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Chapter Text

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, the dark and cold night wrapping itself around her as she continued to sprint through the woods like cornered animals, always watching her back just in case someone or something, was coming after her.

She needed to keep moving, she needed to keep going, she…

She saw something coming up in the distance and as she got closer, she realized what it was, a house. It was small and rundown, nobody had come here in quite some time, if the broken-down windows and door were any indication. She could sleep here for tonight at least, then continue on tomorrow. She didn't know where she was supposed to go now but anywhere would be better than here.

She saw some lights in the horizon, just over the trees. A small town probably with plenty of people with food and a home. She considered going there, maybe asking somebody for help, but those thoughts died as soon as she heard something behind her. Whether an animal or an agent from the Facility, it didn't matter. She knew she could trust no one and nothing as far as she knew.

She couldn't contact anyone, she couldn't call for help, all she could do was depend on herself and survive. Slowly approaching the house, making sure nobody was watching her, she stopped. Something was happening, a heat coming from the entrance of the house and beginning to glow into the door.

She dived into some nearby bushes, just out of sight from whatever was coming and waited.

A woman with white hair and a red dress came out of the portal, yawning and cracking her back. She brought up two fingers to her mouth and whistled, clearly a signal to someone…or something. That something came in the form of an adorable owl carrying a sack in its beak, landing on the woman's arm as she gave him a scratch.

The woman walked back into the open door, no doubt planning to close it behind her. In those few seconds that passed, she realized this was the best opportunity she'd ever have to escape them. To find something for herself even if it was somewhere completely unknown.

Even as doubts and weird butterflies set in her stomach, Laura didn't hesitate. She ran into the door as it closed right behind her.

Luz's day had gone from bad to weird to terrifying to good, all in the span of an hour. It was like all her dreams had come true, finally arriving in a magical world! Well, more like her nightmares, but it was magic nonetheless!

"And this is the Owl House!" Eda said as they descended from the sky to the front of a house deep in the woods, "My little hole outside those goons' eyes and all."

The house itself was made of stone with asymmetrical walls and windows sticking out. The thing that called Luz's attention the most was the big, stained window that looked like an owl's eyes just over the door and a big castle tower on the background.

"C'mon human, we don't have all day!" Eda called out, shaking Luz out of her head. She ran up to her and watched as the decorative owl's face on the door began to move and talk.

"Hoot hoot! Password please!" the owl's face said as Eda picked its eyes with a roll of her own, "Alright, alright! Jeeze, you never wanna have any fun!"

The decoration opened its mouth, stretching enough to become a doorway for her and Eda to walk through. "That's Hooty," Eda explained, "He's sort of my security system, but never let him rope you into his tea parties…"

Eda shuddered a bit before the door closed, Luz hearing a faint burp from the other side…

What a quirky being! She couldn't wait to know more about him!

Suddenly she heard a series of loud thuds coming from the hallway on the other side of the room. She was afraid for a second before the cutest, widdlest thing walked in, dressed in a towel and holding a rubber ducky!

"Who dares intrude upon I, the King of Demons?!" the little dog thing squeaked before he was scooped up in her arms, "Ah! What's happening!? Eda!"

"Who's mi pequeñito!? Who is!? Is it you? Is it you!?" she baby talked to him as he continued to struggle.

"I don't know what that is, but I'm not!"

"That's King, he's kind of my roommate," Eda laughed, taking him from Luz's arms and setting him down, "Well, one of them anyway."

"Oh, is there another fantastically magical creature living here?"

"Eh, kinda? She's standing right behind you."

Turning around, Luz was expecting a lot of things. Maybe a mermaid who lives on land, or a multi-eyed demon lady!

She was not expecting a normal looking, scowling teenage girl who was maybe one or two years older than her and wearing a leather jacket.

"That's Laura. She helps me deliver potions both around and out of town," Eda said as Laura walked past everyone and directly to the kitchen, "She basically works for food and a place to sleep."

"She's kind of a parasite that way!" King declared as he finished drying himself off.

Luz didn’t really know what to say in any case, seeing the girl completely ignore her and dive straight into the Kitchen where she opened the refrigerator and a carton of what looked like apple juice, taking a swig straight out without even saying anything, even through Eda’s disapproving glance.

So cool…!

“Anyways, this is Luz the Human!” Eda said to both Laura and King, who had climbed up to the older girls shoulders “She’s the one who can help us with our little situation

King's little stubby legs almost leaped in joy at the declaration “Haha! Finally, a useful minion!”

Laura didn’t react, staying coolly quiet as she reclined on a wall and continued to drink her apple juice while giving King a narrowed glance.

Luz got nervous at the declaration herself, “Woah woah wait, I don’t like the sound of this situation ”

“Let me explain” Eda traced a circle in the air, her surroundings darkening as the woman began narrating, “Long Ago there was a big and powerful King of Demons, with Powers so Vast no one could challenge him! Until one day, his enemies stole his crown and he turned into…this”

She pointed to King, who had been picked up by Laura and her like a plushie, earning a D’awww from Luz

“The Crown is being held by Warden Wrath, behind a magical force field that only a human can pass through!” Eda finished her explanation, as the surroundings began to light up again, “That’s where you come in! You break into the magical force field and we’ll open the way for you back to the Human Realm!”

“Besides, can you really say no to that adorable face?” 

As if on cue, Laura began cuddling King even closer, making the tiny dog demon squeak in rage!

“Please don’t encourage her! Nyeh!”

“Also we’re kind of your only way home”

Luz looked back at Laura, who stared at her in silence for a bit before saying, “Couldn’t she pass the forcefield? She looks pretty human…”

“Nah, Laura is…well I don’t know what she is but she’s definitely not human from what I’ve figured out” Eda said before lifting Luz and carrying her over her shoulder, “Alright, let’s break into a government building!”

“Wait government what?”

Chapter Text

Like a castle straight out of her nightmares, the Conformatorium's oppressive visage loomed over Luz like a giant. But even as fear was growing in her heart, a tiny bit of excitement grew too. The possibilities were opening themselves up in front of her eyes.

"Welcome to the Conformatorium," Eda said sarcastically, Laura by Luz's side while King was on the human's head, "Where those unfit for society are taken."

"You guys sure seem popular here…" Luz stared at the posters of Eda on the wall, the art depicting her as a laughing, monstrous mad woman with a red eyed Laura beside her.

"Yep, but we're never caught!" Eda smugly replied with even Laura getting a sly smirk on, "We're just too slippery!"

"Try to catch me when I'm all greased up! I'm wiggling like a wo-Woah!" King's sudden movement almost caused him to fall off Luz's head, but Laura caught him at the last second, "Thanks…"

"Woah girl, buenos reflejos! " Luz complimented with a thumbs up, eliciting a weird look from Laura, Huh. Must not know Spanish…

"You, me and Laura will sneak up to the top of the tower where they're keeping my crown," King said, once again held in Laura's arms.

"And I'll keep the guards distracted!" Eda had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Luz gasped, realizing something important, "Will I need a costume? Like a superhero? 'Cause I got this!" She put her hood over her eyes, bringing up a pair of plush cat ears, "Meow meow! "

"That's hideous," King said.

