Chapter 9

5.8K 186 11
                                    

According to Charles, he would take a significant amount of time with each of us, excluding Raven, to help us further our powers. Currently, Erik was trying to get him to fire a gun at his head. From her vantage point of a higher window, she could see Charles shake his head and lower the gun. Seraphina smiled. She didn't blame Charles one bit. It was disturbing being told to do that one day. She hadn't of course, but instead told him to stop bullets fired at the wall.

She grew bored and looked away, settling in to read one of the many books in the house. This particular one was a book on the subject of genetic mutations. She hadn't really gone in depth to the subject, and was bored enough to read it.


Charles had finished his lessons with Erik and Alex for the day, finding there was much excitement in them. He decided he was done for today, after all, they had at least a few days before Shaw moved. They didn't actually know when, but peace was welcome for now. He grabbed a plate of tonight's dinner, only to see Seraphina missing from the mix. He grabbed hers, and set out to the library. There wasn't really anyplace else she'd be, besides her room.The house was mainly empty despite being huge.

He was right, and found her slumped over in a chair with a rather large book on mutations set on her lap. He removed the book with a faint smile, and gently shook her shoulder. She started, then settled when her eyes focused on him. Momentarily Charles was lost in those magnificently curious eyes. The ways the colors tricked him continually.

"I brought you're dinner." he said as soon as he realized he'd been staring for a second too long. Seraphina smiled up at him, and sat up straight.

"Thank you, Charles." she said. He nodded and sat opposite her. They both ate in relative silence.

"Someone will have to get more food, this is just disgusting." Seraphina said, causing him to look up. He chuckled a little.

"It is, isn't it?" he said, pushing an indiscernible piece of food around the plate. Both of them set their plates on the coffee table before them, finished with the second gross meal.

"So, Professor, what do I have to look forward in my lesson tomorrow?" Seraphina stated jokingly. Charles chuckled, looking down. Her accent made her sentences somehow more interesting, he thought.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Your telekinetic abilities are already very powerful, once used for a stretch of time." Seraphina hummed her answer, agreeing. She pulled her legs up onto her sofa, barefoot.

"So far any telepathic communication has been under high stress and soaring emotions." said Seraphina. Charles nodded, trying to think. Maybe the key for her was similar to Erik.

"May I-?" Charles gestured to his temple. She nodded at him, and got up and sat across from him on his sofa. Gently, he set both his forefingers on each side of her head, and concentrated by closing his eyes.

Not quite immediately, he gained access to her thoughts and memories. Things were still very blurry, as her mental block was still somewhat there. He went far back, colors and images flying past his consciousness until he saw the familiar fences and barbed wire around a network of buildings that he had seen in Erik's mind as well. Still, he went even farther, past the memories of a pristine lab that brought pain into his mind.

He settled at last upon a faded one, a memory long forgotten. It was a simple one, full of joy.

A small girl with fiery red hair ran alongside a young boy, not three years older than her with auburn hair. Not as bright as his sister's, but not plain brown. The two ran inside a home, hearing the call of their mother who had just set dinner out.

The small family of four talked jovially together, and though Charles couldn't understand a word of  what they said, he knew it was about the children's day, and uneventful shift of work, and possibly of snippet of gossip from Seraphina's mother. Seeing them together brought him a feeling of happiness. 

Charles left her brain, and reached down to hold Seraphina's hands. She had tears falling in perfect droplets down her cheeks, but a smile curled on her lips.

"I'd forgotten about those days. I was so young. Jakob, I can barely see him in my mind's eye these days." she whispered.

Charles felt a pang in his heart. He hadn't known much about the woman in front of him, but now he knew almost everything.

"Does Erik know about your brother?" Charles asked.

"No. I don't think either of us know much about the time before we were brought together. Just snippets. His mother's name, a sister he once had. Mentioned by accident actually. He told me about them when I got panicky on my first plane ride, to help distract me. In a way, he is now my brother." she said.

A kind of relief settled in Charles' gut, but he ignored it. "I gave you this memory in hopes it would help you like it helped Erik. Rage or anything extreme is not always the way to work." he said. Seraphina nodded, then scrunched her face up. Charles began to be worried. He could not read her thoughts and emotions like the others, she was blank. It was why he loved to spend time around her. It was always a surprise.

This though, this was different. Tears reappeared in her eyes, spilling over onto her soft cheeks again. Seraphina struggled to form words.

"Charles-there's so many. . .voices. It hurts. . .so much. ." She choked out. What smile he still had turned down into a frown. His method worked too well, he thought. He'd opened up the pain he'd felt in her mind, before she could control it.

"Just, just listen to me, alright? Focus on me, on my voice. Just, imagine, alright? Imagine that you're only connected to my mind right now. All the others are just static, noise in the background." He said quickly, gripping her hands, as she squeezed them tighter.

"I," she gasped as a mind filled with pain connected to hers. "can't."

"Seraphina, please. Try, try your best. Imagine it in your mind! See it working." Charles urged. This was not the way he wanted it to go. His impromptu training session had gone very awry. Seraphina gasped again. Slowly though, her breathing calmed, the tears stopped coming. Then, she laughed a little. Charles furrowed his eyebrows, confused.

You're very concerned I was hurt, weren't you?

Charles' face lit up like a Christmas tree at the thought that entered his mind, but was not his own.

I was, you looked very distraught. he thought back.

I think I have it mostly under control. As long as I focus. Thank you. Seraphina thought.

I'm just glad you learn quickly. Charles answered. If thoughts could sigh, that's what he did.

"That didn't really go according to plan, did it?"

"Not at all." Charles said.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok! I'm slowly moving along, and the events of First Class are rather shortcoming, aren't they? I don't want too much fluff, but then, who wants a fifteen chapter book? Idk. I'll figure it out. Thanks for reading!

(I apologize for misspellings)

Telky (Charles Xavier Love Story)Where stories live. Discover now