I pulled my knees in closer towards the rest of my body. The shaking yellow school bus only caused my own body to tremble even more dangerously. I clasped my arms around my legs, urging myself not to let the tears fall down my cheeks. Though it did make me seem as if my glasses weren't helping my eyesight, it was better than letting the other two kids in the school bus find me crying in my seat. I was lucky that the tall boy was making conversation with the bus driver, otherwise my sharp intakes of air would've been audible to the little girl in the seat beside me.
My throat began to ache with every passing moment in which I forced myself to restrain from croaking out a sob. I tried to ease the pain by moving my eyes from place to place. I glanced from my ragged red sneakers to the inside of the frames of my glasses and back to the window that displayed a rush of images.
Yeah, it was better to look outside while the bus was still on the road. I glanced at each tree that had passed by without straining my throat. The sunlight was barely visible through the grey clouds, but I was able to keep the tears from falling by staring directly into it, that way it would dry up faster. I tell myself I'm doing okay. This change will make me happy. I'll be happy wherever I'm going. I believe my lie for a split second. It was probably the best feeling I've felt in a long time . . . It's a shame the effect of the lie didn't last long.
A sudden thought of that night caused me to drop my head. The pale illumination of the florescent bulbs stuck up in the ceiling of the waiting room held my plain image. My dark hair resembled dripping curtains over my eyes. I felt the weight of my eyelids advancing over my eyes, but I kept forcing myself to keep them open, to keep them alive. The strength of my anxiety kept me from doing so. I wanted to hide, to run, to die. I wished for any possible way to get out of that building filled with rushing women and men dressed in their blue and green scrubs. I recalled the spiraling venom within my veins. The rush was still there, even after they had told me she had died. I stood there in that pale room for God knows how long. The nurses were still running back and forth left and right for another dying patient. Now that she was dead, there was more room for another victim. After a while he nurses were just flashes of color running back and forth left and right.
The blues and greens abruptly shifted back into the back of the seat before me. The bus had stopped.
I felt the brakes thrust the bus forward and back in its rightful place. The halt in motion rendered my mind back into the present. When I looked outside the window, all I saw were more trees. At the sound of stomping feet I jerked my head to other side of the bus.
The two kids had already stepped off the bus. The tall boy left with a satiracle salute towards the bus driver. I couldn't see what was on the other side, but I could hear the sound of . . . other people.
They were talking, laughing, conversing, and communicating. They weren't children, I could tell by the lack of shouting and screaming, but they weren't as dull or monotonous as every other group of adults I have ever encountered.
"Today would be nice, kid." The bearded bus driver said. He held a hand and gestured toward the exit.
I almost glared at his reflection through the mirror. Yes, anger was better than guilt. Anger was better than fright; it was better than most things that involved weakness. I encouraged myself to imagine the bitter death of the bearded bus driver as I grabbed my side bag and stomped down the isle.
"Watch the tail." He uttered before I reached the last step. The bearded bus driver had a long brown tail that stretched from under his seat to the bottom of the first step that I had already descended off of.
For a moment I had forgotten about what that old man had said to me just five days before I had gotten on this yellow bus. He said, "Prepare for a change in atmosphere, Miss Jen." The old man in the wheelchair had kind eyes, but I couldn't help but sense that he faced much pain in the past. "There will be children and adults at my school that posses extraordinary abilities just like yours."
I shrugged away the image of the bearded bus driver's tail and stepped off the bus. He didn't wait another moment for me to take one step on the hard earth. I felt the rush of dust spray over my face as he forced his way out of the clearing.
When the dust left my vision, I could make out the grey sky again. In front of the grey canvas, there was a vast field of green grass and trees beyond that. The air wasn't as humid or musky as the air in Brooklyn. I was far from the city.
There was a large, well castle wasn't an appropriate word to describe the building, but it was pretty close. The large stone and brick building were magnificently placed to represent strength and defiance. The pavements that connected every neighboring building were well kept and clean. There were beautiful gardens surrounding the center of the whole establishment. It was almost as if I had transcended into one of my own dreams, but my imagination was thrashed into my thoughts once the group of adults had made there way into my sight.
A rather eccentric group of odd-looking creatures and humans stood before the running water fountain. There was a woman with raging red hair and glasses with frames smaller than my own. She had a shy aspect to her character; I could tell by the way she held her shoulders close to the clipboard that she was reading off of. The red-haired woman was taller than most of the people there. But what caught my eye was the large, blue, and hairy . . . man? I was quite sure he was a man because of the perfectly tailored suit that he wore so elegantly. He wore thin spectacles and held a brief case that seemed to be sized just for his large hands.
I convinced myself not to scream or hide. The other two kids next to me stood stiffly in their light coats with their filled suitcases at their side. I clenched on to my only side-bag and refrained from staring at the large blue man. It was just as the man in the wheelchair had said before. Although, he didn't verbally tell me, it was more of a telepathic conversation that we shared.
