Disclaimer: I do not own the X-men…any fool could see that. If I did I would be making a great deal of money and would not be writing free fan-fiction.
Author's note: This story takes place with an OC that is attending Xavier institute as it is now…an openly mutant school. I wrote it after a night of no sleep and a very bad day at work. Please excuse me if it isn't happy. This will be starting the Glass series, but may not be updated often. Please R&R
Glass: New Players
She glanced up at the gates with a small shiver. There was horrendous graffiti painted across the once elegant iron gates. Epitaphs…human wishes…all dripping with hatred, scorn and brutality…but it wasn't any worse than some places she had stayed at.
A few students were playing on the stretching lawn of the institute. She pressed her face against the bars and watched, the case on her back making the bars ring. They were amazing to put it lightly. They flew, ran, laughed, played…all of them happy to be here for their own reasons; all of them children, albeit powerful ones.
Their voices floated in the cool November air like a youthful song. That was until they noticed her. The grinning faces of the students, the accepted elite, twisted into snarls and leers for the girl pressed against the bars of the gate. Then the inevitable taunts came. They always did.
"Aww, look at the little human, doesn't she look cold and hungry? Poor baby, too bad we can't let her in…"
"I bet she's just come to gawk at her superiors, strike a pose Merl…"
"Naw, she looks like a runaway to me, see the pack on her back and the case over her shoulder? Not to mention the clothes…"
She glanced down at her afore mentioned garments and wrinkled her nose. The idiots behind their gates though she was a runaway in her carefully patched jeans, grey tank top, black fingerless gloves, and worn trench coat? True, the jeans were more patch than whole cloth…true, the pants were held up with two deep scarlet sashes that trailed down both legs to brush her knees…true, the tank top was a few more sashes all tied just right to look like a shirt…they weren't the newest clothes, but they were comfortable, and warm when the jacket was shut…her dad had called them modern gypsy clothes, and she happened to agree.
She knew how she looked…her dark, wavy hair was tied neatly back and confined under a violet bandana that matched the ribbon around her throat…but that didn't stop the waist length locks from teasing themselves free to dance in the wind. Her slightly slanted eyes were almost too big for her face and an odd shade of midnight blue that was almost black. Her skin was an olive tan, her face oval with a point…her body long limbed and lithe…
Despite her harmless appearance, and she tried very hard to appear harmless, the crowd looking at her was starting to get ugly. A boy with green spikes was advancing menacingly towards her. He seemed a bit surprised when she neither backed away or even seemed to notice him…she almost laughed aloud when he seemed to deflate like a puffer fish her dad had shown her once.
She threaded her arms through the bars carefully and crossed them, doing her best to lean nonchalantly. "I'm here to talk to Xavier. Heard he is takin kids in past these gates. Why don't ya run along and fetch him spike boy?" He didn't seem to like that in the least...she really didn't blame him when he turned blue and started to swell back up, but she was getting tired.
Her fingers found the latch inside the gate that she had been looking for through the whole conversation…with a slight jiggle of the pick, the gates swung open with the sound of protesting electronics. She unthreaded her arms with a smile and let the children think what they would. She walked right past puffer fish boy and sauntered up the drive.
* * * * *
She could hear the sounds of whispers through the study walls that now surrounded her…she was sitting on a chair, her pack at her feet and her slim case on her knees as several people argued over her. She had been "apprehended" half way up the school drive. Not by the insipid bunch of children she had left at the gate, but by a rather menacing man that called himself Wolverine and everyone else called Logan.
He wasn't he only one in the room by far. There was a large, blue, furry lion that looked rather warm and fuzzy at the moment as he was wearing a pair of small spectacles that perched on his muzzle while he looked over the security cameras that had filmed her entrance.
Sitting behind a large desk and rubbing his forehead was a red headed man that wore creepy red glasses as he stared sternly at her…she hated not being able to see a person's eyes…across from her sat a rather odd man, if that was the term, whose whole skull seemed to be encased in metal. Odd blue light glowed from him, and yet he came across as one of the gentlest people she had ever met…
None of these people were setting her on edge…rather it was the two women in the group. A slutty blonde that was wearing more skin than clothes as she perched on the edge of the desk and frowned at her…and a red haired woman that seemed equally annoyed by her presence…
"The students tell me you opened the gates and walked in Ms….?" The sun glass man was asking.
"Tsura. And yes, I di' open the gates an come in. Was tired a' talking te the sprats outside."
"The surveillance records confirm it Scott…" The blue furred one spoke up "She leaned on the gates for a moment as the kids were talking to her, then they opened."
"That's not possible Hank! Our security systems don't allow intruders without several alarms going off, you know that..." She could tell that sunglass man, a.k.a. Scott, was highly disturbed by her entrance. It was amusing to see him get annoyed, and she could tell that the Wolverine guy and "Hank" were just as amused as she.