"You'll fit right in," Eda turned to Laura and gave a questionable look, "And where'd you get that?"

The girl, now wearing a small domino mask over her eyes, responded with a shrug to the Owl Lady's inquiry.

"Whatever," Eda rolled her eyes at the older girl's shenanigans, tapping her staff on the ground a couple times, "Don't fall off now!"

A platform appeared beneath their feet, slowly raising them off the ground and to the window. The platform suddenly disappeared, making Luz grab the window frame for dear life while King clung to her legs. Laura on the other hand, expertly jumped inside and dragged them in before they could fall. While Luz landed on her face (making King laugh), Eda floated in on her staff before stopping at the window.

"Remember, I don't want anything more than a hand! I don't need those Coven Guards going after you too!" She stared at Laura specifically as she continued floating upward.

"Uh what was that about?" Luz asked Laura nervously. The older girl ignored her and continued further into the tower. Luz and King followed as the dark, silent hallways grew more foreboding, nothing but concrete grey walls everywhere they looked. Luz couldn't help but feel claustrophobic with each step felt. The name of the place may have been on the nose, but the decorations really did feel like something meant to force people to conform.

They finally managed to escape that hallway, taking some moments to catch their breath before they took in the room: Rows and floors of cells, all circling each other around the center. Luz got closer to one of them and leaped back as a voice called from inside.

"Hey, cat girl! How did you get out of your cell?" the feminine voice said, her panic having put both Laura and King on alert as the prisoner got into the light. She was about Laura's height (more or less) with cute fangs and a purple dress, all with a face that could only be described as depressed.

"Oh! I'm not a cat girl," Luz pulled her hood down, showing her human ears, "I'm also not a criminal!"

Laura made a so-so hand gesture from behind Luz while King added, "Not yet you're not!"

"Neither are we!" The fanged girl pulled a book out, sticking one hand in her hair and showing it to Luz, "That stupid warden likes to jail people that don't fit his definition of normal! I'm only here because I like to write food fanfiction!" Indeed, the book was filled with doodles and sketches of FoodStuffs cuddling and kissing each other, decorated in cute hearts with paragraphs of lore behind it. Even Laura got closer to look at them, her interest peaked. "I like food! I like love!" the prisoner yelled, "Just let me write about it!"

Laura nodded in solidarity, something about that speech ringing a bell for her. Probably the stuff about loving food.

"I'm here for eating my own eyes!" another prisoner, a grey skinned fellow with five eyes, said as he effortlessly plucked one out of his head, eating it in one gulp. The hollow eye socket almost instantly filled by another.

"We are agents of fwee expwession! They will never siwence us!" a tiny, high-pitched voice said, belonging to an equally tiny demon that was practically a nose on stubby legs, a patch of red hair on their head.

"Yeah, she's a conspiracy theorist…"The fanged girl whispered.

"GIANT SPAWCE GWODS ARE CWOMING TO RWEAP US!" The tiny demon girl shouted.

Luz paced around the room, Laura standing in place with her arms crossed, but she could tell the older teen was thinking the same thing. "None of you belong here!" Luz declared as she ran up to a wall poster of Eda, ripping it off violently, "You're all just weird but none of you are hurting anyone! You're just like me!"

But her call to action was interrupted by the thumping of big, heavy boots headed their way. Laura instantly grabbed Luz and King before entering an open cell. Closing the door behind them, she tried to make them blend in, seeming like just more prisoners there as the heavy footsteps arrived alongside their owner. A hulking mass of grey muscles slammed his way into the room, dressed in dirty doctor robes and a plague mask. Luz's heart filled with dread as moved like a slasher villain.

"I can hear you," he growled in a low, rumbling voice as he stalked the cells, prisoners cringing from the bars in desperate hope of not drawing attention.

"What are you idiots whispering about?!" Wrath demanded before something else caught his eye: the poster of Eda that Luz ripped off the wall earlier. He took it into his hand, "Ah, the Owl Lady," before crumpling it into a ball, "One day she shall be mine!"

He continued before stopping in front of their cell, Laura doing her best to cover them behind her as she prepared to attack. Thankfully, the tiny nose demon called the warden's attention, "Fight against the oppwessor! We will wesist! We will conquer! We will never be afwaid of you, you old cweep!" That was enough for Wrath to take his attention off their cell towards the tiny nose demon's, opening the door and letting her walk out, "Hwooray! I'm fwee!"

Her elation was brief as Wrath grabbed her head; his whole hand big enough to encompass her entire body.

"Let this be a lesson for all of you! None of you belong in society if you can't fit in!" The Warden snarled before heading out of the room, his prisoner held tightly in his hand. Luz and Laura ran out of the cell as quickly as they could and stopped in front of the fanged girl's cell.

"C'mon! We'll get you guys out of here!" Luz ran over to the lever in the wall, flutily trying to push it down, "UGH! Damn these weak nerd arms!"

"Don't bother with us, we belong here…" The prisoner sat back down in resignation.

" No. "

The word was simple, but it came as a shock to Luz because of who said it. She'd met Laura about an hour ago and she definitely didn't seem like the talkative type. Heck, until now, she wasn't even sure if she could talk.

"Laura! You gotta help with…this…lever…" Luz kept trying to push the lever down before looking back at the older girl, gasping at what happened next.

SNIKT!

A pair of twin blades popped out of her knuckles, glistening in the low light with a characteristically metallic sheen. Laura walked up to the cells and, in one swift movement, cute down the bars just enough to let the prisoners out.

"That's so cool!" Luz said with stars in her eyes, her mind taking a moment to catch up with the sheer awesomeness before she realized something. Those claws looked kinda familiar. "Hey," she began to ask, "Are you related to Wolv-"

"No hay tiempo!" Laura interrupted before turning to the girl, "Escape!"

"Sure… oh, I'm Katya by the way!" The girl, Katya, introduced herself as she walked out of the gate towards the lever on the panel, "You know that after we take this down, all the Coven Guards are gonna come down on us, right?"

Laura nodded, turning to Luz and King, who had excited expressions, and said, "You. King. Eda. Go"

"But-"

"Go!"

"C'mon, you aren't gonna change her mind when she gets like this!" King dragged Luz out of the room to where the contraband items were. Eda was supposed to be waiting for them there.

Katya, looking worried, turned to Laura, "You sure you can handle them?"

Laura didn't respond, instead getting her claws ready as a stream of Coven Guards poured into the room, a wild expression on her face.

Luz and King continued running until they reached a towering door with the sign that said "Contraband" on top of it. They only had a few seconds to catch their breath before they heard a series of steps behind them. King jumped into Luz's arms, worried it might be a platoon of Coven Guards. Thankfully, the source of the steps revealed itself to be Eda, running in with a sly smile on her face.

As they both relaxed, Eda laughed, "You won't believe this, the tower is practically empty and the Warden's too busy torturing some small creature to care!" However, she stopped upon seeing Luz's downcast expression, "Hey, what's going on with you? And where's Laura?"

