Chapter Text
Chapter One
"So, why am I here again?" I asked my escort, and she gave me a 'you idiot' look. I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, shoving my hands into my jacket's pockets. Staring at my feet, I felt her gaze lift, and I looked up to her rolling her eyes. Ringing the doorbell again, she blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face.
“You’re a mutant, so you come here. It’s plain and simple.” Mystique said, and it sounded rehearsed. “Next time, he’s getting his own students.” She growled under her her breath, but it was louder than it should have been. I was used to this, though, so I didn’t think much of it. She was turned away from me, so I couldn’t see her expression. I shrugged her comment off, and labeled it as none of my business. After about an eternity, a brunette man opened the door. He was tall, and had pretty, blue eyes adorned with glasses. Hey, maybe the few minutes it would take for them to conclude I’m not a mutant won’t be entirely wasted.
“Who’s this?” The man asked, curious. “Another wannabe mutant kid, I bet.” He murmured, a bit annoyed, with the same odd loudness Mystique had with her comment. What were these mutants so salty about.
“This is Crystal Manner. She the newest… student.” Mystique looked annoyed, not seeming to want to be doing this. The man looked me over. I was short, had little muscle mass, and had nothing really that set me apart from everyone else. Well, my basic genetics were a bit unique, bronze hair and green eyes. The guy looked a bit disappointed. ‘Me too, fella.’ I thought to myself, bitterly.
“Well, you’d best come in then.” He opened the door wider, bowed, and dramatically waved me in. I smiled, and raised an eyebrow, opening my mouth to comment. I was stopped before I could say anything, as I was unceremoniously shoved into a foyer. It was huge, with many doors, hallways, and two tall stair cases. It had some seating, and a man was sitting in a wheelchair beside one of the many tables near the door. He was analyzing a folder on his lap. His long hair was framing his face, and he seemed not notice us. Mystique cleared her throat, and he looked up. When he saw us, he beamed and I felt my face grow red. The man was breathtaking. His brown locks were wavy, and his eyes seemed to be made out of the sky itself.
‘Crystal, snap out of it’ I scolded myself, ‘This man is a mind reader’ He is the Charles Xavier I have heard and seen much about. I’ve looked him up ever since everyone heard his voice in our minds. ‘Damn, he is fine… STOP. Gah, I need professional help.’ Putting the file down on the table, he drove his chair over to us. He stopped in front of me, and I forced myself to keep my mind blank.
“So, you must be Miss Crystal then?” He asked. I nodded, and he held out his hand with a smile. “I’m Professor Charles Xavier. I’ve heard you have, abilities.” I sighed at this, sad I had to disappoint him, but I still need to tell the truth.
“It’s been lovely to meet you, but I’m sorry, I don’t have any abilities.” I confessed as I shook his hand. He frowned at this, and looked at Mystique for answers. She shrugged.
“Her parents swear up and down that she is a mutant, Charles.” She explained. The man with glasses from before stood beside her, his brows furrowed in confusion. Professor Xavier stared at me in either puzzlement or concentration.
“This is curious…” He analyzed my face, then gave me an what was meant to be an encouraging smile. “Well, tell us what your parents say you can do.” I shifted my weight from my right leg, to my left, and back to my right again. I buried my hands even deeper in my leather jacket’s pockets, and gave a shrug of nonchalance.
“It’s not original.” Against my wishes, my embarrassment grew. “They say I can read minds.” The Professor looked a bit surprised, Mystique took a quick breath, and the man raised his eyebrows.
“And why do they think this?” Professor Xavier inquired calmly, and my face grew redder as his gaze intensified. I took my hands out of my pockets and started fiddling with my ring. Damn my awkwardness.
“I just… listen when people think I’m not.” I looked just right of The Professor, unable to look him in his beautiful eyes. “That man over there guessed I was here to try and make you think I was a mutant when I came in.” I told him truthfully. The man and Mystique looked surprised, and I shrugged again. Professor Xavier looked slightly amused at their reactions, then gave me a queer look. When the other two were still staring at me, I rolled my eyes a bit.
