Hi everyone!
I think the trick for me is to keep writing. I didn't believe I could whip up another chapter this quick, but it didn't turn out quite so bad! I have you all to thank. Because, quite frankly? I haven't updated in a while. I wish I could send you all a box of chocolates or something, to somehow appease you. :( Even though I know a box of chocolates isn't the same as devouring a good, fanfiction chapter!
Hmmm. Maybe I can let you raid my store. Then each of you can have the candy that he or she most loves. ;) Walgreens doesn't have a bad selection in my oppinion. But anyway...
Have fun reading. ;) And let me know what you think!
Ciao!
-Merlin
Dedications: This Chapter is heartily dedicated to those who have sat around my fire, many a chap. ;') You guys can grab a bit o tea and biscuits at my Fanfiction Cottage any a time! My hearty thanks to: TristeAlma, Dontgotaclue88, and Obiwanlives4ever :)
THANKYOU!
Chapter 12: Disturbing Finds
Xavier's mind quickly flittered back to the dining hall. A piece of soaked French bread had hit him square on the temples and slid down his face. It left a trail of goo and unpleasant sliminess, falling off into his lap as a frightened hush fell over the hall. Logan's face resembled a freshly picked apple, his eyes dangerously snappy. His wrists uncurled as the kids stopped shouting and he visibly calmed at the sight of Xavier. Beast was a man of great patience, but even Xavier spotted a tad of exasperation on his thinned lip. The kids, however, paled in comparison. Guilty, they stared down at their feet.
Xavier knew he usually would have smiled. Winter brought short, unforgiving days that cooped families inside for hours on end. Perhaps they were letting out pent up frustration. What teenager doesn't enjoy a good food fight once in a while? He remembered what it was like to be a teenager, even if he didn't have a safe haven like this brood did. He knew how easy it was to let go and think of consequences later. But he stared silently at his students. The quiet only thickened their shame.
"Clean this all up, please," he murmured. He paused to let the words settle over them and watched as one or two fidgeted. No one dared interrupt the quiet and bring attention to themselves. Everyone stood still. Somewhere down the hall, each person heard the grandfather clock strike eight times. The cheerful "dong!" sounds felt overly cheerful in the stale atmosphere. Xavier sighed and ended the silence.
"Everyone of you will report in the Danger Room, first thing tomorrow, at 5am. Logan will have further instructions for you there. Logan? Hank? I need to talk to both of you."
Returning to the present, Xavier waited for the adults to get comfortable in their seats. Something about the storm itself triggered a memory that had been created earlier that day. Ah, yes, that's it. Kim. Was she fairing well through this storm? Opening a bigger channel in his mind, Xavier threw his semi conscious out into his mansion halls while his first conscious remained awake in his chair. A quick examination found him in Jean's room. Nothing could be seen, but with the feedback he received from their pleasant hum of conversation, and from the thoughts that surfaced clear and bright near the frontal lobes of their brains, he ascertained that Kim was well. The storm didn't have the catastrophic effect and his mental block pacified her heady mutant powers. In fact, she didn't even seem to be aware of the rain outside. A momentary feeling of satisfaction made Xavier happy. Jean would be a good influence and she'd already taken Kim under her wing. That was a relief in the midst of turmoil.
Suddenly, a flash of sharp lightning zig zagged across the sky. It illuminated the entire office in a hazy blue light. Then the drumbeat of thunder rolled loudly as it disappeared, falling all around them like an avalanche. The storm was directly above them and that meant Xavier's office shook and the windows rattled in their frames.
"Holy sweet Moses," Logan said sharply under his breath. He frowned at the window and elbowed the person next to him. "Storm, I've heard of jokes, but now isn't the time."
She gazed demurely back over her shoulder, entirely unaffected by the weather. A small smile lay on her lips. "Really, Wolverine. I have more sense than you give me. This storm isn't my making."
Logan crossed his arms and watched in stony silence as another erratic line of the lightning lay brazen over the dark clouds. Thunder battered the walls only milliseconds after the lightning streak. The storm was sticking around.
"We're going to lose power," he replied. "I guarantee, it."
"Let's hope not," Xavier heard himself say. He straightened up.
"Well, let's get started. First off, I need to ask. How is the training coming?"
Logan looked at him in surprise.
"Why do I feel like that is a loaded question? The training is moving along fine. We're ahead of schedule, lo and behold. Their teamwork is also improving. That big brother, big sister mentor thing you suggested has also turned out better than I thought it would. It's helped out our students a lot. They know each other more deeply than they have when I first came here. They are also depending on each other more. And that's saying something."
"Storm?" Xavier asked, turning away from Logan's questions. He wasn't ready to answer them.
"I could repeat what Wolverine said and more," Storm answered calmly. "Our students have shown better self-control over themselves these past three months, than in the last year. They also seem to accept the gravity of the situation they are in. I've seen the older members sometimes chastise the younger ones. A normally not welcomed sight because of huge confrontation, but…I am very pleased. Everyone is working well together. Can I ask why, Xavier? Do you have bad news for us?"
"I will answer that in a minute," the Professor admonished gently. All three of the adults were respectfully silent, but he knew they were itching to know what he was to relay to them. Beast's smile gave Xavier a little more confidence as he nodded to him. "And you, Hank? How are your methods going?"
"Their tracking skills still need some work, but that can't be helped. We've been having horrid weather lately," Beast said. He searched his leader's face in concern. "But mathematics and science tutoring are always underway. Jean isn't as flustered with Chemistry, and Scott is improving in his AP Math class. There are too many to account, but I know that almost everyone is on track with their schooling...What's on your mind, Xavier? What can we do?"
