「 The Professor & I 」VOLUME II

(319) A Friend

Lynn's POV

"I really don't think this is such a good idea," Lorna repeated in a sheepish tone.

Upon learning Trask's deeds of insubordination,  the President expelled him from the premises of his office but without further military action—just insisting for Magneto to be apprehended at the nearest possible instance.

Trask consequently chased us down as Raven and I furiously exited. While the two almost erupted into a violent quarrel, Trask presented the tempting offer of meeting Lorna, in which was determinedly bargained to her release.

Persuading her to come along had been far more difficult than completing her bail—and that suggested a lot, given the truckloads of administration the legal process entailed. Gratefully, the expenditure of our persevering efforts succeeded in wavering her obstinance the first time and we managed to invite her onto our flight back to New York.

Deliberately bartering in her unsubtle bodyguard, Raven had demanded a private jet from Trask and the last hour or so was spent on the luxurious counterpart of our outbound transportation. As Raven piloted us home, Lorna merely huddled up in her own quiet zone, staring into the distance.

Hovering aimlessly in a disheveled array, her damaged soul was a million miles away. As she futilely nursed her the tribulations of her wounded heart, I just watched in respectful silence, similarly tending to the troubles of my broken back.

High altitudes selfishly never agreed with fractured spines and the dull soreness arising in the middle of the sky, despite the plush seats, had only moderately faded after Raven safely landed us on the runway of JFK.

Whilst she graciously tidied the cockpit for Trask's men who would pick up the aircraft later, I telekinetically steered my chair from its stowed position near the front of the cabin towards me seat and easily transferred into it along the roomy aisle.

Once the air bridge was locked into place, I rolled off independently and the other two conveniently debarked, albeit only at the slow pace Lorna was dragging her feet. Surely, the cure comprised a sedative component still active to drain her energy but it was not just the changes internally that rendered her behavior sluggish.

Her mind bled dry with the doubts surrounding it, apprehensive of her own appearance and worth now completely devoid of the one thing she thought was defining. Part of her was lost, most of her was hopeless, but thankfully, she had already tattled on everything she knew about Erik's course of action, promptly venting the wild accumulation of anger.

As she fixated her eyes to the majesty of towering cityscapes crawling by, Lorna was but a disoriented shell perched behind the passenger side. There was a string of regret tugging on my conscience for not electing to share a seat with her in back, to more readily comfort her or just lend a shoulder, but the personal space her heart probably needed to recover recommended for my disassembled chair to be in her company instead.

Finally surmounting the horrendous traffic, Raven pulled us up on the front porch and the mundane radio channel echoing solely within the rented continental sedan abruptly ceased as she yanked off the keys.

Raven happily hopped out and I settled into my chair excitedly, glad to be back, but Lorna just glued herself into the seat, shamefully fiddling with her fingers. Carefully, I opened her door and her brief glance at me was more than insecure. Staring blankly into her lap, she eventually spoke, albeit just mumbling the same point she had insisted incessantly before we convinced her out of her cell.