"Eda, I'm sorry but she…" Luz didn't know what to say, the words struggling to get out of her throat "She stayed behind to help free the prisoners"

Eda stayed quiet for a few seconds; the human girl afraid she was gonna blame. Instead, she gave a tired sigh, "I told that girl not to get too wild but she never listens!"

"She's not great at following orders," King added, "She doesn't even bring me snacks when I ask her!"

Luz was flabbergasted at their reaction, "You guys… aren't worried about her?"

Eda gave her a confident smile, "When you get to know her better, you'll realize she's come out of worse. Worst case scenario? We break her out of prison while we're here anyway!"

"C'mon! Let's go get my crown already!" King ran up to the door, fiddling with the doorknob to no effect.

"Aww he's so cute when he's hungry for power!" Eda said.

"All those people back there, they just wanted to be themselves…" Luz thought back on the prisoners she'd helped free, "Why does everyone think being a weirdo is bad…?"

With a clink, the doorknob breaks, letting King enter with a manic giggle as Eda and Luz followed. A gigantic pillar of light stood in the middle of the room. King ran into it, getting briefly shocked from the contact before stumbling back.

"C'mon before he hurts himself," Eda said as they both got closer to the barrier. She kneeled alongside King and helped him stand up before turning to Luz with a smile, "Alright human, time to hold your end of the bargain."

Luz nodded to the older witch and lifted a trembling hand to the barrier. Much to her surprise and relief, the barrier passed inoffensively over her. She quite literally walked directly through it, entering to find what could only be described as junk. Discarded pieces of clothes, toys or just generally things that wouldn't count as dangerous. And there, on top of the tower of trash, was the crown King was looking for… but Luz recognized it as something else.

"No way..."

A few moments later, Luz came out of the pillar with a frustrated expression and a Paper Crown that read "Burger Queen". King took it from her with a manic glee, putting it on.

"Yeah! I can feel the power coming back to me already!" King turned to one of the boxes of contraband outside the pillar that held a bunch of toys. Pointing at a bunny, he demanded, "You! Kneel before my power!"

"That crown doesn't give him any powers, does it?"

"Nah, but it makes him happy," Eda smiled as she wrapped an arm around Luz, "We don't have a lot in this world, so if that crown makes him happy, then it makes me happy. Besides we weirdos have to stay together."

Luz blushed and smiled at her assertion, "But what about Laura?"

"Ah don't worry about her, she'll appear out of the blue when you least expect it!"

On cue, a wall exploded and out came Laura crashing into them, knocking the entire group to the ground.

Heavy footsteps followed behind her, the visage of Warden Wrath entering through the hole as darkness covered his face. They couldn't see it, but from the way Laura landed and the fact that he made a pretty good Kool-Aid Man impression, Luz could guess he was living up to his name right now.

"You!" His hand twisted into a blade directly at Eda, "This is all your fault!"

"Geez, take a chill pill why don't you?" Eda helped Laura to her feet, "You okay there?"

Laura gave her a thumbs up and smiled, calming the witch down.

"I had this whole thing set up to ask you out and you ruined it!" Wrath slashed towards Eda's head. Instead of evading, Eda was decapitated, head landing in Luz's hands. The human screamed for a bit, but her terror turned to shock when the head began moving its eyes and mouth.

"That's why you've been looking for me?" Luz, currently weirded out, turned Eda's head around to stare directly towards the Warden, "I've heard of obsessive fans but you're taking the trophy here, buddy." Eda's body took her head from Luz and settled it on her neck, giving it a few cracks just to make sure it was put on correctly, "Honestly, just get yourself a hobby or something!"

"I have a family!"

"Really?"

Wrath tried to slash at her again, but Laura had already recovered to intercept the blade with her claws. Eda took the opportunity to launch a fireball from her hands, sending the Warden's back into the wall. Thinking quick, Luz grabbed Eda's staff and hit him once again, making a perfect hole right next to where he'd thrown Laura through.

"Oh yeah!" cheered Luz as the others came up, Eda giving her a pat on the back.

"Well done, human!" Eda laughed, King and Laura giving her a thumbs up. Any celebration was postponed, however, as explosions and racket from the cell rooms moved towards them, probably with a lot of guards on the way. Taking her staff, Eda grabbed them all and hovered in the air, "We should probably finish this back home."

"Man, I thought that would never end!" King threw himself on the couch, new plushie in his arms and a crown on his head, "But we claimed victory! My crown is back!"

"And you look adorable with it!" Luz picked up King and hugged him, the canine demon already resigned to his fate, "I'm surprised you needed my help to get to the crown if all you needed was a human. Laura was right there!"

"You might've missed it, but Laura has a pair of knives popping out of her knuckles," Eda entered the room.

"I mean yeah, but that just means she's a Mutant. They're humans with awesome powers, but still human!"

Laura thought her nails looked very interesting right now and decided to pointedly ignore the way Eda was semi-glaring at her.

"I'll deal with you later…" Eda got out her key and touched the eye on it, making the door to the Human Realm appear, "Our deal's done, girl! Time to go back home!"

"I… well I was thinking…" Luz put King down on the ground as she approached the door, "What if I stay here?"

Laura blinked, "What?"

"I mean, this is a world of magic and witches. I can finally do something I never could!" Luz excitedly closed the door and turned back to Eda, "Maybe I could be your apprentice!"

"No!" Laura groaned.

"Well, a few more hands around the house couldn't hurt..." Eda smiled and ruffled both girls' hair, "But you'll both have to share a room!"

" NOOOOOOO! " Laura screamed, running back upstairs as Eda laughed.

"Teenage angst, what can you do?"

It was a strange little family Luz had found herself in, but weirdoes had to stay together, after all.

Nights in the desert were always the worst. They were cold as shit and you needed to watch your step unless you wanted to accidentally contact a poisonous animal. Bob the Hydra Agent sighed and damned his luck, having just come back from being kidnapped by Deadpool for a third time. Now he was on guard duty in one of the WORST Facilities Hydra had to offer.

Well, it ain't that bad. A bit boring, but- Right at that thought, an alarm blared across the encampment. Dozens of green goons streamed out of the complex, disorganized and nervous with barely time to put on their boots.

This site was supposed to be a forgotten. Not even the higher ups cared about this place. Not after what happened when the previous director fucked up her last project. Whoever entered here either, no matter how or why, had to be the dumbest fucking idiots in the history of the worl-

BONK!

The sound of a metal disk hitting the guy beside Bob made him freeze in terror. He'd been around the block enough to know what made that exact sound.

And by extension, exactly who that thing belonged to…

"Holy shit! It's Captain America!"

There was no person in the world who couldn't recognize that man. The Sentinel of Liberty's shield bounced from head-to-head as it flew back to the man's arm.  They futility tried to get him, anyone close enough getting knocked out swiftly for their troubles, and those firing guns either got blocked by his mighty shield or bonked on the head until they decided to yield.

Honestly this was pretty bad luck for Bob, but as long as he stayed far away, the worst he'd get is a minor concussion from-

SNIKT!