Xavier didn't say anything for a moment. He closed his eyes off to their worried stares. He wasn't sure if this report comforted him at all. In fact, he felt his uneasiness thicken. Would his students be ready for an unprecedented attack? Not to their full extent. But it wasn't like the instructors including those present and him hadn't drilled it into their heads that their living situation...heck, their entire situation could change at the drop of a coin. Nothing was permanent. Nothing was 100% safe in this mansion. No matter how much thought, money, and sweat Xavier had poured into it. State of the Art Security Systems, Technology, Triple Reinforced Barricades... None of these things could prevent fate from changing the course of all of their lives. Their only option was: prepare, prepare, prepare. Be wary and do not bring attention to yourself. And yet... Xavier felt ready to bolt and pack everyone away into a suitcase. He felt like a swan in the conclusion of summer. Restless and unsure. He wanted to go somewhere and bring everyone with him. But what kind of a plan is that? No. He wouldn't perform anything that drastic. Yet...
Something was bugging him. Something huge. The more he kept it to himself, the heavier he felt. Besides, his adult team deserved to know.
Xavier raised his head and spoke clearly.
"I need you all to continue to do what you are doing. Nothing is to be changed. Not one iota of it. I don't want to set off any false alarm in the students. But I've made some…disturbing finds."
Lightning flashed its sickening line across the sky and thunder drummed. No one breathed a word as Xavier began to unveil his suspicions. The storm carried on for the next three hours. Xavier felt the weight of his worries fade as he shared them, but his spirits refused to pop back up. The expression of his friends became unsettled as the explanation deepened. For the past three months, all of them were aware that the Brotherhood had created no scenes, instigated no feuds. Jean and Scott have even reported seeing them but twice a day at school. At first, this didn't alarm them enough to cause any sort of investigation. Yet, the news from Philadelphia concerned Xavier because of the girl he intercepted. She was one of the stronger elemental mutants he'd encountered. Like Kim.
But she was also the twentieth this month that slipped beneath his grasp once he caught hold of her. The institute hadn't been receiving elemental mutants…for almost a full year. The more he thought about this, the more the knot in his stomach tightened.
Kim was an anomaly. They only barely managed to snatch her up, like a life jacket in a turbulent sea. Something strange was happening, and his gut told him it was tied to Magneto.
Not only this, but the Brotherhood reigning in their violent nature wasn't entirely normal.
However, the most disturbing news of all was the call that Xavier had gotten from Kim's mother. Brianna was missing. Mrs. Reid was afraid that Kim's best friend may have taken a plane to New York in wild hopes of finding Kim; maybe even convincing her to come back home. But this was ruled out, immediately. Another student had disappeared the exact same day as Brianna. The janitor reportedly witnessed them leaving together in the young man's car. The other student's absence was definitely noticed because he seemed to have made quite the impression with the entire school. But from bits and pieces that Xavier could derive from Mrs. Reid, there had been a relationship between the young man and Brianna previously. It did not last long. In fact, the relationship hadn't ended well at all.
Possibly for very bad reasons.
"Are you saying that you think this kid kidnapped Brianna?" Logan said roughly. He rose up from the couch, stretching his tingling legs, but he glowered at the Professor. Xavier knew he possessed a soft spot for hapless teenagers.
"I can't be sure, Wolverine. You all know as much as I do, now, and it is very little. But I can't help but feel apprehensive. From Mrs. Reid's summary, Kim didn't like him at all. I'm going to speak to her. Maybe I can find out exactly why this young man repulsed her as much as her mother says."
Storm too got up from the couch and began to pace.
"Professor. Kim isn't going to handle this news about her best friend, well. I know that this side of the entire matter is small, but it is significant. Her performance and strength may be affected. She's still so new. How are we going to break it to her?"
"Her mother will," Xavier replied. "We agreed on it. We can help Kim as much as we can, but ultimately, she has already chosen to remain with us. Her safety and the safety of those around her depend on it."
Beast rubbed his hands thoughtfully.
"She may jump at the chance to recover the girl. If we decide to go rescue her, Xavier. I felt like you were implying something in that order. And if that is the case, then we cannot allow her to. She needs to begin training with the others and it's imperative that she starts as soon as possible."
Xavier agreed readily with Hank's reasoning and nodded in his direction to show that.
"Don't worry," he said. "I'm letting the police handle it first. This young man sounds dangerous, but he may not be a mutant. It wouldn't be our place to rescue her. I'm still researching him, and if I find anything mutant like, we'll jump in."
Storm stopped in the middle of the room and shivered. She gazed at all of them in turn, her eyes wary.
"What I don't like," she said quietly. "Is our sudden drought of recruits. There has to be more teenagers out there that need this institute. And what you've said, Xavier, makes me realize just how slow the intake has been. Especially mutants with elemental powers. I don't like it. I don't like it at all…"
"That makes two of us, Storm," Xavier intoned.
Bone tired and sleepy, Beast yawned in his seat.
"Well," he said good naturally. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I think we should all sleep on this and talk more on the morrow. Wolverine, you have children waiting for you at 5am. I myself have some homework to look over."
Storm stopped near the window and stared deeply into the clouds overhead. She folded her arms with a frown.
"This is a heavy storm," she said to herself. "And I don't like how it has stuck around for so long."
No-one batted an eyelash when the African beauty rose in the air and began to command the skies. There were a few more wicked flashes of lightning and thunder, but the storm moved on. Rain didn't hammer on the glass and the trees in the spotlights stopped waving about. Slowly, achingly slowly, stars began to wink into view.
This one is mostly a filler and a explain-erer. But I hope you enjoyed it all the same. It gives me some leway room. =]
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