Chapter 113 – Hopeless

[2009 – September]

Sitting at a large table in the shared lounge next to Clarice, Allison, and Marie-Ange, Jean was finishing up her homework as she chatted with the three of them while they did the same.

Laura was also present, though she was playing pool with Angelica, while Rahne and Sharon were both lounging lazily on a leather sofa at the other end of the room, playing some video games. Jean could sense John and Haroun somewhere below in the underground training facility and she knew from Clarice that they were working out together.

Jean knew that Emma was very strict with the Hellions and had very high expectations of them, but she wasn't unreasonable and knew that due to their young age it would quickly backfire if they weren't given the freedom to relax and act like normal teenagers.

Still, their classes usually went from 7.30 am to 3.30 pm. A lot of those classes were training sessions with specially recruited instructors to make sure that all the Hellions were in top shape, and were constantly improving on their abilities, while their cultural classes weren't any less demanding.

Emma clearly wanted to push the Hellions and her other students onto the path of elites but Jean didn't think there was anything wrong with that as she also allowed her students to pursue their passions. Elijah's sister clearly cared for her students' future, not to mention that the quality of their accommodations and amenities left nothing to be desired.

In the first place, the Hellions were Emma's vision of a mutant combat force that could rival the X-Men, which wasn't a goal to be taken lightly considering that the Professor had a headstart when it came to the recruitment and training of mutants.

Still, all in all, the Massachusetts Academy was also a private school tailored for the elite of society and Emma's management style truly reflected this, so it was naturally a bit different than Xavier's.

Wearing a dark-grey pair of yoga pants over some rather skimpy panties which were actually a part of a set along with a sexy dark-green sports bra, the middle part of which was made out of a fishnet material to show off her cleavage.

This rather sensual sight though was covered up by the oversized white hoodie she wore on top, which belonged to Elijah and still carried his scent. A pair of white socks and red crocs completed the outfit she had changed into as soon as they had arrived back home from school to be more comfortable during homework.

And while this was certainly casual wear, the way Elijah had practically eaten her up with just his eyes before throwing her onto their bed and eating her up for real, told her how much he liked the way she dressed.

Just thinking about how his lips and tongue had worked their way down her body, brushing over and teasing her heated, sensitive skin before finally reaching the valley between her legs, where Elijah had spent a good few minutes driving her absolutely wild with pleasure while looking up at her with his wild dark-green eyes filled with endless desire and love, had her blushing and smiling even now, a few hours later.

With those thoughts circling her mind, Jean found it particularly hard to finish up her work, though she silently decided to have her 'revenge' on her love later tonight. Smiling to herself as she thought about the things she would do to and with Elijah, her 'evil' scheming was interrupted as she sensed something.

Looking up from the math problem, which she had been working on for the better part of half an hour, Jean saw Elijah entering the shared lounge, her eyes lighting up with barely concealed love and desire while the blood in her veins seemed to hum as she watched him approach.

It should have been impossible for her to sense Elijah's presence, considering the invisible shield he had surrounded himself with at all times, but somehow Jean always felt it when he was near. It was like an instinct that went beyond even her own powers.

Black coat, grey hoodie, a pair of blue jeans, and some white sneakers, his wild black locks hanging in his face while his deep green eyes settled on her immediately. Elijah moved with the grace of a cheetah, a faint smile sitting on his lips, his charming appearance making her breath speed up like it always did. It was the same no matter how many times she laid eyes on him.

At the first glance, Elijah seemed to be a handsome young man with an easy-going nature and a gentle temperament, but his eyes told a different story. Their depth and the shadows hiding beneath the surface were the only things that could allow one to catch a glimpse of the terrifying intelligence and the sheer will that made Elijah who he was.

His presence wasn't overbearing in the least, in fact, it was incredibly serene and almost completely undetectable. Elijah was like a hunter. He moved unnoticed until it was too late, and Jean knew that she was his favorite prey. Though she didn't mind at all.

The only times Elijah's presence became noticeable was when he deliberately revealed himself, which was something she marveled at every time she felt it. She had never met someone who had such control over his own presence.

Still, the moment she laid eyes on him, Jean couldn't help but notice that something was different about her love. Her eyes widened slightly when she felt the ambient psionic energy fluctuate around him in a frequency that seemed similar to a heartbeat.

It was barely noticeable even for her, who was the avatar of the nexus of all psionic energy in all realities.

When before, the incredible strength of Elijah's mind had subconsciously affected the psionic energy around him, this was a whole different kind of psionic energy fluctuation.

The psionic energy wasn't suppressed or dominated under Elijah's will, instead, it almost seemed as if it resonated on a deeper level with him, as if they were in perfect harmony with each other. In wonder, Jean watched as Elijah arrived beside her after smiling and nodding to greet the others.

Leaning down, his soft lips fell on hers as her whole body seemed to sigh in comfort, her hands hiding halfway in the sleeves of the large hoodie she wore. She placed one of them against his strong chest while the other laid itself on his cheek, her thumb tenderly caressing the soft skin stretching over his cheekbone.

He tasted like dark chocolate and red wine – bittersweet and intoxicating.

"Hey.", her love greeted softly, the look in his eyes one of deep affection and tranquility. One of his hands was placed on the backrest behind her while the other rested on her hip, possessively and intimately.

"Hey.", she whispered back, eyes dancing in joy and desire. Giggling softly, her hand moved from his cheek as she picked a blade of grass from his dark hair and asked: "Where have you been?"

Arya seemingly saw this as her chance to wake up and say hello, as her little head suddenly popped out from Elijah's jacket, hooting softly as she greeted Jean while stretching her neck to rub the sleep from her eyes with her little wings.

"Outside, reading a book.", he answered with a carefree smile, their faces only inches apart.

Her hand came back to his cheek as her fingers softly brushed over his cheek. She leaned forward to steal herself another kiss from her love's lips before saying softly: "Must be a pretty good book. You seem different."

"It is.", Elijah smiled, leaning forward as he pressed his forehead against hers, their lips touching.

"But I still love you the most.", he whispered against her lips, kissing her again before breaking away from her and leaving a teasing bite on her lower lip.

His words caused her to smile up at him like a blossoming flower, tender love and longing in her gaze.

An exasperated voice from the side interrupted their intimate moment though, as Angelica called out: "Please have some restraint, you two! The singles present can only take so much of your flirting!"

Elijah's lips quirked into a smile while still looking down at her, seeing her blush and shrink back a bit. His hand coming up to cradle her cheek, he left her with one last kiss on her cheek before straightening up and turning towards Angelica.

"Jealousy isn't a good look on you, Angelica.", he laughed as he teased while walking up to her, Laura, and Marie-Ange.

They bickered with each other for a few moments before he ultimately joined them in playing pool, forming a team with Laura.

Jean on the other hand found it hard to tear her gaze away from him, as she saw him smile and laugh so light-heartedly. That was until Clarice sighed, looking at her with fake pity from the side.

"You really are completely hopeless.", the Asian teenager teased with a smile.

Blushing while smiling to herself, Jean replied lightly: "I know."