Ethereal | (X-Men: First Class)

13. Morning

The first or early part of the day, lasting from midnight to noon or from sunrise to noon; The dawn; The first or early part, the beginning.

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Marianne slept restlessly, waking several times throughout the night and early morning, before waking for a final time to the sound of rapid knocking on her door. She pulled her head out from under the thick comforter, trying to blink the sleep out of her eyes. The weight of all of the blankets piled on her almost pinned her down and she wondered for a moment if she would be able to pull herself up.

She realized she had ended up on the left side of the bed and her hand had stretched out to the right side. She flexed her hand instinctively, as though she would feel the shoulder she still somehow expected, then sighed and rolled over.

"Just a moment," Marianne called to whoever was at the door. She managed to push the blankets off, immediately inviting the cold air of the room to prickle her skin, and swung her legs over the mattress. The floor was freezing, a chill running across her feet and up through her body. She stared out the window across the grounds for a moment, then closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and took a deep breath. This would not be the first time she had worked on so few hours of sleep.

Marianne stood and approached the vanity. God, she looked like a mess - her face was pale, there were shadows under her eyes and her hair was tangled, falling into her eyes and sticking up in so many places. She wiped the sleep out of her eyes and fixed her hair, pushing it behind her ears and combing it out until it looked presentable. Then she rushed to the door and opened it up.

Sean was on the other side, looking about as tired as Marianne felt, but he still smiled back when Marianne greeted him with a good morning.

"How did you sleep?" she asked.

"Alright," he answered with a shrug. "Once I went to bed I just, bam, passed out. When I woke up, everyone else was already up so I followed them to the kitchen. You?"

"Well enough to get through the day," she admitted. "Why did you come to get me? Is something wrong?"

"It's late," he said. "I mentioned to the others that you almost never open the shop later than eight-thirty, and Charles sent me to make sure you were alright. I figured I could escort you to breakfast." He winked at her. She rolled her eyes and reached out to ruffle his ginger curls. He ducked out from her hand and started fixing his hair, giving her an affronted look.

"What time is it?" she asked, smiling fondly at him.

"Nine."

Marianne pinched the bridge of her nose. To sleep so terribly and find out she had slept longer than usual was not a good feeling. "Alright, then I'll be out in a moment, if you'll wait."

"No problem. I've gotten lost twice already, so hopefully one of us remembers the way back to the kitchen."

"Don't worry. I'm sure together we can figure out this maze of a house." She heard him snort before she shut the door. She turned and leaned back against the door, pressed her hands to her eyes, and let out a very long sigh before she pulled herself together and started getting ready to face what she was sure would be a very long day.

When she emerged, as fresh-faced as she could manage, Sean was leaning against the wall opposite her door. The two of them started down the hall, both of them eyeing the treasures lining the way.

"Not sure what to tell my parents when they ask how my research trip was," Sean said.

"I'm not even sure why you told them it was a research trip anyway," Marianne said. "They know about your powers, don't they? Why not tell them the truth?"