A/N: Heyo! I am relatively new to the Marvel universe so please, go easy on me! I have an idea of where I'll be going with this story and hopefully things work out.

Please, please, review. Anything from grammar mistakes, actual mistakes, or any constructive criticism! It would honestly mean a lot to me! Thanks for reading!

This is an introduction to the story. Background info, really.

Friends of the family were easily deceived; they all thought that Sharon Xavier was the perfect mother. The socialites of the New York scene admired her parenting skills, frequently crediting her with the Xavier children's excellent upbringing. It was very cliché: the widow of a wealthy well respected man, left alone to raise the children.

"You are just amazing, Sharon! Taking care of these two all by yourself! Remarkable!"

"I don't know how you do it—bravo!"

The servants of the Xavier Mansion held back their grimaces when they heard the compliments—if only they knew the truth about Sharon. It was well known throughout the mansion that Sharon seldom acknowledged her children. One the rare occasions that she would, her tone was cold.

On days that Sharon shied away from her friends, she spent time in her new bedroom. Soon after her husband's death, she moved her things to the other side of the mansion. The only souvenir she took with her was a large portrait of their wedding photo.

The maids secretly whispered behind closed doors about Sharon's drinking habits as they threw away empty bottles. Once their eyes adjusted to the dark bedroom, their lips would curl with disdain. The pungent stench of alcohol mixed with vomit was a familiar scent to their nose. Oblivious to them, Sharon would be found sleeping on the left side of the bed, hugging a pillow and a hand clenched around the neck of a bottle.

To be fair, she had a lot to be upset about. Her husband—Brian Xavier—was a well-respected nuclear scientist who had unexpectedly passed in an accident. He left her everything: the mansion, his wealth, and most importantly—their children. Two weeks went by before Sharon came out of hiding.

Their father's death took a different toll on the Xavier children. Despite his work hours, he showed more affection to them than his wife did. The three of them would spend quality time together in his study. He had a love for chess and taught Charles how to play at a young age. They would go over strategies and techniques for any possible situation. It wasn't long before Charles easily beat his father at the game.

Anna, despite her desire to spend time with her father and brother, never understood the game. She pouted from her seat next to Brian whenever the two played. When he wasn't playing chess with his son, Brian taught Anna how to read, write, and draw. Brian and Anna were always the last to leave the study at night after spending hours reading together.

When he died, Charles insisted on continuing to play chess with anyone who would agree to it. He felt like it was something he had to do—a way to honor his late father. It was a common occurrence to see the remaining Xavier male roam around the mansion, balancing the pieces on the chessboard, asking the servants to play with him. Adjusting to their father's sudden death was harder for Anna; unlike Charles, it took her a few months to step back into the study. Emily, their nanny, encouraged her to continue reading—something Anna was hesitant to do since the accident. Once she found the courage to be in the room, she and Charles spent more time in there than they did outside.

Kurt Marko came into their lives as unexpectedly as Brian's death. He and Brian were friends in college and worked together after they graduated. He was a rare visitor to the mansion, only stopping by for a few hours when Brian had company parties. At the funeral, Kurt immediately latched onto Sharon—something people assumed to be for comfort. In a sense, he was a guiding light to Sharon—helping her at her darkest times and with her addiction to alcohol. Sharon was like a lovesick puppy and the two quickly married. It was less than a year since Brian Xavier's death.

It wasn't long until Kurt's personality changed for the worst. He began to neglect Sharon—something she absolutely loathed. When he wasn't ignoring her, he was yelling. Charles and Anna would avoid him, only interacting with him during dinner. Their stepfather was short with them, frequently yelling at them for no particular reason.

At a young age, Charles and Anna knew the obstacles their mother faced and quickly accepted it. It was easy for them because Sharon's neglect was present since the beginning. After her second marriage, she withdrew even more from her children because she couldn't stand the sight of them without becoming overwhelmed with emotions. Her cold demeanor was nothing new to them and they've learned to take her verbal attacks lightly.

Ten-year-old Anna tried to stifle her yawn as eleven-year-old Charles attempted, once again, to teach her how to play chess. Emily smiled fondly at the Xavier children; the scene was nothing new to her. After their father's death, Charles would approach the chefs, butlers, and maids to play with him. Unfortunately for him, the only one who would play with him was his sister.

"I don't get it!" Anna whined and fell back against the black leather sofa.

"It's not that difficult, you pea for brain!"

"You're mean! Daddy was always happy to teach me—"

"Well he's not here is he? So shut up!" Charles shouted angrily.

Emily looked up from her book with weary eyes. Charles stood up with wild eyes while Anna stared up at him with tears in her eyes. The siblings stared at each other before the younger of the two rushed out of the room. The girl's sobs echoed loudly through the halls.

"Charles!" Emily scolded.

He looked shameful of his actions, but he stubbornly turned his head to the side. Emily continued to stare at him with masked pity. The room was silent until Charles flipped the chessboard over. Blue eyes looked at the beige and brown chess pieces that scattered along the floor. After a silent moment, Charles mumbled an apology and cleaned up the mess.

The young girl slammed her door shut and fell onto the bed. Her sobs were held back, but her sniffles were loud and clear. Anna angrily wiped her tears away harshly with the back of her sleeves. She was angry at everything: her mother, Kurt, Charles, and her father. Since the accident, she and Charles promised each other to never mention his death. Perhaps it was their childish, naïve mind, but both thought of their father's passing as his vacation.

Anna had always admired Charles; he was a great big brother. Moments from their childhood had solidified her opinions of him. It wasn't until the accident that her heart swelled with appreciation for him.