"Oh, come on!"

From the darkness and without warning, the savage figure of Wolverine sliced through anyone dumb enough to think they could take him on a 1 on 1 fight. The sight of so many limbs on the ground would've made him vomit, but you kinda get used to it after hanging out with HYDRA.

"Oh man, we're getting our asses kicked" His flaky legs trembled as he tried to run. He thought about replanning his life choices when he bumped into the worst thing a goon for an evil organization could bump into…

A teenage girl.

She was blowing bubblegum, looking him up and down with the judgmental air only a teenager could muster towards an adult. No doubt her mind already formulated a variety of witty insults and comebacks.

"So…" The girl's yellow coat fluttered in the wind, a pink shirt and blue shorts combined with a pair of pink sunglasses to give her an air of youthful confidence, "You-"

"I surrender!"

"... what?"

He dropped his weapon, put the hands behind his head, and kneeled, "You're a teenage girl in an evil military base while Captain America and Wolverine are kicking our asses. You're obviously a sidekick. So-"

"Sidekick?!" A bunch of colorful miniature fireworks appeared from her hands, "I'm X-Men!"

"Yeah, I figured by your lack of red, white and blue," Bob gulped, "Look, just knock me out and we can all mov-"

He didn't manage to finish as plasma blasts hit his chest, sending him flying into the air before plummeting. Jubilee panicked, thinking she'd killed him, but his groan of pain told her he was okay... mostly.

Logan might be okay with it, but she'd like to keep her body count at 0 before she graduated at least.

The fighting began to calm down, gun blasts and explosions replaced by the increasingly panicked shouts of HYDRA agents trying to escape in their vehicles.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The explosive she set up on the hanger door would probably prevent that from happening though. Not like she felt bad about it, seeing as they joined an organization made by the Nazis.

"SHIELD will come in later to round up whoever's left," Captain America ( ohmygosh Captain America! ) approached her, looking a bit tired but none the worse for wear, "I trust your mission was successful, young lady?"

"Read them and weep, old man!" Jubilee got a beige manilla folder from the inside of her jacket, "They'd already deleted a bunch of stuff off the computers when I got there, but whoever's in charge liked to keep things on print. Pretty sloppy if you ask me."

"Probably a backup plan in case things didn't work out," Wolverine approached, hiding his claws away, "Go to AIM and sell them her research in case she needed to run and hide."

Captain America didn't say anything as he continued to read the file. She remembered when she'd snuck onto this mission, having heard that Logan was gonna meet Captain America. It made her curious enough to sneak into the back of the Jeep Wolverine... uh, "borrowed" from Professor Summers. They'd been halfway through the desert when they discovered her. With no real option, they let her stay, Logan even vouching for her against Captain America's apprehension.

"Logan, you need to read this," The Captain's tone sounded pretty grave. Taking the file from the Sentinel of Liberty, Logan's eyes scanned the document rapidly, getting angrier and angrier the more he read. When he was done, he threw the document back to Jubilee, popped his claws again, and entered the building she'd just come out of. She took a moment to read the document and understood his reaction on the first few lines.

Subject X-23

Genetic Material Donor: James Howlett aka Wolverine

That alone would've made him mad, but the subsequent descriptions of the experiments and tortures they subjected her to…

Adamantium Injection

Jubilee had been with Logan long enough to know he's extremely pissed off and worried for whatever this girl had gone through. Her only wish was that she'd escaped for somewhere safe…

"So… are you related to Wolverine?"

That got her a grunt and a pillow to the face, so Luz decided not to ask until later. They'd divided the small room in two. Laura's half was somehow covered in junk food bags and trash right after dividing.

It was a strange little family Luz found herself in, but weirdos had to stay together, after all. Yet at the same time, as Eda called to Laura to come back downstairs, she couldn't help but think of the older teen's claws. They were so similar to Wolverine's that there had to be a connection.

Eh, guess it doesn't really matter , Luz shrugged it off and decided on exploring the Owl House. Connection or not, she considered Laura a friend. Besides, even if there was one, what were the odds of it ever coming up anyway?

Chapter Text

Eda woke up in the middle of the night at a loud rumble, bags under her eyes as she tried to force them closed again, but...

"AAAAAAGH!!!"

That blood curdling scream snapped her fully awake as she looked around the room. It took a few minutes before she realized what, or who , was screaming. It was that girl she'd let sleep in her house and new employee.

Laura.

Eda would admit, she wasn't the best person on the Boiling Isles, what with her rap sheets ranging from robbery, to scamming, to selling without a permit, to public indecency, to loitering. However, seeing a scared girl run into her Portal Door in the middle of the night shocked her, more so when she sprouted knives from her hands.

Humans are weirder than I thought , Eda briefly mused, assuming this girl even was human. She'd never encountered a human like that before, so for all she knew, Laura was probably some sort of wild Earth animal that just so happened to look human. She didn't have long to think about that before someone slammed the door open, rushing in the room to shiver at her side.

"She's scary!" The small, whimpering voice of King said. He was getting used to saying complete phrases like any toddling witch. She supposed Beast Demons matured faster than witches, given that he was the size of a 6-year-old by now.

"I'll check it out, you stay here," Eda said as she stood up, hair frazzled and unkempt with faded red roots disappearing under a nest of gray. Her curse was certainly zapping away at everything it could, from her age to her magic. Thankfully, those potions Morton cooked up kept her mostly on the good side these days.

Walking down the hallway, Eda heard the screams coming from the room she'd let Laura use. She stood in front of the girl's room and put an ear to the door, a nervous dread rising from within. That dread only grew when a sudden pair of claws pierced through just a centimeter away from her nose. Too terrified to even move, she watched as the claws dragged down and pulled back into the room, more smashing and screaming following suit. Trying to stomach the fact that her face was almost shish-kebabbed, Eda took a deep breath, shook her head, steeled her nerves, and grabbed the doorknob.

I'm the Strongest Witch on the Boiling Isles. Nothing can get the best of me!

Laura opened her eyes, sunlight lulling her out of sleep. She sat up on the futon and yawned, recollecting last night's dream. It'd been an old memory again, but thankfully, it was one of the good ones this time, and she let out a small smile. That was something she never thought she'd get to have: Good memories.

It was, ironically, a good thing Eda was cursed, otherwise what'd happened would've been way worse for both of them. Thankfully, her caretaker had found a use for that sliced neck...

"Hello, terrifying magical world!"

"Hello!"

Pleasant memory over , Laura groaned and turned towards the source of her annoyance: Luz Noceda, the newest tenant of the Owl House, who was currently waving out the window at a large creature that sank back into the Boiling Sea.

"Cállese y déjeme dormir," Laura grimaced, feeling sour as she fell back on her futon, pulling the covers over her eyes-

"AHA! I was right! You do speak Spanish!" Luz exclaimed, causing Laura to throw the covers off and level a glare at the new girl. Luz sweat a bit and backed up a little in fear. Part of Laura felt bad, but she was too angry to give it any focus. Why couldn't this girl just let her sleep!?

"Do you... ah sorry, Tu no hablas inglés?" Luz asked.