“I don’t know how you wouldn’t realise I could hear you, you said it pretty loud.” I turned to Mystique. “Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t hear him too, you were closer to him than I was.” The two of them looked at me like I had two heads, and the Professor raised an eyebrow, murmuring something to himself that I couldn’t make out. Then I felt a strange sort of buzz at the back of my mind. I looked around for the source, but there was only one person who I knew could possibly do something like this. When I looked at him, Xavier was intently at me, with two fingers pressed against his temple. He noticed me frowning at him, and he smiled, his hand dropping.
‘Can you hear me?’ He asked, and I held back a scoff.
“Of course I can hear you, you’re talking.” Hold back the sass, Crystal, I mentally scolded myself as the Professor gave me a look I couldn’t read. The others looked extremely confused. After some quiet muttering between the two of them, Mystique asked a strange question.
“Charles are you… projecting?” I cocked my head as he shook his. With this answer, the two went back to their discussion. I started to look over to them, curious about what they were talking about, but his voice caught my attention again.
‘Crystal, how often do you, hear things.?’ I rubbed my neck, bitting my lip.
“Every so once in a while. It started up after I saw you guys on TV and heard you in my mind…”
‘She most likely only started to notice it when she knew of our abilities…’ I frowned, opening my mouth, but the Professor continued. ‘Crystal, answer me honestly. Do you think I’m speaking out loud?’ This confused me. Of course he was talking out loud, how could I be hearing him if he wasn’t.
“I know you’re speaking out loud, sir, I can hear you.” He smiled gently, almost patronizingly.
‘Then why aren’t my lips moving?’ I felt the blood rush from my face. I had failed to notice the fact his mouth hadn’t moved during any part of our conversation. I felt like I had millions of questions, but my mind drew a blank. Finally, I settled on one that was bugging me intently.
“W-what did she mean by, p-projecting?” I stammered, suddenly dizzy. Not noticing my sudden vertigo, his eyes lit up with humor.
“That’s just what Raven calls one of my abilities, being able to speak through thought to another person, without them needing to be telepathic. I wasn’t, ‘projecting’. That means that all of my thoughts that you heard during our conversation, weren’t sent by me, you read them yourself.” That did not help, in fact it made it worse. I started to shake as my idea of reality crashed around me. I had no idea who I really was anymore.
“B-but, I, I c-can’t be…” A cold sweat broke out on my skin, and my legs began to shake. Mystique put her hands on my shoulders, and tried to steady me. With a bout of nausea, my legs gave out under me, and I fell to my knees. I was in shock. I had experience with mild shock, and knew the symptoms well. All I could think was, ‘Don’t puke’. With my hands clasped tight over my mouth, I vaguely noticed a bell ring. Hundreds of people, children, teenagers, and adults stream out of the many rooms. Mystique was gently rubbing my back, suddenly concerned. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and when I looked, I found Xavier’s face close to mine. I was almost glad I was in shock, normally my face would be tomato red. Letting go of my shoulder, he placed his hand against my forehead. He frowned, then looked to the others.
“Hank, get her a glass of water.” He instructed calmly. “Raven, please pull up a chair.” The man, Hank, went off to get the water. Mystique stood, then grabbed the nearest chair. As she was getting it, a few kids asked what happened, and she said something quietly, then waved them off. This deterred the other students from doing the same. She was helping me into the chair as Hank came back with my water. He handed it to me, and I took a shaky sip, then held it in my lap. Staring into the glass, I got lost in my thoughts. What did it mean, now that I’m a mutant? How much would this change my life? What exactly can I do? A focused stare pulled me from the inner recesses of my mind. I looked up to the Professor, and he searched my face.
“Are you alright now?” I nodded weakly, and he looked… relieved. “Now, I know it’s sudden, but we need to know, will you be staying at the school?” I nodded.
“My parents need to know…” I murmured, the shock starting to subside. He nodded to Hank. I told him the phone number of the hotel, then he walked off. Mystique made me drink half of the water, then took it away. That left the Professor and I alone. He started talking about what I would be learning here, but my adrenaline filled mind couldn’t focus on all those words, so I just listened to his voice. He spoke in a calm, flowing way, his voice occasionally rising with enthusiasm, not to mention his accent.
