Come Home (Cherik fanfiction)

Chapter Three

Charles

It was quiet in the observatory.

Granted, it was always quiet there, but today, compared to the pounding rain outside, it was nearly silent in the glass dome of thick glass. Some of the pieces in the triangle pattern were stained with various colors per Raven's request when the place was built.

He didn't want to read, The Great Gatsby, but it was the only thing in his library he hadn't read -- or at least peeked though -- for the five months he'd been in bed.

He'd kept it in his bedside table. Partly because he didn't want to look at it and partly because he didn't want to get rid of it.

But there he was, brooding over it with his cup of tea in his hands.

He was entering chapter 2 of the story when the cup of tea slid through his hands and crashed onto the floor.

It had become white noise again; they're thoughts. Of course he had promised them complete safety and privacy. He did a quick sweep before bed, just to make sure they were alright. But other than that, he had forced their voices to just to become background. It wasn't hard.

He was so familiar with them.

That's probably why he had noticed so immediately when a new voice screamed out in his head at the edge of the estate.

Well, not so much 'new', as almost forgotten.

Raven may have been clever with her disguises; often using the new voice in her regular train of thought, but he knew her head better than to be tricked by this foolery.

Quickly, he swept through the boys heads to see if they had any view from a window.

Oh, he thought, I'm so stupid.

He could just look through Raven's mind.

He crawled into her head softly, wrapping around her mind like a soft blanket, but trying his best not to let her know she was there.

Through their childhood, he had trained her to keep telepaths out. She could never really do it with him, but then again, he was pretty good at his ability.

He knew Erik now had a telepath; Ms. Frost, as he remembered her. He hoped his sister was careful with her.

Once he tuned into a more-coherent, less-panicked thought, he was surprised by how much she was trying to hide from him.

The red teleporter, Azazel, had dropped her off even farther away from the estate. She had claimed that she needed time to think; time to prepare. Really though, she just didn't want to be seen.

He needed to do something fast.

For one, he didn't know why she was here. He wasn't going to look, but he was sure that it wasn't just for a friendly chat. She was radiating nervousness and hope.

He sent a mental message to Hank and Sean first.

Hank, Sean. There is a woman heading to the door. I want you to answer, but don't say anything. Don't listen to her. Just bring her here, to the observatory. Don't say a thing to her, understand?

It took a moment, but with confusion lacing their thoughts, they agreed.

Next, he moved onto Alex.

Alex, I need you up here. Now.

He knew he should have elaborated, but that would have subdued Alex's instincts. It was cruel, but it needed to be done.