Laura, deciding that she couldn't go back to sleep now, got off the futon and answered, "Poquito. Only what's necessary."

Which mostly included how to recognize instructions and addresses, or anything that made it easy to point her in a direction and let her lose on a target. As well as whatever made it easy to call back or retrieve her when a blood-soaked task was done. But Luz didn't need to know that.

Hopefully, she'd never have to.

"Oh! Want me to teach you?" Luz pulled out her phone and showed off a few English tutorial videos, "As a way for us witches to bond and-"

"You are not a witch!" Laura let her frustrations out, not missing the hurt look on Luz's face after the outburst. Guilt welling up, she looked away and mumbled, "Perdón."

"No, no, you're right. I'm not a witch..." Luz immediately perked up, "Yet! That's why we're Eda's apprentices!"

More like unpaid interns , Laura wanted to say, but after her outburst, she didn't want to risk souring Luz's mood any more than necessary. Besides, knowing what Eda's "training" was like, the new girl would find that out soon enough.

She gave her thirty minutes, tops.

A few minutes later, Laura was downstairs, enjoying the comedic scene before her. Luz, dressed in what Laura told her was "witchy attire", hung off Eda's leg, begging to learn magic. The older woman looking pretty tired, having only just gotten her first cup of apple blood for the day.

Perhaps I should've soured her mood just a little bit , Laura thought, It is kinda funny though.

"C'mon, teach me some spells! When do I get a magic staff?" Luz suddenly gasped as she got closer to Eda's face, "Do I get to go on a dangerous magical quest?"

"Who-whoa, whoa, slow down there, kid! Being a witch doesn't happen overnight," Eda gave a smug smirk as she set Luz down, "Plus you're wearing my old bathrobe and a traffic cone I found in the trash the other day."

Upon learning that little detail, Luz took a good look at what she was wearing, dusting off the "witch hat" to reveal what it really was. She turning to Laura with a look of pure, utter, overdramatic betrayal.

"Crei que era fashion," Laura shrugged as she and King ate breakfast at the dining room table, the little demon laughing at her side.

"You look ridiculous!"

Luz pouted before Eda continued, "But if you want a magic staff then-"

"More than anything!" Luz pleaded, Eda smiling and reaching out for her staff, but nothing came to it... at first.

It took a few minutes before the sound of glass breaking came from the hallway. More sounds of destruction followed before Eda's staff came out from the corner, making a 90 degree turn and colliding with Eda's face, knocking her to the floor. Growling, Eda picked herself and her staff up with a spin, muttering something about it being early.

Owlbert must be asleep, the little cutie , Laura thought, unable to help her smile. Despite herself, she always cooed over how adorable the little owl was, even when she first arrived. Eda's Palismen was just too precious to resist.

"Most magic schools give their students a staff when they do well, but I'll be taking a different approach!" Eda twirled the staff with one hand and pulled out a bag from behind her, "You'll be working for it!" She let the bag fall into Luz's hands. The new girl opened it up to see the variety of potions carried within. Eda explained, "You'll be shadowing Laura while she delivers my merchandise."

"Nope!" Laura immediately said, Luz and Eda turning to the goth teen as she calmly put on her leather jacket, preparing to go out.

"Excuse you? Young lady, we had a deal! You deliver my potions, and I let you stay under my roof!" Eda crossed her arms as Luz and King scurried off to the background, eyes wide open to see where this was going. In response, Laura kept quiet (as usual) and pulled out a slip of paper, giving it to Eda.

"Your Eda Bucks?! You never use these!" Eda exclaimed as she took the five bucks that'd been marked with her face, remembering when she first came up with this whole thing back when Laura started living here.

She invented the "Eda Bucks" system on the off chance the girl ever wanted to go out and do something by herself. It pretty much served as an "allowance" for all the work she did. Even then, Laura never used them, preferring to stay in her room and listen to gloomy music all day. Five jobs for Eda meant one whole day for Laura. It seemed like a good deal since she never actually used them, but lo and behold, now she did!

Laura continued to glare at the older witch impassively, waiting for her to cave in. Eda, despite herself, groaned in surrender. She really didn't want to press the issue.

It most certainly wasn't because the smallest part of her wanted Laura to go have fun and enjoy herself instead of moping like she usually did. But she kept that entirely to herself. She wouldn't let Luz or King get any ideas that'd make them squeal or laugh at her respectively.

"Alright, fine! Go off into the woods and chase squirrels or dance in night clubs or whatever you teens are doing these days," Eda took the coupon and turned to Luz and King, "Guess you'll have to do it on your own kid."

"Couldn't I go with La-" Luz turned, pausing when she saw the girl in question run out the door and dive into the bushes, "... woah..."

"Yeah, Eda wasn't exaggerating with that "Chasing Squirrels" comment," King added.

Laura's time in Earth's wilderness had been difficult, most days needing to hunt her own food or steal from distracted campers during her travels. After moving permanently to the Boiling Isles, she hadn't seen much of a need to maintain her old habits, but that didn't mean she totally stopped.

Whenever Eda wasn't looking, she'd sneak out into the wilds and spent some time alone, setting a loop of angsty metal in her room to evade questioning. The animals and plants here were nothing like those on Earth, much stranger with so many shapes and forms she hadn't ever considered. Those multilegged spider horses were so freaky, yet so amazing.

Animals were the same in all worlds, you just need to learn their rules and they'd come to you on their own.

And as she ran through the forest, feeling the air rush through her hair with wild abandon, filling her lungs until they were ready to burst from exhaustion, Laura couldn't help but smile. Before, freedom was such a foreign concept, her strings tied up in knots beyond her own understanding. And yet, here she was...

Free.

Laura slowed down as she got near a cliff and looked out to the isles. She saw the red vegetation shine with the morning dew, reflecting the sun's rays. Drinking it all in with a satisfied sigh, she leapt off the cliff and dove downward. As the forest below began to near, she slowed her descent with her claws, impaling them on the side of the cliff. Still a few meters over the trees, she huffed and jumped off, impacting down on the ground.

She heard a crunch from her legs, a stabbing pain that made her wince. Thankfully, the pain disappeared as her bones realigned, healing themselves. Adamantium may have made the fall a lot easier but…

Only in the claws , Laura remembered as she continued walking. She couldn't stay all day in the forest, fun as it would be, and she had a reason to be out here other than enjoying herself after all.

Keeping herself hidden, she walked closer and closer to the familiar smell of the beasts she'd seen the other day. Eventually, she came to a clearing where a group of kids were taking out their stuff from inside the stable before walking back to a big stone castle not too far away. Laura could even see it over the top of the trees.

She'd been out the other day and saw a bunch of kids in uniforms guiding monsters back here. Maybe they were students at a local school or something? Either way, it gave her the opportunity to get closer to some animals that wouldn't run away from her (or try to eat her). Hopefully, this wouldn't end with any stabbing.

