The Diseased Ones (Unofficial X-men Novel)

I am not a pilgrim

I was in my opinion, kicked out of the small office. Of course they were trying to be polite, but the straining grins gave away too much.
Charlie was waiting outside, he came toward me as soon as I stepped out the door.

"What now?" I asked.

"Well they told me to show you your room, so I guess that's what I am to do."

"I get my own room?"

"Yes." He answered. Then he reached for my hand with his leather gloved one.
I drew back, and it did not go unoticed.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"Obviously, it's something. So you might as well tell me."

I sighed. "Alright, when I was in there," I stuck my thumb toward the door. "I asked what your power was." He froze.

"Did they say?"

"They didn't have to." My shoulders slumped. "Can you explain it to me? I want to hear it out of your mouth."

He narrowed his eyes. "If you really want me to."

"I do."

"Okay then. When I come in contact with someone I involuntarily take most of their life force and their mutant power for a short time." He contiued. "If I touch them for long enough, I could kill them."

"Oh." I breathed. "When was the first time?"

"When I brushed my hand aganist my best friend, and he almost died."

"I'm sorry." I said.

"It's not your fault."

"Is that why you have to wear the gloves?"

"Yeah." Charlie paused. "Let's just get to your room."

***

 Considering the rest of the school, I hoped for the best concerning my room. But I was sorely dissapointed. The room was beige. As in the color and the personality.
I started mentally making plans for an emergency interior design redo.

I frowned. "Where's the bed?" I asked.

"There." He said pointing to the floor.

"Is it shipping here or is this not my room? Because I'm not sleeping on the floor."

"The floor is adequate for now meanwhile-"

"No the floor is not adequate, it is unacceptable."

"But-" Charlie looks frustrated. "Look we don't have all the money in the world, and we make things, like beds."

"You make it, like an animal!" I exclaimed disguisted. "Like a pilgrim. In the wild!" I turned to face him. "I am not a pilgrim! Are you a pilgrim?"
He opened his mouth to speak. "Don't answer that I already know! You are not a PILGRIM!  I am not a PILGRIM! WE ARE NOT PILGRIMS!"

"Where will you go!?" Now it was Charlie's turn to yell. "Darn it Raven! Don't you see? This is the only place that you can call home! Everywhere you go people will hunt you down. I don't think you understand how much is at stake here! Your life is threatened and you worried about what type of bed you have!" He stopped breathing hard.

I narrowed, my eyes and searched through his mind, investigating what caused him to act in this absurd manner.

"Fine. I'll stay but we are going home."

Charlie smiled, he gestured around the room. "We are home."

I slid a sly smile. "No, my former home."