X-Men 1st Redemptions

33: X-pertise

Logan shrugged. "Sure."

"And all I'm asking is for you to do some reading this week." Shine made it sound like it was childish to refuse.

Storm smothered a smile. "It does seem like little to ask.... But this will be enough? I see the merit of knowing what you believe, but will it really change anything?"

"I guess you'll have to wait and see," Shine said. "Like Kurt says, you'll have to trust us or this won't work. Feel free to help each other too, if you are humble enough to. Sometimes another newb is easier to talk to than a seasoned veteran. Kurt is also going to be available for questions. Wally and I want to see if you'll grasp it for now."

She didn't add that she also intended to see if they'd do as she said without her having to micromanage. They were adults after all, not high-schoolers; she couldn't exactly send them to their rooms to study.

Logan still wasn't happy about it, but he had heard enough to not argue anymore...and Storm was going to do it...so...he couldn't exactly let someone else out do him. It nettled him that they'd just let her join this when she hadn't even been the reason they show up at all--but it was his own fault, and it was in his character to only come around once he saw he'd screwed up enough to already be behind.

[Yeah, that's too true for most people, isn't it? Logan is the most relatable character in this story at times.]

* * *

Shine proved to be a least as interested a teacher as she'd originally said. Her reading list had a lot of books on it that sounded intriguing.

She asked Logan to start with The Hiding Place, since she'd recommended it already.

Storm's suggestions started with an allegory: Hinds Feet on High Places.

Logan didn't read much and found the book hard to begin--but by the third chapter, the story had become a little too interested to someone who'd lived through it (WWII) to not keep going. It was a side of the War he didn't know that much about; he hadn't been really involved in the whole Jewish plight, but he was well aware.... It was kind of disturbing to read about.

The Ten Booms attitude was so foreign to him. It made no sense. He almost tossed the book out of the window a few times.

"The h--- is with these stories?" he finally said to Storm, who was diligently reading her suggested material in a different room.

"Oh, it's quite fascinating, isn't it?" Storm said. "I had been afraid there might be too many cultural things I did not understand--English is not my first language anyway--but this book is actually pretty easy for me. She must have thought of that. Her attention to detail impresses me. Reminds me of Hank a little."

"So...it's not...annoying?" Logan said.

"Annoying? No, it many ways it's familiar." Storm folded it. 

"Exactly. Too familiar," Logan said.

"I'm sorry. I thought the one she gave you was a true story." Storm was confused. "This is fiction. Perhaps it's different."

"I'll tell you what's different." Logan was still mad. "It's screwed up! The way those people were attacked, it's just like with mutants. I think that Magneto guy even lived through it. But these wack jobs just keep on actin' like they're happy and thankful all the time. They don't even want to kill Germans.... It's just...it's too strange."

"But why do they need to want to kill anyone? The story can't be that horrible," Storm said. "Is it about helping those people?"

"Well, yeah, but the way it happened..." Logan said.