”Where is she?” Genuine worry coloring his otherwise harsh and raspy voice.
“Rogue…” Confusion shining from Professor Xavier’s face.
“She’s gone?” Question on professor’s face, question in his mind.
One mistake had been enough to drive her away. He turned to look at the girl that was sitting on the passenger’s seat, her eyes glued to the scenery outside. If one could call it that. Scenery. Thick forest, just waiting for a crew of lumberjacks and big machines, now parching under the sun. Yet the girl kept watching it like it was the most breath-taking sight of her life. Perhaps it was. From what he remembered, she was originally from the South, more accustomed to magnolias than firs and pines.
Jean’s beautiful face, twisted to painful grimace. Whispered, barely audible syllables, then words. Horror rising, accompanied by nausea.
His first instinct after finding her had been to take her home, back to her family. Force her parents to take her back no matter what. Surely they would understand how important it was to take care of her. Surely they would understand how much she needed them. Surely… It had been an idea born out of helplessness. For the first time in his remembered years he had been utterly unable to handle the situation at hand.
Days turning to weeks, weeks turning to months. Road ahead, former lover, now turning to bitter bitch who just kept on stretching, mile after mile clues and promises providing false hope.
It had taken him a good while to realize that taking her back home wasn’t possible. It wouldn’t do any good for her. If he was right, and those bastards had kicked her out, they wouldn’t take her back now. If she had run away on her own, they probably would accept her, but would they be able to give her the peace and quiet she seemed to need and crave? Would they give her the space she seemed to need to pull herself back together?
Relief washing over him when he finally found a solid lead, straight path to the hell that Magneto had created.
No. Her parents weren’t the answer. Neither was Professor Xavier. He turned to look at the girl again. She was leaning her forehead against the window, her eyes closed. Not asleep, but not fully awake either. Past nights had been restless, constant battle between her physical need to sleep and her mind’s demand on being alert and conscious.
Anger. Rage. Grief. Madness.
He wasn’t sure of how much of what had happened the girl could remember. Magneto had been arrogant at first, but in the end the old man had caved in and spilt the whole sordid tale, words tumbling from his swollen and cracked lips, grey, beady eyes searching his, searching for mercy.
After Magneto finished his story, there had been no mercy left. Just patience and diligence. And pain. Loads of pain, reserved just for Magneto.
He shook his head, no use to dwell in the past now. More important was to get the girl fixed. To get her feel at ease with herself and with the rest of the world. That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon if he kept slipping behind his memories and got all growly and hostile even from the slightest hint of discomfort and grief she dared to show.
“So… You hungry?” He asked, trying to remember when they had last eaten. Road snacks they had would last several days, but perhaps a warm meal would do some good for both of them. The girl shrugged her shoulders, apparently unable to turn to look at him.
“I was thinking that we could stop for a while. Grab some burgers, or something. Or we could cook. You know how to cook?” He tried to coax verbal answer out from her. Again she just shrugged, then nodded, hesitantly, but it was miles better than what he had expected.
“Good. I know the basics. I can boil water, and I think I could manage to fix us some eggs and bacon, but if you want something else, you’ll have to show me how to do it.”
A lie. But she wasn’t equipped with his senses. She wouldn’t detect it.
Teaching him how to cook would force her to communicate with him. Simple nodding, shrugging and shaking her head wouldn’t do. He’d make sure of it. He’d be the dumbest, most idiotic cook that had ever walked on the Earth.
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