It was the oddest thing I had experienced in the last week, but by the looks of the group I was forced to awe over, I'm sure this tops it by a landslide.
The woman with red hair lowered her clipboard and urged the others around her to stay quiet before she spoke up.
"Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." Because I couldn't tell by the massive sign that stood just a few feet away from us. "My name is Jene Grey, I am apart of the senior staff of this academy. My job is to guide you all and your classmates for as long as you reside in our custody. These are my colleagues," The woman glanced at the others around her. One by one, they each began to introduce themselves.
A tall woman with caramel colored skin stood forward. Her white hair and eyes were what really set me off. She looked like a living angel. "My name is Ororo Munroe, feel free to call me Storm." She had a confident stance and appeared less anxious than Jean Grey. After mentioning her position she made eye contact with me. I felt her cool gaze strike through me as if a breeze had just pierced my face. "This is Mr. Summers." I was relieved when she took her eyes off of me.
Ms. Munroe addressed the tall man with rich brown hair. "Call me Scott." He wore a pair of sunglasses with red lenses. I couldn't help but wonder what his ability was. It was easy with the other two kids on the bus. The small girl with blond hair that stood to the right of me wore matching gloves and earmuffs. The odd thing about it was that it was the middle of spring and she seemed to be suffering from a cold. I deciphered that she had powers related to ice or frost. The boy standing just a few feet next to her wore a cocky smirk on his face as he eyed the other administrators. He was sizing them up and held himself straight with as much confidence as Mr. Summers. His immensely stable and lean body made it obvious that he held the ability to throw people and boulders out of his way without the use of douchebagery needed, given that said douchebagery seemed to escape through his skin.
I shook my head away from the kid and shifted my gaze back to Mr. Summers. "This here is Professor Beast." He gestured toward the big blue man beside him.
The blue man shook his head with great tolerance for Mr. Summers. "You will address me as Mr. McCoy." He struck a glare at Mr. Summers, "That goes for all of you." I was surprised at how sophisticated and classical he appeared. It was none of that beast bullshit like in Godzilla or King Kong, but I could tell that Mr. McCoy would be able to snap the douche bag that stood ten feet away from my right within seconds if he needed a toothpick.
Mr. McCoy introduced the rest of the faculty while I took the time to survey the cloudy sky. No lightning . . . yet. It was running smoothly. As long as I stayed inside, nothing would go wrong.
The mere thought of lightning caused me to shudder. The proper grammar acquainted by Mr. McCoy slowly drifted out of my thoughts as I held my jacket tighter around my body. The thunder was close I could sense it. The light drumming sound was only a few miles away, which meant that lightning was approaching at just a few paces faster.
I clenched my fists together and forced myself to focus on whatever Mr. McCoy was saying, but all I could detect was the arriving lightning strike.
The sight of Mr. Summers caused me to shift my thoughts. Yes, I told myself, think of something else.
I narrowed it down for him. He could either manipulate others with the mere sight of his eyes or something wrong would happen if those shades were to come off.
The second one is spot on, Miss. Jen.
It was the second time I heard his disembodied voice inside my thoughts. Lucky for me, I was slightly more prepared. I didn't fall on to the ground this time. I did, however, flinch and the tension in my shoulders increased. I searched through the vacant garden only to find the man in the wheelchair directly in the middle of the group of administrators. The others made a path for him to make his way closer to us kids.
"I apologize for the delay." His voice was more distant now that he verbally spoke them, yet his words were still distributed calmly and with compassion. I easily recognized his kind eyes. With the lack of hair, his eyes were his only feature that softened his broad and stoic figure. "I am Professor Charles Xavier. I welcome you to my home. I hope that for the time you spend here you will be able to consider this school as your own home. We as mutants must stick together. Our genetic alterations are something we should embrace and not fear. This is an opportunity for you to rise up with the extensive potential you possess, and we are here in hopes for a better and brighter future for the next generation of mutants such as yourselves."
As the professor continued to welcome us, I felt the brooding boy to my right scoff. He rolled his eyes subtly and found my own. He squinted and almost turned his whole body toward mine once I squinted back. He had attempted to speak to me on the bus a few times, but I refused to say a word to him. He proceeded into conversing with the little blond girl, but failed and had no choice but to speak with the bearded bus driver. The kid had unnaturally blond hair with the sides of his head shaved off, only slightly so that his natural black hair was shown. It was rather stylish, but that hairstyle only reminded me of patches of platinum colored petals on a pile of ash. It was the power of the assholery that came with his douchebagery. Anything attractive about the boy caused me to reconsider and only led me into frowning with distaste once he cocked a brow.
I swiftly turned back to face Professor Xavier. "With that being said, I leave you in the hands of my colleagues and former students." He surveyed the three of us carefully, probably scanning our thoughts.
