X-Men: Changes

Chapter 3

Erik sat down on the edge of Sinead's bed. Sinead didn't bother looking up. Erik stroked Sinead's back gently and reassuringly. He leaned back on the bed. "Do you know what happened?" Sinead hugged herself tighter, realizing it was Erik. She had noticed Erik and Charles' close friendship and was worried what the man's reaction if she told the truth. But then her mind went to what would happen if she lied and he found out later. 

She nodded slowly. Erik continued to assuringly rub the girl's back. Sinead felt comfort from this gesture and turned around, her eyes still puffy with tears. "H-Hank asked me t-to show him my powers a-and I did. B-but I d-didn't know what w-was gonna happen. I aimed for a c-cabinet. The blast d-divided into t-two. One hit the cabinet. T-the other went through the w-wall. I-I think it h-hit Charles." Erik nodded slowly, not showing emotion in his face. There was a silence before Sinead's voice came back, stronger. "I shouldn't be here. If I can hurt others than I could hurt another person." 

Erik's facial expression softened. "My mutation can hurt people. Charles' mutation can hurt people. Alex's mutation could hurt people. As can yours. That's why you are here. To learn to control your powers." He paused. "Now come on, we'll see if Hank came up with anything to help Charles." She nodded and slowly got up. Erik stood up straight and hoped that he had done a good job talking to Sinead and trying to reassure her. Soothing children was Charles' job. 

Sinead's mouth was shut tight as she and Erik walked back to the library. Everyone was gathered around Charles who was laying on the couch his eyes still closed. She turned slightly but Erik stopped her with a glance. Hank looked up from kneeling next to Charles. "He's still alive. I have no idea what his surviving chances are.The blast and damage it left behind, I haven't seen anything like it before. But, I did hear of something like this. The only thing that could help was a healing.. spell from the caster with equal or more force than the blast." His eyes shifted to Sinead. So did everyone else's.

Sinead shook her head violently. "I can't do it. I don't even know how I made the blast!" Hank stood up and walked over to the small girl. "Nothing is impossible. You just have to try." Sinead took a deep breath and let herself face Charles. Slowly, she walked over to the couch and the unconscious man laying on it. She looked over at the others, not sure what to do. 

She put two fingers on each side of the man's head. She took a breath and focused. Within two seconds, her fingers started to glow. The light grew and everyone had to turn away. The light dimmed and stopped. Sinead stumbled away, Hank jumped behind her to stable the girl. Erik moved closer to Charles. The man's blue eyes slowly opened.  Sinead wrapped her arms around herself wondering what Charles would do. "How are you, my friend?" Erik asked. Charles gave a small, weak smile. "I'm good. Tired. Extremely tired. But good." 

Raven was by Erik's side and looked down at her brother. "Just feeling drained? Is that all?" She had to make sure he was truly good. Charles hesitated. "May we talk later, Raven?" Raven nodded quickly. The blue in the man's eyes began to dim as they found their way over to Erik. The metal-controlling mutant knew what this look was for. Erik gently picked Charles and looked over at Sinead. Everything is going to be alright. Erik thought at Sinead, not knowing if the girl could hear him or not. She didn't. Erik left the room, Charles huddling into the taller man's chest. Erik looked down at Charles curled up in his arms. 

The man made his way to Charles' room. Charles was half asleep, his eyes dull and half closed. As you can imagine, Erik was incredibly worried. He gently placed the other man onto his bed and stepped back to leave Charles in peace to sleep. But he stopped when a quiet and weak voice filled his head. Charles was to weak to speak. Stay with me... please. Erik turned to Charles looking at him with a pleading face. 

Erik sighed softly and sat on the edge of Charles' bed. Charles, knowing Erik wouldn't come much closer because of his special ability to be awkward at the worst times, slowly moved forward and wrapped his arms gently around Erik leaning back bringing both men gently back to the bed. Erik made the lights turn off as his face burned. Charles' arms were wrapped around him and when Erik glanced at the other, he noticed Charles had fallen asleep. 

Sinead sat down on the couch where Charles had previously been. She sat alone in the library, everyone else having gone to do something else. Until she noticed Hank at the doorway, an eager look on his face. Sinead looked at him, confused. "Hi...?" Hank gave a small smile. "I may have found what that blast was." He said, excitedly. Sinead perks up. She stands up immediately to follow Hank. 

Hank leads the girl down to the first level and to his lab. His lab is messy with things scattered across the many tables in the room. Hank goes over to one section of one of the tables where he has his computer open to a textbook. Next to the computer was a notepad which was open to messy, rushed notes. "So apparently, about fifty years ago, there was a mutant called The Flitch. The Flitch was incredibly powerful and had a rare mutation that involved telepathy. The Flitch could brake through any block and could read anyone's mind. The Flitch's name was Jeremy Sader. There were others like him throughout history. But Flitch was the believed to be the last of his kind. But I think you might have his mutation or a close replica of his. With one blast the Flitch could kill hundreds. He was considered one, if not, the most powerful villains the world has ever faced so far. His mutation doesn't have a name yet. I don't know if it ever will." 

Sinead took a breath. That was a lot to process. Something did bother her. What if her own blast did kill Charles?