69: Xavier

(originally posted 03/16/2012)

Xavier


Ever have it happen that you think up a picture in your head and when you go to paint it, it comes out all wrong? Happens to me all the time. Sometimes, the mistakes make it more interesting, others... well, people don't get to see the others. That's what the trashcan is for.


My mom and dad are getting back together! AND I get to keep this awesome room. They're even letting me have it AS MY ROOM!


The room has its own private entrance which is both good and bad. Good because I'm not bothered by noises, but bad because if I want to get to the rest of the house I have to go outside. Marie says I'll really like this "feature" when I'm a teenager, but that's not for a little while yet. Who wants to grow up? Not me. Just call me Peter Pan I guess haha.


Besides, when you grow up your interests change. Like... girls. Ugh, there's this girl... Lee... she keeps bothering me. All the time! ALL THE TIME. She always manages to call me up just as a brilliant idea gets into my head. Last time I didn't answer the phone. Marie just smiled at me with a knowing smile that just made me mad. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks she's my mom.


Ah, the usual cluster at the front of the school where we all have to wait for our own individual turn to get into the school building. I wonder how long I'll have to stand out here this time.


Honestly, I don't really mind. It's not like I'm eager to get to class!

Ew, why is that substitute staring at us like that? It looks like he's looking for someone. Marie just glared at him. He looks at her... he looks at me and backs off.


My turn.

About midday I need to get up and visit the bathroom. After I wash my hands for the third time, I feel pain on the back of my head.

....


"Get that kid outta here!" I hear a voice say. "We've got the one we want."

"What should I do with him?" another voice says.

"I don't give a s---. Throw him in the river."

"NO!!" I hear my mom scream.

"Mom?" I ask as I try to make sense of my surroundings. The back of my head is killing me as I can feel it pounding with pain with every beat of my heart.

"Run!" I hear her yell above all the scuffling.

"But..."

"RUN!!" she screams again as some faceless thug reaches for me. I duck out of his way and make a break for it.


"Let him go." The first voice says. "We're not ending up anywhere near here. Help me with this one!"

The pounding in my head doesn't make it easy to keep running. I can kind of spot town in the distance, and I take off in a panic.

Mom! What am I going to do? Dad! I need to get to dad!


This would've never happened to Marie. She'd kick their a--! Why didn't I learn all that stuff from dad? All I've ever cared about has been my art! What kind of son am I?

I'm exhausted when I finally reach home.


"Dad! Dad! Dad!" I scream as I run into the house.

"What? What's wrong with you?" He asks as he takes in my disheveled and hysterical state. "What happened? Have you seen your mother?"

"They! They ... they got her!"

"WHAT!?!" I watch as my dad's eyes get huge. "Who? Who got her?!"

"I don't know." I start crying. What kind of worthless son am I to just run away like that?

"Xavier, listen. You need to calm down and tell me everything you know. Anything. What do you remember?" My dad crouches down to get eye-level with me.

I sniff a few times and try to calm my breathing. I can't seem to get myself to stop breathing so fast! "I was at school. Then I wasn't. Then I heard Mom screaming 'NO!'. Oh yeah, they wanted to throw me in the river. Then Mom told me to run, so I ran! I ran ...so... far! There were two of them..." I take in a huge gulp of air.


He puts his hands on my shoulders to steady me as I start to wobble. "Do you remember anything else? What do they look like? Hair color... tattoos?"

I swallow, trying to make my throat not so dry. It doesn't help. "Um... One was wearing some kind of gray camouflage stuff. I remember a flaming skull. Or, a pirate skull thing with flames?" I start hyperventilating again. "I can't remember! They hit me on the back of the head! I couldn't see right." I start crying.

Marie comes bursting into the room, "DAD! NOBODY COULD FIND X-...," she looks at me, "Man." With a shaky exhale she flops herself down onto the couch.


Dad stands up and looks over at Marie to make sure she hasn't fainted or something, I guess, before he says to me, "You did good, X-Man." He reaches down to hug me.

"No I didn't! I ran away and let them take her!" I say above my tears. "They said, 'We've got the one we want.'"

"You did just what you were supposed to do. Now, where did this happen?" I can tell he's trying hard to maintain his calm.

"Some abandoned house next to one of the fields outside of town. But... I remember them saying they weren't staying there as I left." I say as I can hear Marie on the phone talking to the school.

"Marie, get him some water and help him calm down. I need to make a few phone calls." Dad says.

"Sure." She comes over and for once I'm grateful for her mother-like actions.