A sudden flash of subtle lightning appeared on my right with a blast of thunder following close behind. I cringed and felt my knuckles form as I gripped on to my side bag. The professor paused at the sight of me for a quick moment. I noticed him nod before addressing Ms. Grey.
"Jean, why don't you show our new students to their rooms?"
Ms. Grey nodded, "Right away, sir." As Professor Xavier made his way around the fountain, I felt a tiny bit relieved. With every moment I am in his presence I feel as if a machine is stealing my every thought and emotion. He's a kind man but I can't seem to get past the whole "mind-reading" ability.
"Rona Dells?" It was Ms. Grey who pulled me away from the sight of Professor Xavier. She held her clipboard up to her face. I pushed my glasses up the bridge of my nose and glanced at the little blond girl to the right of me. She held up her gloved hand in the air.
"Present." She squeaked as every eye found her timid image. Her knees were knobbing against each other as her pale face grew a shade of pink.
The adults sighed and smiled at the precious figure. Even I couldn't help but crack a grin at the sight of her adorable blue eyes that glinted with tears that were ready to fall any second.
"Wonderful," Ms. Grey commented as she wrote something down on her clipboard. "Storm can take you up to your new room."
Ms. Munroe was already stepping forward to help Rona with her pink suitcase. She bent her knees down to appear the same height as Rona, even though she still seemed a foot taller than her. Ms. Munroe held both her hands on Rona's fragile shoulders. "I can take you down to the kitchen after we unpack so we can get some ice cream okay, Rona?" Ms. Munroe's kind words sparked the light on Rona's little face. She brightened up quickly and kept her pace up with Ms. Munroe's long strides.
"You must be Sehun." Ms. Jean addressed the ash and platinum petal boy. He seemed even more unimpressed than just moments ago.
"Yeah, that's me." He uttered with his hands in his pockets.
The red-haired woman faced me, she held her pen in hand and ready to address me. She took a long look at her clipboard. Her gentle smile quickly faded into a scowl as she read through my file.
I realized that she must've been informed about my condition earlier but didn't expect me so soon. "Then, I assume, you are Antoniet Jen." Her voice was less cheery and more somber, almost pitiful.
"Just Toni." I mentioned with a roughness to my voice. I forgot that it had been almost a few days since I've said anything to anyone.
"It talks." He said with astonishment and widened his angular eyes towards me as if he witnessed a miracle.
"Excuse me?" I retorted.
"I just assumed your mutation was being both deaf and mute."
It took me a quick moment to realize he was just trying to fuck with me. "You really think funny, don't you?"
The kid held up both hands in false surrender. "I was just being observant."
"Okay then," Ms. Grey scribbled on to her clipboard. It took her a few seconds to re-gather her thoughts. "I guess we better get out of this weather then. Scott!" she called over to Mr. Summers. Everyone else said their goodbyes to the two of us and made their own ways into the large estate.
"Yeah, Jean, I got the boy."
"It's 'Sehun'." The kid voiced in. All eyes were on him now and his relaxed stance.
"Right," Mr. Summers replied with subtle distaste as Ms. Grey handed him Sehun's documents. "Anyways, let's just take them up to the dorms."
There was a crack of lightning again. I tensed up as the thunder boomed with fierce intensity. I felt the vibration of the earth under my feet. It took me a moment to realize that Ms. Jean was speaking to me. I unclenched my fist from my side bag.
"Yes?" What made me feel even worse was the undivided attention of all three people surrounding me.
"Are you all right?" Ms. Grey asked with genuine concern.
"Yeah, I just-"
"You're afraid of thunderstorms." It wasn't a question that derived from the creature named Sehun, but a statement that caused him pure satisfactory.
"Do you find that amusing?" I glared at his beaming figure.
"No, it's just that you're, what? Seventeen? Eighteen? And you're afraid of a little audio coming from the skies." Sehun abruptly clapped his hands together and pointed at my figure. "I got it! Your breast size grows a cup with every thunderclap! That's your power!"
"You're such a twat." I hissed, only wanting to do more than just swear.
"No need for profanity, I was just making an observation!"
"It's called an 'inference', you asshat."
"Can that really be a mutation?" Mr. Summers pondered.
"Scott!" Ms. Grey reproached.
"Oh right! That's enough you two!" He stood between the two of us and pulled Sehun's hoodie to the right. "I'll take you through the side entrance. Jean, you got her?"
"Yes, Scott." Ms. Grey sighed heavily before wiping the sweat off her forehead.
My breathing simmered down to a normal intake once the sight of the ash petals was completely gone from view.
"I'm sorry about that sweetheart." Ms. Grey said. "I didn't mean for your first day to start off so horribly."
I felt sorry for the woman. She was strong, but even I know that you can't handle everything with ease. I nodded at Ms. Grey to ensure that I was all right. This was a change. And change is for the better. I could say that without tears in my eyes because after stepping off that bus I knew that there was no going back to Brooklyn.
I only hope that I don't meet anymore kids like Sehun.