「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(304) Why Hide?

Lynn's POV

Storm plopped her back into the wooden supports as I slowly guided her onto the park bench. Silently, she stared at me, beaming with a great sense of incompetence. As untainted despair glowed from her eyes, I empathetically sighed and carefully levitated myself onto the panelled platform of cherry timber.

Immediately scooting over, Storm snaked her arms around me and I unwittingly gasped as my torso was suddenly ambushed by her rigid embrace. Yet, while pronounced troubles distinctly radiated, Storm was an independent lady far too strong for tears. 

"I understand that the schedule's tight with the upcoming exams, but honestly, you don't have to be so stressed. You're not the ones going for the tests," I consoled sincerely, delicately stroking her back.

"You saw them, Lynn. They're barely surviving," Storm confided in a deflated tone as she lethargically peeled herself off.

Hanging her shameful face to the floor, Storm paced towards the pavilion's perimeter marked by a series of white railings. She gripped the metallic handlebars, staring pensively into the distance where the majestic architecture of our home resided, as if seeking solace in the magnificent structure.

Tracking the line of her gaze, I was similarly captivated by stunning features.

Unlike the colourful flowers that livened up the gardens every spring, the crawlers creeping up the mansion's exterior this season were now naked, but in their own way mesmerising. Only occasional blooms dangled from the vines slithering down the walls of stone and from afar, though miniature, emerged even more vividly amidst the sea of forest hues.

I leaned back and casually slotted my healthy hand under my left knee, scooping it over the other. As I manually transferred my immobile leg, it typically spasmed but the inevitable discomfort eventually ceased. In its neatly crossed position, it just dangled lifelessly as I continued to admire the pleasing scenery.

Despite its vibrant character, however, the charming view was wretchedly incapable of lifting her sullen mood but I was surely resolved to fulfil the opposite outcomes I had initially envisioned for our little excursion.

"I know just how tough it can be and how rough it can get when it comes down to teaching but, more often than not, you'll always realise it's worthwhile persevering," I counselled in an earnest tone.

"I'm not giving up, Lynn," Storm refuted defensively as she swiftly spun around, seemingly offended.

"It's precisely because we know they only just scrape his standards that before he left, Scott told me to try something different," Storm affirmed in a determined but increasingly agitated tone. 

"I had a plan but then Logan comes along and everything just goes haywire!" Storm raved bitterly, furiously stomping back and forth in front of me.

"Relax, Storm. They're still learning," I reassured with a warm smile.

"After all these months, they're still learning," Storm mocked with a cynical laugh.

"And, as their instructor, what does that say about me?" Storm ridiculed critically, dramatically throwing her arms into the air as the skies began to faintly rumble, flooding with dark clouds once again.

"Storm, I want you to tell me what you think of their performance," I explicitly demanded, staring at her with a stern expression, but she gazed over with a frown, bemused and speechless.

"Go on. You can start with Bobby," I urged in an encouraging tone but her hesitant face was apathetic to falter.

"Iceman, he's... Devoted, driven. But I think... Something's holding him back from fully developing his powers," Storm described with a tentative expression.