Uncanny X-Men 1943

Chapter 20

"All right everyone," Scott called from the front door, "Be good. Learn something. I'll see you this evening."

"Bye dad!"

"Bye daddy!"

"Yep, see you, dad."

"Bye Scott."

"Goodbye daddy."

The children shouted their farewells from throughout the house.

"Are you nearly ready?" Rachel asked Kitty, as she very roughly brushed her hair.

"Just one moment," Kitty said, grabbing a book off the desk, "I just - I'll meet you downstairs."

Kitty left the bedroom and headed downstairs to find Nathan more or less emptying the cupboard under the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Kitty asked.

"Looking for my football boots. We have practice today."

"Oh. Have you checked your bedroom?"

"No," Nathan said, "But I don't... actually, good thinking, Kitty," he said, and raced up the stairs, two at a time.

Kitty knocked on the door to the study. "Kurt? Are you awake? Can I come in?" She spoke in German, though speaking in her native tongue almost felt strange after these past few years. At school they learnt French and Latin, and Kitty had few opportunities to practice speaking German.

Kurt opened the door. "Du sprichst Deutsch?" he smiled.

"Ja," Kitty said, trying not to stare too much as she still found Kurt's blue exterior a little troubling. He was wearing cream pyjamas and a maroon knitted jumped. Kitty continued in German, "I, umm, I guess you guessed I'm not actually one of the Summers children. I..."

"Warren told me that Scott and Emma had adopted a child."

Kitty nodded. "I was part of the Kindertransport."

"I heard about that," Kurt said, "It has saved many lives."

"You did too," Kitty said. Last night over dinner Kurt had filled them in on a few more details of his life, despite his challenges with the language, he made it all sound like one epic adventure with only a little hiccup that landed him in the camp.

"Ah, that was nothing," Kurt said.

"It was more than a thousand people, all by yourself. That's not nothing."

"I became careless and was caught. I - "

"Here," Kitty said, holding out the book she'd brought down. "I need to go to school now, but, umm, I don't need this anymore. You might find it helpful. See you after school."

Kurt took the book. "Danke, Kitty."

Kitty nodded awkwardly and backed out of the room. It was too early to feel sad. She had to go to school. She wished she could go back upstairs and close the bedroom door and talk to Rachel, but she could hear the Summers siblings clumping down the stairs.

"Is it always this noisy in the morning?" Rogue asked, poking her head out from the kitchen.

"No," Kitty said, pulling on her coat, "It's usually worse."

Kurt sat down on the camp bed made up for him in Scott's study. Scott had apologised profusely about the lack of space, but having an actual bed, however small, plus pillow and bundle of blankets was a luxury compared to his living conditions of the recent past. There was food in the kitchen, clean running water in the taps, a flushing toilet in the bathroom. Doctor McCoy was due to visit him and Rogue again later that morning. Kurt looked at the spine of the book, where in gold letters it was printed "Wie man Englisch spricht". He opened the book, and saw a handwritten note on the first page.