“Crystal? Are you listening?” The Professor asked, waving a hand in front of my face, and I instinctively nodded. He didn’t look convinced. In the back of my mind, I noticed a soft hum. Listening closer, it turned out to be voices, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. As soon as I distinguished one person’s thoughts from the jumble, it would be drowned out by the others. It was starting to give me a headache. I cocked my head and opened my mouth, unable to keep my question to myself.
“Sir, is this how it is for you?” The Professor’s face contorted in confusion. “The constant noise? All of those people’s thoughts?” I elaborated. His face softened, and he gave me a sympathetic smile.
“It was like that for a while, but I eventually figured out a way to drown them out.” He told me, and I winced. That didn’t sound fun. He gave me a concerned glance. “It’s not too overwhelming, is it?” I shook my head. It wasn’t that bed, and I prefered noise to complete silence. It would just take time to get used to.
“That’s good.” He smiled again. I would never get tired of his smile. “Don’t worry, you aren’t the only one here learning to control their psychic powers.” I didn’t know if that made me feel better or worse. Of course I’m not the only one here with abilities like his.
“Oh?” I tried to sound excited. “Anyone in particular?” It must have worked, because he beamed at me and helped me to my feet.
“I’m glad you’re excited. Her name is Jean Grey. I’ll introduce you to her.” He led me outside. “I bet she’ll be able to help you.” I nodded, but was distracted by the beautiful grounds. They were a lush, bright green with slight hills, ponds, and a scattering of trees.
“Wow…” I whispered. The Professor chuckled at my expression, and we headed to a pair of teenagers. The girl had bright red hair, and the boy was wearing cool red shades. They were laughing at what one of them said, and turned to us when we drew close. The girl, Jean, grinned and the boy waved. I waved back with a tentative smile.
“Is she new, Charles?” Jean asked, and the Professor said something, but I didn’t pay attention. I was focused on her. I could feel the sheer… power that radiated off her. The boy next to her was pretty strong, but his power was minuscule next to her’s. I was entranced.
“It’s nice to meet you Crystal.” She held out her hand, and I clasped it, the trance overtaking me. I felt her power rush over me, and I fell to my knees, letting go of her hand. There was an intense heat all around me, and everyone’s thoughts were deafening. I screamed in agony and clutched my head as horrible visions raked across my closed eyes.
“Crystal!” I heard the Professor shout, and Jean was trying to calm me down, asking what was wrong, her hands on my shoulders.
“What the hell…” The boy swore, and he ran off, yelling for Hank. I shook and ground my teeth as the pain got worse. It was like someone was boiling me alive. How could she live like this?
“Jean let go of her.” The Professor ordered Jean, rolling over to us. Jean let go, and I slumped. He lifted my chin up, and examined my face. The pain receded slightly, but it still felt like there was a fire in my head. I forced myself to open my eyes as hot tears streamed down my cheeks. He looked just as scared as I felt, he was searching for something in my eyes. The same trance came over me, and an unstoppable force made me let go of my head, and clutch the hand holding my chin. I probably held on too hard, but I was in too much pain to care at the moment. I gasped as the copied power was released back into the universe. All of my strength left me, and I collapsed onto the Professor. He held me by my upper arms, and someone helped him lower me to the ground. They put me face up, and my vision was blurry. I now think it only partially caused by the episode, as my glasses had fallen off as I fell.
“Did I do this?” Jean asked tentatively, regret filling her voice. She was leaning over me, along with the boy, the Professor, and Hank.
“No Jean.” The Professor told her reassuringly. “I believe it it part of her mutation…” He trailed off, deep in thought. They were a funny sight, looking all out of focus. I almost giggled.
“Damn, and I thought my lasers hurt.” the boy whistled. “Did ya’ hear her scream?” Jean glared at him.
“Yes, Scott, I’m pretty sure everyone in a three mile radius heard her scream.” She lightly punched him in the arm. Mystique soon joined the the crowd around me. She asked what happened, and Jean filled her in. The Professor and Hank were muttering to each other, and Scott was casually looking at me. I don’t know if they thought if I was unconscious or what, but when I cleared my throat, the group jumped and stared at me.
