Withering Wishes . • . X-Men Fanfic . • . BOOK 2

onze

Chapter Eleven:

"No," Hank said, arms crossed. "We can't."

"It's been more than a year since she's been here," Xavier argued. "She's been down there for almost six months now."

"The last time you let her out, she killed a man."

"He cut off her finger," Charles argued.

"That doesn't bring him back to life, Charles."

"It doesn't bring back her finger either!" Charles snapped. Then, he inhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Hank... She's only a child. Not only that, but her mutation requires her to at least be outside and around other animals and people."

"She's around her bear enough," Hank replied, crossing his arms. "I'm not risking the student's lives again, Charles. Last time she threw a fit—"

"I know, I know," Charles sighed. "But, Hank, listen, if she's allowed to go outside, maybe it'll help her learn to control it."

"How?" Hank scoffed. "You heard Lwazi, he suppressed her power by severely abusing her. Charles, he cut off her fingers in order to keep her in check! Coddling her and allowing her to go outside isn't going to help her."

"You don't know that," Charles said.

"I do," Hank replied. "And we are not letting her out — you aren't letting her out."

He picked up his papers and stood from his desk to disappear into a back room. "What if they locked you up?" Charles demanded to Hank's back. He stopped, but didn't look at him. "Hank, you, of all people should understand how it feels to be treated like a beast." Hank inhaled, but Charles continued talking. "Let her out, at night like we did last time. We can both be there, if it'll make you feel better."

Hank sighed, pulling off his glasses, cleaning it with his shirt. "Charles..."

"I don't want her to grow up and feel like a monster, Hank," Charles said. "She already hates me, but... Maybe this'll make her hate a little less."

Hank looked up at the ceiling, then back at his glasses. He exhaled, putting them back on. "Once every other day for an hour," Hank said. "And, she'll be monitored by either you or me, no one else. Nobody can know she's out there."

"Alright," Charles smirked, turning around in his wheelchair.

"You realize that you are the professor of this school, right?" Hank said, looking back down at papers on his desk, a pen in his hand. "You don't have to ask me."

"Yes, but I value your opinion," Charles said with a small smile. "Thank you, Hank. For giving her a chance."

"As long as she's happy," Hank said, almost sarcastically.

~.•*•.~

Ekka sat on the grass, watching as Brownie jumped around and playing. His big dark eyes were filled with happiness and Ekka almost smiled at him. "Don't you want to play too?" Xavier asked from behind her. Ekka tensed, hunching her shoulders, as if to shield herself from the man. Slowly, she shook her head, no, but Brownie wasn't having it.

He bounded over to Ekka, nudging his head under her arm, what he usually did when he wanted her to stand up.

Slowly, Ekka did. Her knees were weaker than they used to be, due to her lack of action in the recent months. He pushed behind Ekka from behind. Ekka sighed, grabbing a stick off the ground.