Laura watched as students and teachers went around the building and closed the doors behind them. As they went on their way, she kept herself low, being sneaky and making her way to the stable door. She pulled at it a few times, but to no avail, the locks holding strong. Not a problem, really , Laura smirked and got ready to unsheathe her claws-

"Hey!" Called a voice from behind, making her jump and turn around, claws popped out and ready to

It was a girl, looking around her age with arms crossed. She had brown hair in a cute pigtail and was wearing the same uniform as the other kids, though hers had blue sleeves and leggings. A pair of sacks were at her side that she probably laid on the floor, but Laura found herself focusing on the girl's dark green eyes.

Wow ... Laura felt her face heat up, So... pretty...

"What're you doing here?" The girl said as she got closer, not the least bit fazed by Laura's claws.

It's okay Laura , Her heart felt like it was gonna burst. You have years of training in assassination. You can handle this. Just play dumb!

"I go to school here."

Not that dumb! Ugh! Laura felt like punching herself. Those eyes were so beautiful she couldn't even think straight.

"Really?" She looked at her with suspicion, "I've never seen you here before."

"I'm new! Or, well…" Laura thought fast about her words and chose them carefully, "Voy a… I am new... here… en las Isles…"

She stared at her for a few seconds, the air between them thick with doubts and tension before shrugging her shoulders with a smile. Putting her hand up for a greeting, she said, "Sounds good to me. Name's Viney."

Laura, retracting her claws, took it and shook. She made sure to feel the skin on her palms as they touched. Viney's hands were rugged and terse, but... they felt nice. Really, really nice.

"Laura," She said, "I am Laura."

"Well Laura, want to help me feed the Beasts?" Viney said as she lifted up the sacks she'd put down.

Laura nodded, eager to follow behind her as Viney opened the doors, all while her blush refused to leave.

Laura had never been in a petting zoo or farm before, but she assumed it was similar to what she was seeing now. Albeit without the multiple legs, mandibles, weird sounds, fluids, and solids coming from the animals.

Or maybe it was, she wouldn't know.

"And this here's Larry!" Viney said as she approached a creature with a rat's head and worm's body, "Some students from other tracks like to take these ratworms on joyrides and races around town, but they like the competition." She patted his head, which he nuzzled into, "Just gotta make sure they eat plenty and get enough rest."

"Tracks?" Laura asked as she took some of the animal feed. It felt kinda fuzzy in her hand.

"Oh yeah, you're new, right?"

Laura nodded, keeping her lie going for a bit longer. Shouldn't be too hard. She'd lived with the self-proclaimed Queen of Lies long enough to pick up a few tricks.

"Well, at Hexside, we have different classes depending on what magic you want to specialize in," Viney put some fuzzy mulch in another feeder, "I'm in the Healing Track!"

"Is that good?"

"I think it's pretty cool! They teach you all about the body and how to use magic to heal it, though…" Viney's eyes shifted from one side to another, nervously chewing her lip, "I'm working on a project for a new way of Healing!" She smiled, "You wanna see?"

Laura stayed quiet as she looked at the other girls' eyes, those dark green eyes just drawing her in. She blushed, managing a nod upon noticing she'd been staring too long. Viney, still smiling, took her hand, and walked her to the back of the stables. Laura closed her hand with Viney's, enjoying the contact between them.

"I've been training her to be a sort of… Healing Assistant! She'd stay with anxious patients and make them calm while I apply the healing spell." Viney took them to a stable at the end of the shack. From there, Laura could hear a… a dove? No, it sounded too big and too heavy to be a dove.

Upon arriving, Laura saw the source of the noise: The upper body of Pigeon, the lower half of a lion, the wings of a dove, and eyes that were wide and wet like a young cat.

It was adorable .

It was also tackling Viney to the ground and licking her face all over, making the girl laugh.

Even more adorable.

"Puddles, come on, I want you to meet someone!" Viney pushed the beak off and turned the beast towards her, "This is Laura, Laura this is Puddles, my griffin!"

The griffin faced Laura, approaching carefully while she stayed quiet and still. She was being tested, to see if she was a threat. The griffin neared her hands, smelling her fingers with abject curiosity before turning towards her face. The two stared at each other for a bit before Puddles licked her nose with an approving sound.

"Aww! She likes you!"

That much was obvious as Puddles began to very happily lick her face. Laura couldn't help the smile that came to her face. She scratched the top of the griffin's head, earning more sloppy kisses in return. Puddles was clearly a domesticated animal but that didn't stop Laura from giving it the respect (and the scratches) she deserved.

"She's always been very friendly, though this is the first time she's let anyone but me scratch her," Viney joined in scratching Puddles' head. With both of them combined, the griffin was in Scratch Heaven.

"I'm very good with animals," Laura said, "I usually stay still until they approach me."

"Oh! Are you thinking of joining the Beast track? They deal a lot with Beasts like this little cutie."

Laura hummed, "I… don't know. Never gone to school before. Don't know anyone."

"Well, uh…" Viney had a small smile as she continued to scratch her griffin, "If you wanna join the Healing Track, I'd be really glad to show you around!"

Laura blushed again, a smile on her face. She was about to respond, but...

THOOM!

A tremor. One that terrified the beasts.

THOOM!

They ran and howled at the cause, whatever it was.

THOOM!

It was getting closer. Even Puddles looked nervous, Viney holding her arms around the griffin in a mix of confusion and fear.

THOOM!

Laura immediately got into a defensive position, covering for both Viney and Puddles. Giant Monsters were a common sight on the isles, but one being so close to a populated area left her concerned…especially when the roof began to shake before something lifted it.

And she caught a glimpse on what that something was. Above them stood a giant machine with plating in varying shades of purple, a yellow triangular core at its chest that matched equally yellow eyes. A cold chill running up her spine at the sight.

A Sentinel!

SNIKT!

Claws popped and stance ready, Laura thought back at what the Facility had installed in her brain about the Sentinels. Far from mindless killing machines, the Sentinels were made explicitly to hunt down and destroy Mutants like her. Their high-tech algorithms and variety of weapons could both predict and adapt to almost any power.

According to what she'd learned, they were supposed to have been wiped out during the Genosha incident. Those that weren't had been decommissioned.

Why is it here? How is it here? Are there any other Sentinels still active? Those questions and many more danced in her mind as she stood her ground, ready to defend Viney with her life. She'd make sure that at least one of them got liv-

"Hey Bob!" Viney said without a hint of fear, waving happily at the Sentinel.

... what?

"Viney, you are late for your classes. Your help with the Beasts is appreciated, but do not let your grades in the Healing Coven slip. " The Sentinel, Bob , told her, sounding less like a killing machine and more like a stern older brother.

What?

"Alright, I'll get to it," Viney stood up and shook some hay off her uniform. She gave a pet to Puddles before taking Laura's hands on her own, "I can't wait for when you come to Hexside!"

Laura nodded dumbly, her cheeks a rosy pink as Viney hugged her and exited the barn. She was now alone, with the exception of the animals... and the Sentinel .

She stared at it, glaring with claws at the ready. The Sentinel stayed equally silent, staring back in kind, but then...

"I know what you are, mutant. And I do not wish to harm you."