“Can someone please get me my glasses.” I croaked, my throat feeling sealed shut. Scott gave me a small smile, and picked them up. He was careful to keep his hand from touching mine as he handed them to me. I forced myself to sit up, and I slid them on. I blinked slowly, and the blurriness fading.
“So, anyone want to tell me what the hell that was?” I asked as I regained my bearings. Hank glanced at the Professor, who nodded, and answered my question.
“We believe your, gifts, reacted to Jean’s when you touched her. It caused you to sort of, copy and amplify them. When you touched Charles, the reaction stopped. We believe you have the ability to copy other mutants’ powers with as little as a touch.” My jaw dropped and the others looked at me, slightly wary.
“What?!” I whispered, my last bit of sanity for the day crumbling. The Professor patted my shoulder gently.
“Your gift is unique,” He told me, trying to reassure me. “and as you learn about your abilities, we will be learning with you.” He ended it with a charming smile, but it didn’t help.
‘Yeah, that's real reassuring.’ I snarked in my head, and I felt the same slight buzz
‘There’s no need to be sarcastic.’ I frowned and looked up to the Professor with a fake innocent look on his face.
‘Isn’t rude to read someone’s thoughts without their permission, sir?’ I quipped.
‘You’ve read plenty of people’s thoughts without their permission, Miss Crystal.’ He raised an eyebrow, and waited for me to say think something back.
‘I didn’t know I was doing it at the time.’ I growled. He gave a small smirk.
‘So? You still did it. There’s no need to be hypocritical.’ I gave up.
‘Please get out of my head, Professor.’ I did not need this right now.
‘If you wish.’ He smirked even more, and a quick, inconspicuous pop in his head (he had already given me access) told me he thought he had somehow won our battle. Oh, there will be many more battles of wit, I promised, but I was to frazzled to battle now. We all sat there in an awkward silence, none of us able to say anything.
“So,” Mystique stood and clapped her hands, breaking the silence. “How old are you, kid?”
“What?” I asked, dazed.
“We prefer to teach you in groups of people about your age.” She explained.
“Oh. I’m nineteen.” They stared at me, disbelieving. “What? Really, I’m nineteen!” They still didn’t look convinced. “What, do you want me to pull out my I. D.?” I reached for my pant’s pocket.
“There’s no need.” The Professor waved it off. “You just, don’t look your age.” I rolled my eyes. It’s because I am so short isn’t it.
“Now that that’s cleared up,” Mystique helped me up, and motioned for the Professor to go on ahead. “let’s show you to your room.” Thankfully, my powers didn’t act up and I wasn’t blue or looking like the way she did now. She held onto my arm, in case my legs decided to give out again, and the Professor led us back to the school. I waved to the others, and they waved back. We went back into the foyer, went down one of the many hallways, and took a right. We headed down to the end of the hall, and he motioned to the second to last door.
“I’ll put you next to Jean since you two, hit it off so well.” We all shared a tense laugh. Mystique handed over my room key, and walked off. I unlocked the door, and walked in. I gasped.
It was perfect. The room was a cozy size and had a huge bookshelf on one wall. I headed over there, as I looked at the other parts of the room. There was a soft looking Queen sized bed, and it had two nightstands with reading lamps. Looking back to the bookshelf, I reached out for the books. Running my fingers along the spines, I read the titles. They were a nice mix of fiction and nonfiction.
“Do you like it?” The Professor asked from the doorway. Turning around, I beamed at him, he looked so nervous and adorable.
“I love it, Professor.” He gave a small shrug, and a smile graced his lips.
“That’s great, and please, call me Charles.” I raised an eyebrow at this. “It’s strange for a grown woman to call me Professor. It makes me feel, old.” I laughed, walking up to him.
“I don’t think you’re old, Pro-,” I stopped myself. “Charles.” He blushed slightly, and I grinned. He was even cuter like this. Oh, I pray he isn’t listening to my thoughts right now. Closing the distance between us, I leaned down and hugged him.
“Thank you.” He went stiff, but eventually hugged me back. Very platonically, sadly.
“You’re welcome.”