Combusting Hearts

Chapter 2

When I woke up, I nearly jumped out of my skin. I looked around frantically. Where was I!?

Looking around, I found myself in a average sized room, with red walls. There was a dresser with a mirror against one of the walls, a nightstand next to the bed that I was currently resting in, two lamps, a bathroom, a desk, a closet, and two large windows.

Even though the bed was comfortable, I was freaking out. The moment that my hand made contact with the small book on the nightstand, it charged and exploded. I let out a shriek as it burn part of the nightstand, leaving splinters of wood on the floor.

I need to get out of here I thought quietly to myself as I quickly stood up and rushed out of the room. I looked around the halls carefully, finding no one in sight, and ran for it.

I hid behind a pillar as someone walked by. They stopped for a moment and sniffed the air, stiffening for a moment.

Oh no, oh no, oh no! I had to run, and I had to run NOW!

Quickly, I took off down the hall, not bothering to look back as the man yelled at me.

"Hey kid, come back here!" he called, bidding me chase as he ran after me.

I quickly glided down the stairs passed kids, running frantically through the hall as I tried to keep away from the man chasing me. My current fear, was slowly starting to fuel my powers again as I ran, my hands brushing against things every now and then, and then exploding moments later. It was terrifying, and once again, sent people running away from me in fear.

Turn right. Said a voice in my head. For some reason or another, I decided to listen, and I turned right.

Turn left at the next corner. I turned left at the next corner.

Turn into your right, 3rd door from the end. I followed its instruction, running into the room and closing the door. I was surprised to see the man from yesterday sitting behind a desk, his back to the large window behind him.

Good morning Elaine. I went bug eyed as I came to realize something.

"It was you giving me all of those directions?" I asked a bit frazzled. He nodded in response with a warm smile.

"Yes, it was me. In fact, I sent Logan to go retrieve you, but you've apparently been running away from him this whole time," he explained, turning to face the man that just entered the room. "Ah, Logan my boy, how are you this morning?" Logan just glared at him, then at me.

"Running all around the damn house trying to catch up to her," Logan replied as he looked at me. I looked down in shame. He was just trying to help me and I ran away from him.

Smart Elaine, real smart. I sighed quietly, before turning my head back up, and looking at the professor.

"Um…I don't mean to be rude sir, but…where am I exactly?" I asked. There seemed to be a twinkle in his eye as I asked him this. I then watched as he wheeled out from behind the desk.

"Why, you are at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters," he said proudly.

Wait, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters as in Charles Xavier? THE Charles Xavier? The one that has been pushing for mutants rights? The man that I've wanted to meet since I found out that I was a mutant?

"You're…you're Charles Xavier?" I asked in disbelief, my eyes trained on him.

"Yes, I am, and this is my school," he informed me.

I sighed and fell to my knees, closing my dark eyes. I was finally where I wanted to be after so many years…finally… A thought then popped into my mind.

"Um…Professor Xavier?" He looked down at me.

"Yes, my dear?"

"How…how exactly did you manage to find me?" I asked slowly, still a bit confused about everything. He just smiled at me.

"Well, let's just say, you're a very unique mutant," he said, hinting a bit on unique. I looked at him, confusion written on my face.

"What exactly do you mean by unique?" I inquired. He came closer, wheeling in front of me, placing a hand gently on top of my head.

"I was able to hear you when you were calling out for help," he explained, "You were able to project your thoughts quite well might I add."

My brows furrowed in confusion, then my face turned into a frown. That means…it's not just the flames and explosions…there's…more. I thought quietly to myself.

"You've been running for a long time my dear, but now, you don't have too any more. We can help you," he said.

I just looked down at my hands. My eyes went wide as the tips of my fingers glowed red, causing me to back away quickly, to avoid hurting anyone. I was scared. Unfortunately, when I'm scared, I running. So, out of habit, I quickly got up and ran out of the room. I left the two men in the room staring after me.

Logan turned to the professor, giving him a questioning look.

"Should I go after her?" he asked gruffly. Charles just shook his head at the question.

"No. I don't think there will be any need to do that Logan, but keep an eye on her perhaps? Just to make sure she doesn't get into trouble," he offered, before wheeling back behind his desk.

T

I sighed as I let my back slide down against one of the trees outside. I was near one of the courtyards in the school. The people I saw looked so happy as they interacted with each other, smiling, and laughing. I frowned a bit at this, envious at what they had, and what they could do. They were able to be themselves without any problems. They could have friends and regular conversations with each other without any fear or prejudice. Everyone accepted one another. Although, I knew that just like any other…they'd end up being afraid of me.

Once again, I found myself gazing down at my hand, seeing it glowing a faint red.

My emotions were so out of order.

After sitting there for a good while on the grass, I heard a poofing sound, followed by…

"Ello," came a voice from above me. I looked up and jumped, accidentally knocking the back of my head against the tree.

"Ow…" I whined as I held my head.

"Sorry about that"

I jumped again as the man was now in front of me, staring at me as he crouched down beside me. The man was slight intimidating, with his dark blue skin, yellow eyes, pointy ears, and pointed tail.

"W-who are you?" I stuttered, my heart still pounding in my chest. He smiled at me before speaking, his tail flicking back and forth behind him.