After that, it... he... they? The Sentinel put the roof down, ground trembling again before walking back to Hexside. Laura was left alone, so thoroughly confused that she could only mutter one thing.

"Que Chingados?"

Chapter Text

The old mahogany desk creaked under the weight of a man, a pair of ruby colored glasses on his face as he stared at the two angry teenagers in his office. Ever since becoming the headmaster for the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, Scott Summers wondered how the late Professor Charles Francis Xavier kept up with and mediated all the drama and fights a group of teenagers could get into. Granted, there were just 5 of them back then instead of the 100 or so they have now, but Scott knew for a fact that they never made it easy on the man. It was either the telepathy or that classy wine he'd found under the cabinets that helped the professor cope.

He certainly felt the faint traces of a migraine as he stared at the two teens.

One was a boy with dyed pink hair, broken orange sunglasses, jeans, converse sneakers, and a shirt with decal of the late Erik Magnus Lensherr's famed helm, the words "Magneto Was Right" stylized with lightning on the front (which concerned Scott for many reasons every time he saw it). He was currently covered in smoke, ash, and bruises, leveling a glare at the other student in the room.

Said student was a girl with red hair that was cut short, wearing a pair of jeans ripped at the knees, biker boots, and an open red leather jacket, revealing a black shirt with a fire bird design that was cropped to expose her stomach. She was a little banged up, but otherwise had very few signs of injury, especially as she defiantly glared back at the boy.

"I just told the truth! This third-rate psychic couldn't handle it."

"I'll show you what I can handle!"

Yep. It was definitely the alcohol , Scott grumbled internally, not letting his headache show. No small feat considering the three Omega-Level telepaths in the room.

" Children . I advise you to stop fighting in front of your teachers," His wife, Jean Grey, sternly said, stopping the ensuing argument.

"But mom! " Rachel was about to complain, but Jean's stare stopped whatever she was gonna say dead in its tracks, causing their daughter to look at the floor in shame. This drew a smug smile from the boy, Quentin Quire, but that was quickly erased when he realized Scott was staring at him, very unamused.

Rachel Summers-Grey was every bit like her parents, in all the good and bad ways. Which clashed horribly with someone like Quentin Quire, someone who's been sent to this office more than once for his very strongly worded and expressed... beliefs , about humans and mutants.

"Let's go over what happened in Professor McCoy's lecture, shall we?" Scott nodded towards Jean, who put a hand to her temple.

"There are no lies in this place, children. Now show us what happened."

The three psychics all stood in silence as their eyes began to shine.

"Now children, as you all know, Earth is home to varied and diverse group of humanoid species," Professor Henry "Hank" McCoy, aka Beast, said as his blue furred hand wrote on the black board, "While not always naturally occurring, these individuals are as much of a part of this planet as we are."

He wrote a series of names and continued, "Firstly, there is Homo Sapiens, or as many of us know them, humans. Human beings are the most common, not presenting any special ability normally, but their bodies can be affected by the likes of Gamma Radiation, Primal Kirbons, or Mystical artifacts, allowing them to develop superhuman abilities."

A trio of blonde girls in the back on the class made notes, oddly synchronized between each other.

"Next, we have Inhomo Sapiens, or Inhumans, as they call themselves. They are an offshoot of humanity, brought about after a large population of primitive neanderthals were experimented on by the Kree Empire. Their abilities often present themselves after being exposed to a substance known as Terrigen Mist."

A Japanese girl with black hair nervously took notes from where she sat in the back, even as her white haired friend tried to show her something on her phone.

"Homo Immortalis are who we know as The Eternals. They're not technically a species, per say, but rather a planetary defense system left behind by extraterrestrial beings known as the Celestials. However, they have shown the ability to reproduce with humanoids here on Earth. We'll talk about the Celestials next class."

A boy with golden skin was barely staying awake as he took very scattered notes of what the teacher was saying.

"And of course, there's us, Homo Mutandis-"

"Wrong!"

The graying voice resounded through the classroom as all eyes turned over to the culprit: Quentin Quire, who had what could only be described as a shit eating grin on his face. He reclined in his seat, feet on his desk and hands behind his head, letting everyone see the shirt beneath his jacket with the words "Magneto Was Right".

"I assume you disagree with something, Mister Quire?" Hank asked the teen, which made Quentin somehow grin even wider.

"It's Homo Superior, teach. Everyone knows it!" Quentin said with a shout, making the other students look at him in annoyance as he continued, "Sadly, it seems that everyone is all too desperate to erase it, especially the very worthless imbeciles who codified it to begin with."

"Oh my God, not this again..." The Japanese girl in the back muttered as her friend began filming with anticipation.

"Ah yes, Homo Superior, aka, The Superior Man," Hank McCoy said, adjusting his glasses, "While in the past, such binomial nomenclature was used to describe Mutants, it has never been an accepted Scientific term at any point in history. Its most prominent use was as propaganda. Both by those in upper political spheres who were fearful of us, and later by Magneto, who-"

"Oh please, we all know Magneto saw the truth of the world," Quentin said, interrupting Professor McCoy once again while ignoring everyone's glares, "After all, how many years did they spend wanting us dead simply because we were born superior to them? Humanity knew we were their betters and just couldn't stand that evolution declared them insignificant in the grande scheme of things. If you ask me, they should've done the world a favor and died off when-"

"Can you just shut the fuck up, asshole!?"

Hank felt the sweat beneath fur as he saw Rachel stand up, literal fire in her eyes. Not wanting another escalation, he tried to take back control of the situation.

"Now children, let's not resort to violence-"

"Don't like it? Then come and make me shut up, you third-rate psychic!"

He failed.

"Every time," Hank sighed and hit a button beneath his desk, alerting the other teachers and students to take precaution. Two of the most powerful mutants in school were about to fight... again .

For the third time this month.

They stood in silence as Scott took in what they'd learned. After a few moments of contemplating potential punishments, he closed his eyes behind his ruby quartz glasses and sighed, "Quentin? Detention for two weeks. Rachel? You're grounded for a month."

"Wh-What? Why does she not get detention?! She did far more damage to the classroom!" Quentin demanded. Scott didn't even need his wife and daughter's telepathy to know he was about to start throwing accusations of nepotism and favoritism. So, he gave the answer that'd shut his complaints down.

"Be honest, Mister Quire. Do you really want to spend two hours every single day in a small classroom alone with her for two weeks?"

Just to make a point, Rachel manifested a large ball of psionic flames in her hand. She glared at the boy with a sinister grin, as if daring him to give her a reason. Her unspoken threat seemed to silence him, as Quentin huffed and walked out of the office, grumbling something that sounded like "Lucky firebird brat", and leaving only the parents and their daughter. The corners of Rachel's mouth raised in a nervous smile, her eyes struggling to focus on anything but their unamused gazes.

"So… uh… a-am I-"

"You're actually grounded, young lady. Don't even try," Jean said, not needing telepathy to guess what her daughter was thinking. Scott didn't need it either, his and Jean's child practically being an open book to them.

"But he was a racist asshole!" Rachel retorted, wisps of fire dancing in her hair.

