Rita Valentine ~ X-Men

sixteen.

"Do you sell carpets?" Moira asked as she barged her way in.

"You cannot come in here." The man said when he saw this.

Moira gave me a look, why did I let her convince me to come out here with her. I was perfectly happy with my desk job and helping the FBI's BAU unit. I sighed as I fixed the man with a look. "The carpet is for sale?" I asked in his language just like Moira.

"I said..." He turned around angrily, but Moira just knocked him out.

"Very nice." I said as I took off my disguise just like Moira.

"Well you were taking too long." Moira replied as we looked around.

I looked at the carpet in the middle, this reminded me of something back in the sixties. I just can't put my finger on it. "Secret entrance?" I suggested as Moria came over, she nodded and we moved the rug to see an almost staircase.

"Ladies first." Moira said as I jumped in and we crawled down. I looked around trying to see if there was anything really interesting when I got to the bottom, but it just looked like a bunch of ruins. Moira was taking photos, but then I heard men chanting something.

I gave Moira a look as we looked over; they surrounded what looked like a tomb. I wonder what they're doing, this must be one of the cults, and by the looks of it a very seriously weird one. I didn't think anything of it, that was until things started to glow. I jumped in surprise as I saw what was happening, and it was nothing good.

I gave Moira a terrified look as rocks started to fall on us. "Not good." I said quickly as Moria and I started to climb back out. Moira was in front of me as we hurried, the tunnel began to collapse. The men behind us were crushed and we were nearly as well as we saw the exit, but then rocks covered it, burying us.

~*~

"Earthquake!" Someone shouted in the school as Professor Xavier came in. "Back to bed, please, my darling. Back to bed."

"She's doing it again." Someone said as they looked at a door.

"Back to bed, please everyone." Hank said.

"Jessie, back to bed, please. Come on, now." Charles said. "Spitzbolt, back to bed. Carrie Anne, come on, now. Back to bed."

"I've never seen her like this." Hank said as they looked in the room. The walls were melting along with the pictures, as the young woman tossed and turned. "Well, I haven't seen her like this since Rita..."

"Don't let any of the children come this way." Charles said, and then he tried to wake her up. "Jean. Jean! JEAN!!!" He shouted as her mind began to attack his, just like last time.

Jean woke up in a panic. "I... I saw the end of the world. I could feel all this death."

"Nope. It was just a dream." Charles said gently.

"But, it felt real." She argued.

"I know. Your mind is the most powerful I've ever seen. It can convince other, changer them. It can convince itself..."

"No, it's not just a mind reading or a telekinesis, it's something else. Some... dark power inside and it's growing, like a fire." Jean said. "I thought I was getting better."

"You are. You will. You just have to be patient."

"No. No. You don't know what it's like to be afraid to shut your eyes. To be trapped inside your own head."

"Oh, but I think I do." Charles said as he sat down on her bed with a lot of effort. "It wasn't so long ago, that I was plagued by voices of myself."