She tried to be strong, really, she did. She didn't cry when she received the news. She didn't cry the days that led up to the funeral. She didn't cry at the funeral.

Why didn't she cry? Anna didn't want to; anger held her tears back. He promised her that he would be back later that night. He promised her that the two of them would read together and that he had a surprise for her. It was the night of the funeral when she finally cried.

Charles visited her in the middle of the night. His mind was plagued when Anna's thoughts as she cried. His new mind reading abilities allowed him to see what she was thinking about: their father. He was silent when he opened her bedroom door and slowly walked to her bed.

"Do you remember his favorite book?" he asked quietly.

The bed shifted for a moment as she made room for him. He pulled back the heavy comforter and situated himself beside his sister.

"What about it," she mumbled.

"He always quoted it, didn't he? 'To die would be an awfully big adventure.' Well, that's it, isn't it? He wouldn't want us to be upset; he would want us to live normally and happily. I bet he's having a great time up in Heaven right now. Ice cream all time. Plus, mother wouldn't be there to stop him from eating."

Anna giggled and popped her head up from under the covers. The two shared a smile before reminiscing on their favorite memories of their late father.

Emily found the two of them the next morning; their hands were clenched tightly together and their faces were stained with tears. She smiled sadly at them and smoothed the hairs out of their faces before leaving the room.

"Psst! Charles! Are you awake?"

With one eye slightly opened, Charles could faintly make out the image of his sister's face. Her blonde hair was a mess, but her blue eyes were wide with alert. He groaned when he realized that it was the middle of the night. In her pajamas, Anna hovered over his sleeping form.

"Charles! I hear someone in the kitchens!"

He released an annoyed groan and rolled onto his stomach, "I don't care, Anna. It's probably one of the night maids."

"But Charles! It's one o'clock! You and I both know that the night maids return to their rooms at midnight! What if it's a bad person?"

He didn't have to read her mind to know what she wanted from him.

"Would you stop bugging me if I go?"

"Yes!"

Baseball bat in his hand, Anna trailed behind Charles as they silently crept to the kitchen. Charles grimaced when Anna's grip on his arm tightened. They nearly jumped when they heard a noise ahead of them. It wasn't long before they reached their destination; the sight confused them. In front of the refrigerator stood their mother.

'But mother—' Anna thought to Charles.

'I know,' he thought back.

The previous morning was a loud one. Kurt was off to another business meeting and was ready to go when Sharon demanded that he stayed. She was drunk and accused him of cheating on her during his trips. To say he was livid was an understatement. He grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into the closest room. Everyone in the mansion heard his loud, booming voice as he yelled at her. The servants remained nonchalant when he stomped out of the room red-faced and disheveled haired. A distraught Sharon has been cooped up in her bedroom since.

But there she was! Her hair was curled and makeup done perfectly. Dressed in her fancy red dress and pearl necklace, she looked like she was ready to head out to a party.

"Mother! We thought you were a burglar!" Charles exclaimed and walked toward her.

"Sorry darlings, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just getting a snack. Go back to bed." She leaned against the now closed refrigerator. She smiled pleasantly at the two of them with a hand on her hip.

That's not our mother, Anna. Charles thought to her.

Anna pursed her lips and gave a subtle nod to Charles. The two of them looked at their mother's body with narrowed eyes. Her expression changed into one of confusion when she took in their faces.

"What's the matter? Go on, back to bed the two of you."

After a tense, quiet moment, she smiled sweetly at them and leaned over until she was eye leveled with them, "How about I make you two some hot chocolate? Hm? How does that sound?"

"Who are you?" Anna questioned with narrowed eyes, "And what have you done to our mother?"

'Our mother has never set foot in this kitchen in her life. And she certainly never made us hot chocolate. Unless you count ordering the maid to do it.'

Their mother grasped her head in confusion when she heard Charles' voice inside her head. With every step Charles took toward her, she took a step back.

'Again; who are you?' Anna thought to the person in disguise.

In place of the blonde woman, stood a red haired and blue skinned girl. She had yellow eyes and her skin had a scaly texture to it. She looked at the two children in front of her nervously. The Xavier children looked back in awe.

"You're not scared of me?" asked the girl.

"I always believed I couldn't be the only one in the world. The only person who was different—and here you are!" he said happily.

Anna punched his arm, "Hey! I could do things too! See!"

Instead of penetrating their minds with a thought of her own, she felt a tingle throughout her body. Charles and the girl jumped and looked at her in shock.

"What? What is it?"

"Y-you're not you!" Charles exclaimed.

"You're me!" The girl said in awe and walked up to Anna.

Anna looked down to her body and saw that she was, in fact, like the girl. Her skin was the same exact blue scaly texture.

"Wicked!" she cheered.

"Can you change back?" Charles asked.

She clenched her eyes and concentrated on the image of her own body. After a moment of the tingling feeling, she opened her eyes when she heard the two of them gasp.

"That is so cool!" gushed the girl.

"I'm Charles Xavier," he said, "And this is my sister Anna."

"Raven."

"You're hungry and alone," stated Charles.

"Take whatever you want," Anna insisted, "You don't have to steal!"

"You never have to steal again," Charles said brightly.

That night, the three of them formed a bond. The Xavier children insisted that Raven stayed with them and she eagerly accepted. With her shape shifting abilities, Raven took on the appearance of light skin, blonde hair, and blue-gray eyes. With the help of Charles and Anna, they manipulated the minds of Kurt, their mother, and everyone in the mansion to believe that Raven was a Xavier. From then on out, Raven was a part of the family.

That's the way it's been for the last 18 years.