She cleared her throat and "I didn't realize t'was such a crime te make good on your open door policy for mutants. I c'n leave. 'N fact, I be thinking it's a good idea." She stood, swinging her case, followed by her pack, to her shoulder with the practiced ease of long familiarity. It was the red headed woman who stopped her.
"Wait Tsura…please, do not be so hasty. We did not realize you were coming to seek entrance to the school…"
"Why else would I come here? I coulda been making enough money te afford a sack for the night…"
"And how, exactly, would you do that?" the blonde was eyeing her clothing and apparent lack of skills.
Tsura felt her cheeks pale at the woman's tone as anger shot through her. No one, not even some mutant harlot, ever got away with questioning her morals or her dignity. "I'm afraid I don't have as easy a time as you Ma'am, I never stooped as low as to sell my body." She cast a scornful look over the woman's lack of clothing and lavish posing and continued on her way out.
* * * * *
Hank and Logan followed her out, nodding that they would keep an eye on her as the rest conferred. The minute the door closed, a riot of discussion broke out.
"I can't read her Scott!" Jean whispered
"Neither could I, but I like her" Emma smiled as she stood up "She's rough around the edges and quite definitely a survivor…but she has guts."
Scott worried his lower lip as he fretted "I still want to know how she got through the gate so easily…"
"I'm sure it will all come clear in the tests…for know, we should call Xavier…"
"You're right Emma…I'll work on getting her a dorm room…" The three at the desk all stood, and then looked at the one other person left in the room.
Xorn had an air of utter confusion about him as he stared into space…
"Xorn? Is something wrong with the new girl?"
He shook himself a bit and focused on the three X-men "No, not that I can sense Scott…it just disturbs me that humans sell themselves into slavery…"
Emma chuckled "That is not what she meant Xorn, not at all; it was a dig at my virtue. Which was only fair as I did question hers…"
* * * * *
Tsura walked back through the halls, headed to the doors. Around her she could hear the comments, the speculations, the whispers…
"Did she fail?"
"Is she human you think?"
"Maybe she's just the wrong sort, I mean, look at her clothes!"
"Xavier takes any sort! You know that!"
"Not her sort…she looks like she could stab us in our sleep, rob us blind, and walk off whistling…"
She stroked the case she carried, drawing comfort from the smooth, black leather as she wished that she was everything the kids were saying, just so she could mash them all to a pulp and feel fine…then again, she had expected nothing more…nothing ever truly changed. As her dad used to say, "The game was always the same, only the players changed".
Instead of focusing on the voices, she concentrated on her new plan…she still had time to walk back to he little town near the institute…she could still earn enough funds to afford a meal and a bed for the night…then she would head towards New York City. It wasn't far, and she knew the area…she really didn't want to be working the big apple in the winter though…
She was almost to the front door, her promised freedom…and then she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder… a hand that happened to be huge…and covered in blue fur. Hank peered down at through his spectacles and smiled "At least eat something before you move on…"
The whispers stilled and stopped in his leonine presence and she couldn't help but smile. She could stop long enough for food.
* * * * *
The blue furred man was kind enough to allow her free access to the fridge, so she had a decent meal in front of her…half of which was actually ending up in her pack whenever Hank turned his head away. The poor man was trying to find a topic of conversation that would entertain them both, but she could tell he was stalling. Probably waiting for the others to make up their mind about calling the cops on her…
She had to admit, she almost wished she could stay a few months…truth told, that's the longest she ever stayed anywhere...the kitchen was well stocked, the rooms she had passed all seemed well furnished…and classes! She had never attended a real school, never learned everything she wanted too…her father had done his best, taught her to read, figure, and write, telling her anything she asked about…and libraries were absolute wonders. She remembered happy days where she and her father had stayed in libraries until they closed, simply devouring the books…but there were things that she wanted to try, like a few of the laboratory sciences…
She was knocked from her reverie when Hank leaned across the table to tap her now empty plate. "I was saying, Tsura, that the faculty has decided to let you stay if you wish. There is a room ready…and tomorrow you and I can assess your education level and what you would like to study while here…"
She blinked. This was an unexpected turn of events. She could feel her plans shifting and re-arranging to suit this new situation. She could still leave…walk out the doors and down the drive…she wasn't one to stay confined for long, and a school always wanted to keep you… "On one condition Hank…I leave when I want. I don' like stayin in one place for long…"
He grinned, showing an impressive set of teeth "Of course dear child! This is a sanctuary, not a prison! Come, I'll show you to your room…" He carried her back for her as they wandered through the corridors of student dormitories, opened a door and handed her bag to her. "Your name is on your bunk, the girls shower and lavatory is down the hall. I'll be here promptly at nine in the morning to get you tested" He glanced around, making sure no one was in hearing range and leaned in close "And may I say, Ms. Tsura, nice work with a lock pick on the gate? I'll have to fix that…"
He patted her shoulder and left her standing in the door to her new life.
* * * * *
The other girls in the room were not happy to see her. In fact, not happy was an understatement…
"Look, it's her"
"Why did they have to stick her in here?"
