Shattered Bonds [Book Three]

Chapter 2: Xaviers' School

Xavier Mansion; Xaviers' School for Gifted Youngsters, 1983

        She used to wake to her alarm every morning.

        As of late, Christiana found herself unable to stay asleep for more than a few hours at a time during the night. First came the struggle to find sleep. Then, countless times, she would find herself waking from a dream she could not recall, always finding it difficult to return there. It was exhausting, how she managed to remain fatigued during the day while restless at night. Not to mention that between her travels to conferences, press interviews, parades, and other events held to advocate for their mutant rights, she had a school to run with her husband.

        Charles, of course, expressed his own concern for her exhaustion, but Christiana was quick to dismiss it. Though, since her insomnia had grown worse over the past few months, they came to an agreement. She would continue her acts of advocation, but her travels had to decrease in frequency. She needed more time to relax, to spend more time at home and focus on the school.

        It was a promise that Christiana could keep.

        Except that her sleeping did not exactly improve. It began to keep her awake more and more, so much so that she would find herself wandering the grounds in her robe in the early hours of the morning, taking in the moonlight that lit the land around her. Still, the urge to sleep during the day grew greater, turning into a need that soon began interfering with her ability to maintain a class. That was when she and Charles made the decision to remove her from the classrooms, letting her focus on other tasks about the school, and nap during the day when she needed it most. 

        It was a nice notion, if not rather uneventful beyond their usual mishaps among the students. Yet her day still began at the same time every morning—whether she was awake to hear her clock or not.

        This morning, she arrived back in her room to turn it off right as it sounded. Her alarm was set nearly an hour before Charles normally woke, so she let him sleep, as per their usual routine. She stepped into their bathroom and looked herself over in the vanity mirror above the sink. So early in the morning, the circles under her eyes were less than dark, but Christiana knew that once the day fully arrived, she would certainly look the part. Exhausted.

        Christiana showered first thing in the morning before getting dressed. Prepared for the spring weather, she grabbed one of her newer sundresses before slipping on her flats. She cared little for jewelry beyond her wedding ring; that was all that mattered, anyway. 

        The school began running around six in the morning, with breakfast handled by seven and finished by eight. That was when the earliest classes would begin. Christiana spent this time according, grabbing fruit and juice for her morning meal before either straying to the library or the study. On this day, however, she found herself making her way to the lab, where she knew she could find Hank.

        She pushed the doors open in a dramatic gesture, making an entrance she knew would at least slightly startle Hank. It did the trick, as he nearly jumped out of his seat where he sat typing at one of the lab computers. 

        "Jesus, Christiana," he said, pulling his seat back up to the table and shaking his head, poising his hands to continue typing. "Can't scare me like that every time you come in here."

        "Just having a little fun to start my day." Christiana offered a friendly smile that Hank barely saw with his eyes trained to the computer screen. She made her way around the main tables of the laboratory, coming to stand by the table Hank sat at. "So. . . Did you happen to—"