Chapter 7
Deep within the shadows, miles away from where the prince and his advisor spoke, a man leaned against a tree watching a young woman fly through the center the little village. He struck a match, the flame dancing in the wind stirred up by the woman’s flight. Watching the movement for a few moments, he lit the cigarette held between his lips before ending the dance with a flick of his wrist. Plucking the cigarette from his mouth he blew out a cloud of smoke, returning his attention to the white haired woman who had continued on her journey through the town. His dark eyes took in her airborne form, lingering over the glimpses bare skin of her legs exposed by the skirts fluttering about her calves.
Taking another puff from his cigarette, he turned away as she gracefully landed in front of one of the buildings in the village square. He had only remained around the village to watch her as he had done with her mother. She was just as beautiful, catching his attention just as her mother had done before her. After taking one last drag on the cigarette, he crushed the burning paper and tobacco underfoot, checking his belt for his dagger. The next town was only a few miles away and he had plenty of time for a bit of fun before he was to meet with the sorceress.
Pulling his dagger out of its sheath, he examined the blade in the tree flittered moonlight. The once sliver blade now had a reddish tint to it that he couldn’t quite clean off. The blood from his victims had seeped into the very steel, though not enough to tarnish the wicked gleam he enjoyed watching reflected in the eyes of those he kept conscious. Returning the blade to its sheath he continued on towards to the next village, whistling to himself.
Ororo burst through the door of Henry McCoy’s office, barely noticing her shoes had been ripped off in her haste, sure her father was still there.
“FATHER!” She shouted, standing in the foyer. Not hearing a response, she headed towards the back of the building to Henry’s laboratory space. Reaching the large, metal re-enforced doors, Ororo tested the door handle, expecting it to be locked. To her surprised the latch opened with a soft click. She pushed open the door slowly, not sure what to expect within the large space.
The room was filled with open notebooks, test tubes and other strange equipment Ororo had never seen. Candles were lit and scattered around the large room, giving it the cold lab a warm glow. As Ororo walked into the room, she noticed a long table that had been placed on one side of the room, a plain, long cloth hiding what was resting on the table’s surface. She took a step closer to the table, curious as to what could cause the cloth to form the unusual pattern of shadows and bulges. As she continued closer, a chill ran down her spine like the brush of fingertips. Shaking her head, Ororo ignore the feeling, reaching out and pulling back the cloth.
With a gasp of horror at the frightened dead eyes staring up at her, Ororo jumped back, unintentionally dragging the cloth back with her and revealing the rest of the young girl’s body to the light. The candlelight caused shadows to flicker across the pale flesh of the girl’s face and limply hanging limbs. Her equally pale, chapped lips were parted as if in the beginnings of a scream. Dried blood covered the hand visible to Ororo as well as parts of her once light blue dress. Her blond hair spilled across her shoulders and spread around her face in now fuzzy ringlets. Ororo’s hands went to her mouth, causing the cloth to pool at her feet, as her eyes stared at jagged slash marks ripping through the girl’s chest and stomach. These had been cleaned enough for Ororo to see the blackened flesh stand out against the rest of the girl’s skin.
‘He’s still out there. Killing people.’ The words of the elder man in the woods echoed through Ororo’s mind as she continued to stare at the wounds. A rumble of thunder shook the walls.
“Ororo!” She turned to see her father and Henry standing in the doorway of the back door she hadn’t noticed. “What are you doing here?” Xavier asked, heading over to her.
“I know who is responsible for this, father.” Ororo said calmly, turning her attention back to the girl. “I heard them talking about the murders in the woods.”
“Ororo now is not the time to be going out into the woods alone.”
“Did you hear what I just said? They know who did this! They let him stay free!”
“Young lady,” Xavier rubbed the bridge of his nose, “this is not the time to discuss rumors you heard in the woods.”
“But father…” Ororo turned back to face her father, frowning.
“Go home, Ororo.”
“Father…”
“And I do not want you going off in the woods alone, especially after dark,” Xavier continued as if Ororo had not spoken.
“You should not disregard this, father. What I found out in the woods can help you stop this from happening again!”
“If you keep going out in the woods alone that,” Xavier pointed to the body lying on the table, “can happen to you! Now, go home.”
Clenching her fists, Ororo stormed out of the laboratory as another rumble of thunder shook the walls.
Her eyes glowed white as she threw open the door, calling the winds to her. She raised her hands to the sky as the hurricane force winds wrapped themselves around her, slamming the door shut as she floated out to the road and whipping her long white hair around her. With a glance back at Henry’s office she flew higher, feeling the streak of lightning that flashed across the sky. Frowning, she turned to her home, flying as fast as her winds could take her.
Seconds later she was touching down at her back door. Ororo, slipped through the backdoor as quietly as she could, leaving the door cracked open. Tip-toeing to the stairs, she heard her sisters chatting in the living room.
“Where did he come from?” Betsy was asking.
“Ah don’t know. I told ya Bets, he was just standin’ in the yard when Ah got out there.”
“Well what did he look like? Was he from around here?” Ororo reached the stairs, managing to step over the squeaky floorboards.
“Ah’ve never seen him before. He had these glowing red eyes,” Ororo heard Rogue pause and crouched down in the shadows. “But they weren’t creepy or anythin’ and...” Ororo sighed softly and ran up the stairs, her bare feet silent against the wood floor. Rogue’s voice fading as Ororo reached the second floor.
Heading down the hall, she ducked into her room. She grabbed the travel bag from out of her wardrobe, tossing in her gardening trousers and a plain blouse and gathered her messy hair, tying it into a low ponytail with a white scarf. Ororo glanced around her room, finding her deep blue cloak tossed across her neatly made bed. She threw it around her shoulders, hooking the silver lightning bolt shaped clasp, smoothing her white skirts after removing the apron she had been wearing while washing the dishes. Ororo dug out her money purse from underneath her mattress, tucking it into her skirt pocket before putting on stockings and boots.
She stood, glancing around the room one last time before grabbing her bag from the floor and leaving the room, heels clicking softly on the wooden floor boards. Turning down the hall, Ororo headed to her father’s study. Once inside, she headed over to his desk, pulling open the bottom drawer. Digging through the files and papers, Ororo found a small box with her name on it. Her father had once told her that something of her mothers was in this box, but she never found out what.
‘Perhaps it will aid me in this,’ Ororo thought putting the box in her bag and throwing the bag over her shoulder.
Leaving the desk without closing the drawer, Ororo went over to the window, opening it wide and calling her winds back to her, floating down to the ground. As soon as she landed, Ororo headed back to the kitchen to grab the leftover bread and a few pieces of fruit before heading back outside, closing the door softly. Calling her winds to her once more, Ororo rose to the skies, her cloak and skirts fluttering and flapping in the swirling wind as she spun herself higher, her eyes glowing brighter as lightning streaked through the clouds.
‘Goodbye, father.’
~Continue?
