18. Lost & Lonely – Logan

Been in with Chuck for the last two hours, going over old ground, trying to figure out what the hell Creed wants with me this time. What bits of memory Xavier has managed to get out of my stubborn ass brain, Creed is in there, younger and just as fucking dark. We have history, I dunno what it is and why he hates me for it but its there. We’ve been over this so many times, and the more we do the more I don’t care anymore I just want him dead and out of my life for good.

Rest of the day I’ve been in various places around the mansion. Down in the hanger with Forge, calibrating cameras with Scott and getting lectured by Jean about how I shouldn’t bait Scott so much.

Wasted day if you ask me, I could have spent it pretty much how I spent last night. She has been in my thoughts all day, the smell of her is still on my skin, still up my nose and its still so good. Wish she’d mentioned she was a virgin, didn’t know till it was too late. Damn it was hot though. Blisteringly hot and tight. Shouldn’t think like that, I know it’s disrespectful, but god damn.

As I get back to my room, its dusk, like I said – wasted day. My hand lingers on the doorknob. The voices I hear stop me from going in.

"What do you think she meant?" Maire’s voice, she sounds pissed off about something.

"Dunno chica, I think she was jus trying to rattle your cage. She’s kinda had a thing for Wolvie-pants for a long while, well since a certain shirt-less gym class. And trust me, if anyone’s spread it around the mansion like butter on mouldy bread, it’s the Kit-kat!" What the hell is she doing out of the med lab and what they hell does Kitty Pryde have anything to do with things.

"I get that he’s not gonna have, you know, not had women. I mean who wouldn’t you know…"

Jubes cuts her off. "Me!" There’s a pause. "No, seriously. It’s like trying to go for my brother of something."

They both laugh. "Everything seems so…."

"Fucked up? Don’t worry about it, this whole place is fucked up, I mean look at me."

The bed creaks a little as Marie sits on it. "You made a crack before about not being very popular, what's that about anyway?"

Bed creaks a little again. "I’m guessing you and me kinda started off the same right, family shit?" Marie must nod because Jubes continues on. "Well, the majority around her all have their stories, you know what I mean, they come from this city or that. Here because their parents are mutants and they want the kids safe, or they had to leave home cos they didn’t want people to find out. I mean Jones is like 9 or some shit, and his Nanna sent him here so his parents wouldn’t find out her secret, get what I’m saying?" there’s another pause. "Well, that particular crew, well they have had no hard ship in their little lives what so fucking ever. Not even a broken fucking nail. Lorna, Kitty and Bobster are like everything I hated about school, my life, anyone’s life. They are high school bullies that have never grown up. We’re supposed to be a team round here and with them it’s the biggest croc a cracking hard shit you’ve ever heard. When me and hairy turned up here it was all fine, but, well…"

"I won’t tell him, if that’s what you’re worried about."

Jubilee laughs a little. "I’m that readable huh? Okay, when we first got here it was fine, then the rumours about him started, who he was, where he came from, what he was capable of you know. And around here what you can do, is just about all everyone wants to know. So when the claws came out the first time, it was…"

I clench my eyes shut, ~Oh Jubilee!~ "Claws? What claws?" There’s shock in her voice, no wonder.

"Oh…he hasn’t mentioned that…oh shit! I’m sorry this is for him to say to you." I hear her try and get off the bed, but she stops.

"No, wait. Please tell me."

Silence. Then. "Okay. But when he eventually tells you, act surprised okay, for my sake. Right, he was subjected to military testing and lots of other shit, but his skeleton was laced with metal. Really hard metal, I always forget the name, something, ‘-itam’, but, whatever, he has claws that come out of his hands. Real dangerous stuff."

"Oh my god!" Great now she’s gonna run a mile. "Does it hurt him, when they come out I mean?"

No ones ever asked that before. "Dunno babe, never asked him." Marie flops down onto the bed. "So, anyways. People round here, can be kinda cruel and well, I don’t like it, not when its directed at him you know. He’s never hurt any of these assholes, but they still say shit, know what I mean."

"What kind of shit?" Yeah, I’d like to know!

"That he’s a freak among freaks, that he’s like some kinda animal. I don’t take it. Got to a point last year I actually got pissed off with him, ‘cos I was sick of defending him, but its not his fault. He does play on the grumpy bastard thing a lot, you know, but that’s jus him. His theory is the less people know about him the less they can hurt him or him hurt them."

"So that’s why a lot of the others don’t talk to you?" Shit, I didn’t know that.

"Yeah, but I don’t tell him that. He thinks it ‘cos I cause trouble, which it is, but, I cause trouble ‘cos of them. He’s a good guy. Grumpy, occasionally violent with serious impulse control problems, but a good guy. We’re both basically fucked up."

They laugh again. "You’re not fucked up, it’s good to know he has someone to look out for him."

"Yeah right, like he’d let the world know that I little shit of a girl looks out for him, L.O.L chica!!"

They laugh again and I do like that she’s looked out for me, need to start returning the favour. Jubes laughter is cut of by a hiss. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I’m beginning to see why I wasn’t supposed to leave the med-lab, but you know, I cannot lay in there, its cold and like, dark, but its light but its still like ‘dark’, know what I mean?"

"Ur, no!"

Jubes chuckles. "Like dark as in, I’m laying in a lab, with lots of shape medical instruments waiting for the nutty doctor to cut me up, kinda ‘dark’"

"Oh, okay."

The bed creaks a little again as one of then shifts a little. "Oh my god, you blatantly jus’ smiled and nodded having no fucking clue what I just meant!" She laughs heartily.

"What, your talking in riddles."

"Scary films you must have watched scary films, you know where the cute girl gets locked up and experimented on by some sick, but oddly handsome, mad scientist or doctor?"

"No, I don’t watch anything." Marie sighs. "I’m actually really boring."

"Well, stick around girl, this place makes for interesting!"

There’s a pause and I’m just about to clear my throat and make out I just got there when Marie talks again.

"So, his ‘claws’…you said he got experimented on?"

"Look, I’m all up for sharing, but you should talk to him about it, he told me the basics you know, how, where, he left out the why and the who." She shifts again, she’s obviously in pain and she shoulda stayed put. "And as for the Green Witch and Kitkat, don’t sweat it, I say flaunt it at her."

"I can’t do that, not really that kind of person you know."

"Well, man up chica, even if you don’t mean it sometimes you gotta put your game-face on."

Taking a few steps back, I heavy my footsteps towards the door and knock on it. "Marie, darlin’ you in there?"

A unified ‘come in’ comes back at me.

I walk in and take in Marie, there has been tears at some point given her puffy eyes, I lean in a kiss her on the top of her head. "Yella why the fuck are you out of bed?"

"Bored."

"One day bored is gonna get ya killed or your leg is gonna fall off or something."

"Yeah dude, cos my is jus’ gonna randomly fall off through boredom!" She glances at Marie and gestures to me with her hands. "Seriously!"

The kid makes me smile, can’t help it. Maries stands up and puts her arms around my middle, she fits next to me just right and I rest my chin on the top of her head. "Yella, you’re a menace to…" I’m cut of by the vibration of my cell in my pocket, the ring starts as I get it out. No one ever calls me. I flip it open.

"Logan."