"My name is Kurt Wagner," he said happily. "Although, to my friends in the Munic circus, I vas known as the incredible Nightcrawler," he explained. I just stared at him. He gave me a curious look. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" he asked, his tail twitching a bit.

"No…not exactly," I said quietly, making him look even more curious than before. I decided to explain a bit. "Well, you surprised me, yes, but…I'm not used to having people actually talk to me. Not willingly anyway…," I told him.

"Vhy is that? You seem fairly normal to me," he said, tilting his head to the side a bit.

I looked away for a moment, staring down at the grass as I brushed my fingertips against it. I could practically feel the energy starting to pulsate, causing me to draw back my hand quickly.

"I'm not exactly your average mutant," I explained, quickly realizing how that had sounded, so I corrected myself. "What I mean is…I…" I just went silent.

"Vhat is wrong?" he asked.

I sighed, before backing up a bit, signaling for him not to come any closer as I picked up a fallen leaf. He sat there and watched me carefully.

Quietly, I drew in a breath, trying my hardest to conscentrate. This would be one of the few times I was actually trying to will my powers to work, instead of having them worm their way out on their own.

After about a minute, my hand started to glow red, and the leaf burst into flames.

"That is amazing," he said, smiling at me. I just shook my head, my hand coming to touch the ground again. The moment it connected, there was a small explosion, causing me to jump and let out a startled yelp. "And that is dangerous," he stated, a slight worried look on his face.

"You have no clue," I whispered. Somehow, he seemed to catch a sadness in my voice with those ears of his.

"Vhy don't you tell me about it then? It vill help," he suggested. I just shook my head, my hands curling up a bit.

"No…I…I can't. It's…too painful," I told him, my brows pulling in sadness. The death of my parents wasn't something that I personally wanted to talk about right now. We were then interrupted by a shout.

"Hey! Blue boy!" a boy called, starting to walk over to us.

"Sorry," he whispered to me, before disappearing.

"Hey! No fair!" he cried out in annoyance, then he was me and grinned. I frowned at this because the look on his face only meant trouble. "Hey there cutie. What's your name?" he asked, practically backing me up against the tree.

My breath caught in my throat as fear started to kick in. I could feel my chest tighten up a bit, and a warmth starting to run through my fingers as he got even closer to me.

"Well? Aren't you going to answer or cat got your tongue?" he asked, raising an eye brow at me. my eyes widened as he started to reach a hand out towards me. There was no stopping what was going to happen next.

Before he could even blink, the tree behind me exploded, sending both of us flying. Of course, when I fell, I had to end up landing on my shoulder. My body shook from the pain. The only thing that I could hear, was shouts.

"What's wrong with you!? Are you nuts! You could have killed me!" the guy yelled, letting down the strange shield he had made of his arm. He glared at me hatefully, causing my eyes to start watering. This was exactly why I didn't like being around people.

I just watched helplessly as he started to stomp toward me, then moments later, I heard a poof. I lifted my head to see Kurt crouched down in front of me. He was looking at me with sad, apologetic eyes. He quickly wrapped his arms around my back, and then we were gone.

A second later, we were in a room, back inside the school.

"I'm very sorry," he whispered. With his voice, it sounded as though he were ashamed of himself. I just shook my head.

"No…don't worry…I'm used to it by now," I told him, glancing down at my throbbing shoulder. I think it came loose from its socket. I sighed quietly.

"I truly am sorry Miss…um…" it was then that he realized, he had never actually asked me my name. "Vhat is your name? I'm afraid I never got around to asking you," he said. I watched as his tail gave a sharp twitch behind him.

"Elaine…Elaine Conners" I told him, my eyes glued to his tail that seemed to always be in constant movement. If I were a cat, I would seriously be batting at it right now. Actually, scratch that, I'm still tempted.

"Such a nice name," he spoke softly, watching my eyes follow his tail.

"No it's not…it's plain," I told him, my eyes flitting back and forth with his tail.

"Does mein tail really interest you that much?" he asked, a small knowing grin on his face.

My face flushed when he asked that question.

"I…um…" I couldn't seem to get the right words out, much less a proper sentence. I swear, the next thing that he did had to be on purpose though, it just had to be.

He purposely flicked his tail in front of me, wagging it in front of me face a bit, which caused me to bat at it. Then he did it again. This continued for at least a good five to ten minutes, with me ending up on my back, 'pawing' at it like a cat. How much more embarrassing can you get?

The whole time, Kurt seemed to have a quiet smile on his face. He found it calming to have someone see him as normal, minus the tail and everything else of course. Though really, it was a feeling of equality, since I was at ease with him around me.

Unfortunately, he ended our play time with that dreaded question of his.

"Vould you like me to go and get Logan to help you vith your arm?" he asked, causing my eyes to shoot open with a groan. He looked at me oddly.

"Do we have to?" I whined, not looking forward to the pain of having my shoulder put back into place.

"No, but it vould be a good idea," he pointed out. I sighed quietly.

"Fine…but…don't leave me alone with him…okay?" I asked, my confidence falling quickly. He just nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll be vight back," he said, before disappearing with a poof.

I hope everyone liked this chapter. Please, please, please, please, please REVIEW? I seriously need feedback on this story. Oh yeah, and I know that Kurt and Gambit aren't that young given how things are setup in the movies and stuff, but this is my story, so I'm making them both in their early to mid 20's. I hope no one has a problem with that?