't remember...try to figure out why...boring soul searching stuff, not worth your time, Lira"

Unable to sustain a smile I gave him a light smack on the arm 'Don't you see this by now? Everyone and everything is worth my time. Plus I'd love to hear about your soul searching...I like hearing about you, Logan. It seems like even those who love you have a warped opinion of you'

Logan arched an eyebrow at me and wetted his lips with his tongue before asking "Well what the hell is that supposed to mean?" his voice was a little gruff but that was just his tone. Before I could explain my comment, my friend started to look from place to place with anxious blue grey eyes. "Can ya hear that?" he asked gruffly and I looked up at him through doe like brown eyes. A few wisps of dark hair that had escaped my braid flickered over my line of sight as Logan throw his rather massive arm across my chest "Stay back...hear it yet?"

I bit my lower lip and looked around very slowly, soaking up every detail of the City. Buildings to street signs to the occasional car passing by and then I heard it. At first it was faint but then those cries of agony were clear as day, as if they were being howled right in my face. Gripping his shoulder I passed along the thought 'Logan we can't just stand here...we have to help...we can't just-'

He cut me off with an acrimonious sneer "No, Lira. We are going to stay right here...in fact...we need to go back to the institute...now." his tone was a warning and just like every other time he'd ever tried to scare me with his gruff voice I ignored him. No way was I going to let someone be killed if I could attempt to help. Swinging my body around Logan I darted down the street. My legs carried me as fast as they possibly could. Due to my not having much physical strength I'd spent a lot of time running laps around the school track as a child. Seeing as I couldn't fight off my attackers it was nice to sometimes be able to out run them.

"Get your ass back here" Logan snapped as I rounded another corner, the screams grew louder as the braid I'd fashioned my long brown hair into grew looser. Just as the scene came into my line of sight a strong arm swung around my stomach, dragging me back against his hard body "Stay still..." He hissed at my ear.

A young girl was down on her knees, her hands rested on the back of a wounded boy, her brother maybe or her boyfriend. Her emerald green eyes shined with tears as a gloved hand grabbed her up by a mass of her auburn hair. Her ruby red lips framed perfectly white teeth as she screamed out into the night "MONSTERS!" She screamed in a pained rasp "YOU'RE ALL MONSTERS!" the agony in her voice twisted my stomach into a tight knot.

"Check the male" hissed one solider gruffly to his partner, his grip on the screaming girl never shifting. In response to the command the man leaned down and flipped the battered body of the girls companion over. He was young, ivory skin complimented by soft black hair and though his brown eyes were open it was very apparent that he was dead. The bruising on his jawline had turned a sickly yellow and the girls expression grew even more pained. I felt tears threatening to sting my own eyes as a gun was pressed to the girls forehead.

'Are they even mutants?'

I questioned Logan and felt his shake his head, no, against mine. His side burns brushed my wet cheek as my voice filled his head 'Then why?' His grip on me tightened as the gun was lowered and the solider threw the auburn haired girl down onto the paved road. Her knees were bruised, her ivory skin scraped and cut. With round cheeks and sweet eyes she looked younger then she sounded when she spoke and even resembled an angel but if she were a mutant it was likely she would have shown it by then.

"Everyone deserves to live on this earth" snapped the girl furiously as she rested her hand on the male's chest. The look in her eyes being a loving one as her fingers stroked his cheek "If you're going to kill me do it" her shaken voice was bitter "I still won't regret taking those people into my home when they needed a place to stay" soft auburn curls fell over her shoulders as she smiled down at who I was almost certain now was her lover.

"The ones you took in were not people, they were mutants, freaks of nature, monsters!" hissed one solider as he thrust his combat boot into her face. A vibrant blissful laugh escaped her now bruising lips as she fell backwards only to have a rope thrown around her neck "Now you'll be the first of many examples." came the solders malice fueled voice.

My Body jolted and Logan gripped me even tighter starting to back up with me pressed hard against him. I dug my heels into the ground as tears streamed down my ivory cheeks 'How can you do this, Logan? How? THAT WOMAN TRIED TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE US AND YOU'LL STAND HERE AND WATCH HER DIE!'

"Just know this" He growled right against my ear "If I could shut you up I would." I felt his breath dance over my skin as my heart thudded in my chest and his voice continued in a quiet menacing whisper "We can't do anything about it, It's unfortunate, yes but I'm not getting hit with the cure for some woman and neither are you. Stop trying to slow me down, Lira...you'll just have to deal with this...You didn't kill her"

'But Logan'

"Shut the hell up, Lira. It's too god damn late. I don't know how many solders there are, I don't know if their carrying that cure and-"

'Are you really so afraid of being normal you'd let that girl die?'

Though I couldn't see his face, I knew I'd struck a nerve when I felt him tense even more then usual. In one fluid motion he hoisted me over his shoulder and held me in place. Flipping my bangs out of my face I stared up at the silhouette of a body...hanging from a tree. The wind caused her to sway from side to side...the way those old southern songs described the bodies that had been left out to rot after a lynching. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks as my teeth took my lower lip hostage. Now I could add the auburn haired girl to my list of failures, she would take a cozy place right beneath my brothers name.

The cold night air hurt in contrast with my warm tears and the whole way back to Xavier institute, Logan did not say one word to me. He carried me in dead silence and the lack of conversation left me to wonder what it was like to hang. I couldn't help but wonder if that woman had any children, family, friends...people who would wake to find her hanging in that tree the very next morning...would she be missed? How long until her good deeds were forgotten? Were the mutants she took in shot with the cure? Did she ever see Logan and I standing there? Did we have a chance of saving her...I knew Logan could have handled the situation but something was keeping him from doing it...what was holding him back?

In my haze of thoughts I hadn't heard our bedroom door creak open. Only when Logan threw my body against the bed did I realize we were home. "Go to sleep" he mumbled staring down at me threw paling eyes. Clambering over the edge of the bed I flung my arms around his waist and pushed my face into his chest simply shaking my head.

'I don't want to go to sleep'

"Why not" his voice was hoarse.

I tightened my arms around him and bit my lower lip not looking up at him 'I don't want to see it again' and it was like he understood without a real explanation from me. He wrapped his arms around me protectively and leaned over so he could get a better grip on me, pulling me closer though he was quite a bit taller then me and he did have to bend down he didn't complain. His large hand moved up and down my back slowly.

"S'okay...just...Lira..I'm not gonna lie...I'm not good at comfort" he murmured against my hair as I smiled meekly against his neck.

'I know...It's okay though...cause I'm not real good at being comforted...my mind just doesn't seem to get with the program'