Read My Mind ↳ charles xavier

5. Xavier Mansion

Shortly after the attack, Charles, Erik, and Moira come back, from wherever they were. Feeling my normal self-consciousness, I wish to go away from them and crawl into the bathroom to hide, but decide against it. The bullet wound has caused a sharp pain to erupt in my side, preventing me from moving.

None of the other mutants seemed to have noticed me or my wound, which I'm slightly thankful for.

Now, they sit outside the damaged CIA building together, with me lurking in the sidelines. The large coat I found in the closet earlier has done a good job of concealing my wings so far.

"We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately," Charles says as he approaches the group. I pick my head up at the same time the other mutants begin to refuse.

"We're not going home," a boy says.

"What?" Charles furrows his eyebrows.

"And he's not going back to prison," the boy, who I now noticed is wearing sunglasses, says, looking at Alex.

"He killed Darwin," Alex argues, looking at Charles. I hug my knees up to my chest as I remain unnoticed. However, Charles does not give in to their protests.

"All the more reason for you to leave," he says, "this is over." Raven looks at her brother with pleading eyes.

"Darwin's dead, Charles," she says, the light breeze blowing her hair across her face. "And we can't even bury him."

"We can avenge him," Erik speaks up, turning all eyes to him. Charles does not look very happy, though. He pulls him to the side and has a short discussion with him.

"We'll have to train," Charles says after a while, finally agreeing with the mutants, "all of us. Yes?" Everybody starts nodding in agreement.

"Well, we can't stay here," Hank McCoy says, who's name I learnt a little earlier from Raven. "Even if they re-open the department, it's not safe. We've got nowhere to go."

"Yes, we do."

•••

The mysterious safe house is also known as the house where Charles and Raven grew up. It looks like a castle.

"Honestly, Charles. I don't know how you survived, living in such a hardship," Erik comments sarcastically, earning a small smile from me. Raven steps forward to stand by her brother.

"Well, it was a hardship softened by me," she says, hugging Charles as he kisses her temple. "Come on, time for the tour." She starts walking forward, and I suppose I have no other choice than to follow them.

While giving the tour, I stay towards the back and slip away easily to find a bathroom. I wrapped a bandage around the wound earlier, but the blood is beginning to seep through now. After locking the door, I look around to find anything to use for a bandage.

Fortunately, there are first-aid supplies in the drawer by the sink. I carefully stitch up the wound and wrap it in fresh gauze. By the time I am finished with that, the sky is already beginning to darken.

I pop my head up as I hear my name being called, the voice belonging to Raven, of course. Before I can even look for a place to hide, she opens the bathroom door. Luckily, I have already pulled my shirt down over the wound, so she will not see it.

"You have some explaining to do," Raven says, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. I raise my eyebrows with a shrug.

"And you don't?" I respond, trying to prove a point. She shouldn't judge me for keeping a secret when she did the exact same thing.