"She made a fool out of us down at the gate during free period today…"
They weren't even attempting to lower their voices. Tsura sighed and found her bed…which one of the girls had "thoughtfully" slid all the way against the wall and half way into the closet that also bore her name…she narrowed her eyes and resolved not to leave any of her belongings within reach of these spiteful children…
Night had fallen, and soon a teacher came around, announcing lights out. Tsura curled up on her bed, her case tucked beside her and waited until all the others were asleep before she allowed herself to drift off…
* * * * *
She was up before the others and decided to take a shower…and that was her mistake. She had the shower room all to herself, had tucked her case and pack in an easily concealed area…and was enjoying the hot water.
It ran down her arms and legs in blissful lines, drawing a hiss as it ran over a new bruise on her upper arm…legacy of the Wolverine's "capture" of her. She was just glad her traitorous bones had decided not to snap. She could deal with bruises, it was a fact of life for her…but it was truly sad when she had to use her mutant abilities to herself together.
She had tilted her head down, letting the hot water run between her shoulder blades in a blessed torrent when the first blow had come. Not hard, as such things go, but it was enough to make her lose her balance on the slippery tile. She got a brief view of several students that had taunted her at the gate as she slammed onto her side. There was a sickening crack and she felt her arm go out from under her. The rest of her body impacted, followed by a few more cracking noises, but none as bad as the arm…
One of the girls from her dorm room came forward to toe her as she whimpered "You don't belong here…"
"Yeah, the Morlocks take in street trash like you…"
"This place is for decent people!"
"Leave or you'll get worse than that next time…" They filed out of the shower room, leaving her to collect her wits as the water ran.
It took her a while to blink away the fog in hr mind…that wasn't a good sign. It meant a skull fracture…luckily, she healed quicker than most. These breaks would be as good as her bones ever got in a few days…but for now…
She had found out a long time ago that she was easy to hurt. She bruised with the slightest bump, she broke at the careless shove…it was ironic really that her power was to protect herself. She could generate shields. Solid, impenetrable, invisible shields. Once created, they stayed until she consciously dissolved them…that's why she used her ability to generate casts about the new breaks. Her hip, her ribs…her arm would need to be set.
She gritted her teeth and levered herself upright on her good hand. At least the pain was bearable…that's what happened to people like her, the more you get hurt over time, the higher the pain tolerance…she was able to wiggle into a loose skirt made of ribbons and a matching vest from her pack and hobble out to meet Hank.
* * * * *
She sat in Hank's office. He had just set her arm with a practiced flick and was looking at her with a worried frown as she settled her power over her arm and shoulder. "You need to tell me how this happened Tsura"'
"No, I don't Hank. Don't worry, I'm used to it. The only people I know who haven't ever hurt me, accidentally or on purpose, are you and my father. It's a trend that started way back when I was a kid…it's a bad sign when your earliest memory is of your mother trying to kill you. She used to beat me, curse me for the medical bills my "condition" racked up. My dad came home to see this one day…we were out of there quicker than I could say "Huh?" My dad and I…we traveled everywhere, modern gypsies we were…always moving, never letting my mom find us. We made our living playing pool and dealing cards…and that's what I'll go back to. Maybe a find a place a light fingered gypsy can be safe, until then, I'll walk with the wind…"
Hank stared at this girl that painted such a bleak picture for herself and couldn't help but be moved. "Tell you what Tsura…I'll put you up in a hotel for a few days while I get in touch with a friend of mine. He would know where a "light fingered gypsy" could go and be welcome…he's a bit of one himself…"
She leveled her best stare at him as she mulled over this idea…the circuit her and her father had worked truly wasn't safe for her alone… "Alright Hank. The breaks will be healed with in three to four days. After that I move on."
"That's more than enough time Tsura, more than enough. I'll drive you to a hotel…"
"I'll walk"
"…or you could walk. I'll have reservations for you at the Days Inn up the road a bit. What name should I put them under?"
"Tsura Romany. That's the name dad and I took when we left my mom."
"Very well. I'll call you in your room, and don't hesitate to order room service…"
"Good bye Hank"
He watched the gypsy girl walk out of his office, pride in her steps even though she was sorely injured. For a moment, he railed against the world that would never change for her…the world had never been kind to gypsies, and it seemed it never would be. After the decisive closing of the door upstairs snapped him out of his musings, he moved to complete his promise, getting a room for Tsura, and then calling a colleague…a man he knew from New Orleans…
* * * * *
Tsura walked stiffly down the drive of the Xavier institute, looking neither right nor left at the jeering voices that called out to her as she made her slow way. She was back to the way it should always have been, her, the road…and her daddies' pool cue.
He would have been proud of her, how she ignored the taunts and threats of the students…her dad's last request had been that she make a better life for herself. She thought the Xavier institute would have helped with that…but it only showed her that her dad had always been right…
"The game never changes, only the players" Out of respect to her dad, she would give Hank his four days…but after that…