"I know, but you still didn't have to set fire to the whole classroom," Scott replied, standing up and walking up next to her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "C'mon, we'll walk you to your next class."

"I can walk on my own, dad…" Rachel grumbled, standing up for the door, "Thanks though, for offering, I mean…"

She closed the door, the two parents smiling lightly at where she left. All too similar to their old antics when they first arrived at the Institute. Turning to Scott, Jean, who never lost her smile, said, "She gets that from you, y'know?"

"I think that temper's more yours than mine," Scott playfully fired back, "That and the cosmic fire."

"Last thing I expected when I gave birth," Jean's smile left, pursing her lips as she reminisced. Scott recalled that day as well. Frankly, none of the X-Men expected the Phoenix Force to transfer from Jean to Rachel upon birth. Thankfully, him and Jean were prepared to handle raising a child with such power, having expected their kids to inherit a lot from them. But preparations or not, being parents to a teenage girl with one hell of a short fuse and unfathomable cosmic power at her disposal was still a massive headache, X-Men or not.

Speaking of...

"We should probably think about putting Rachel and Quentin in different classes," Scott said, not sure if the school would be able to survive any fights between the two if they got the chance to escalate.

"We put them in the same class to prevent Quentin's passive abilities from affecting his classmates, remember?" Jean replied, Scott nodding as he remembered Quentin's arrival. Ever the egotistical intellectual, the boy desired to be the center of attention. With so much power and so little desire to hone it, he wound up accidentally brainwashing several of his classmates on his first day. Thankfully, it didn't go unnoticed and was ceased rather quickly, with the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress opting to have their daughter on Quentin's schedule, putting her on unofficial "Quire Duty", as she so snarkily preferred to call it. Her own abilities acted as a buffer, keeping Quentin's suppressed until he learned how to better control them.

... when he wanted to learn how to better control them, anyway. He seemed a bit too content with using them for petty, childish acts of rebellion for his own good. Combine his penchant for riling people up with Rachel's temperament...

"We'll have to think of something," Scott said, looking at the old grandfather clock, "Heard anything from Logan?"

Jean shook her head, "Nothing from the usual channels. You think something happened?"

"With him? Always ," Scott said as he walked towards the door, "I'll check around the school, just to make sure no one else almost blows the place up."

At his joke, Jean chuckled a bit. "Alright," She approached and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Take care, hon."

Scott smiled and began his walk through the halls, the school having changed a lot since the Professor's days. The mansion wasn't originally made to house this many students, so they took advantage from the last time it got destroyed (a fight with Juggernaut, who acted like a pretty good demolition ball) and remodeled to make space. Now there were multiple buildings serving as dormitories for different students, ranging from male to female to non-binary. Said dormitories were both near and surrounding the main building, which acted as the school itself where those among the X-Men who were most qualified would teach.

Passing through the various classrooms in the manor, Scott stopped by and gave his hellos to both student and teacher alike. Some were staffed by human teachers, who either volunteered for Xavier's in the wake of the Genosha Incident or were already on good terms with the X-Men beforehand, both to teach and to help further shrink the gap that divided mutants and humans.

The others, however, were filled out by his fellow X-Men.

Home Economics was being taught by Bobby Drake. Scott couldn't help shaking his head as he watched Iceman freeze over flaming cookie batter. The downside to students being given free rein to use their powers in the kitchen for the sake of learning control? A lot of fires. Didn't even matter if your powers involved fire or not.

With Logan currently absent, Combat and Survival class was being taught by Kurt, who gave the teenagers a crash course in sword fighting, as well as methods for using their powers in tandem with bladework. At least one student asked Scott to join them for a swordfight, but he politely declined, still needing to finish his runabout the place. It disappointed them (even Nightcrawler played along with it), but he promised that next time, he'd definitely join in.

Then came Theatre class in the school auditorium, where Ororo Munroe was currently giving lessons in the art of acting and drama.

"Excellent, Miss Igarashi! Such fire! Such passion! Now, channel it. Lay your horror out for all to witness!"

Emphasis on drama .

Scott was hesitant when she'd offered to cover it for the month, but Storm looked like she was having fun. Even the other students were really getting into her production of Macbeth , especially a white-haired Japanese girl in the role of Macbeth himself, Mei Igarashi, as he recalled, who seemed most ecstatic to be there. Though based on the lightning bolt earrings, lightning bolt pendant on her lanyard, and the way she beamed whenever Storm praised her performance, it seemed she was more ecstatic about who was teaching rather than the lessons being taught. Still, she took to said lessons like a fish to water.

Or in this case, like lightning to a storm.

"Louder, Hisako!" Ororo directed another of the newer students, "Let the world hear you war cry! Let them hear your soul! "

Hisako, however, was so red that she looked ready to pass out from stage fright.

Clearing his throat and letting out a cough, he entered, Ororo pausing her class as he approached. "Alright students, let's put a rest to our session for today," She said before turning to Hisako, who was already sighing in relief, "But I do expect to hear from you again, little one."

Scott watched as all hope left the poor girl's eye. Thankfully, her mood seemed to brighten just a bit as she joined Mei, the two friends leaving in front of the rest of the class.

"You're gonna give her a heart attack," Scott watched as the class exited, leaving only him and Storm.

"I'm just helping them reach their full potential," Ororo gave him a sly smile.

"Has Logan called you for anything?" He asked, knowing that if Logan did call the manor, he'd usually call Ororo first. Based on how her smile disappeared for a moment, the answer was a definite no.

"I'm afraid we both know Logan isn't exactly the kind of man to call often," She said with soft eyes.

"Don't I know it…" Scott sighed, running a hand through his hair, "You'd think he'd at least sent a letter or something."

"If all runs well, I imagine he and Captain America have already defeated an entire base of HYDRA agents and are on their way to a bar right now."

"Jubilee snuck along with them."

"I'm sure they can find one with an arcade."

They both laughed, imagining Logan trying to play the worn-down babysitter while Cap just sat sternly in the background.

"Just call me if anything happens."

"Of course. You have a good day, Scott."

He nodded and continued his walk around the school, seeing students and teachers go about their day. Sometimes, he wondered if this was how the Professor imagined his dream: Humans and Mutants together under one roof. And while they'd only taken in human teachers so far, Scott had been talking with the others about accepting human students as well. So far, none were opposed to the idea, mostly worried about the safety of students during attacks by either supervillains or anti-mutant groups.

Things may have advanced a lot, but they weren't perfect, after all.

Suddenly, Scott's phone began vibrating, a catchy jingle playing as he pulled it out. He checked and saw that the call was from a public phone. Accepting the call, he brought it up to his ear, already having a good idea on who it was.

"Logan."

"Slim."

"Take it everything went well with kicking HYDRA's ass?"

" Heh, yeah. Let's just say HYDRA better hope they have insurance. " Logan grunted, Scott practically hearing his smirk. However, his tone became unnervingly troubled, " Unfortunately, HYDRA hunting's gonna be extended for a while longer. "

"Why? Something happen?"

"... they cloned me, Scott."

"... What!?"