X-Men: Shattered Bones
Ch. 1
The year is 1997, and for thirteen year old Zackary Stephenson, it was just any regular old day for him, in his normal, boring, life; he was starting his second semester of middle school in his hometown Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the entire school was abuzz with the mentions of a certain group of people with special abilities called mutants. From what Zack could understand, a mutant was someone that had a unique gene called the X-Gene, a term adopted by geneticist Professor Charles Xavier. Zack had a lot of respect for Xavier and his studies on mutants, having an interest in science himself, but he felt he was the only one in the world that respected the man, since he publicly supports mutants, something that everyone Zack knows doesn't, including his parents. As Zack walked through the school, going to his first class, he annoyingly overheard both students and teachers discuss their hatred of mutants. It made Zack so sick, he was starting to get a bad headache, something he's been getting a lot recently; but Zack ignored it and continued to his classroom. When he walked in, he found a seat at the front of the class, and put his things under the desk, but before Zack knew what was going on, his stuff was taken by another student, a school bully by the name of Keith Rodgers.
"Keith! Give me my stuff back!" Zack said, annoyed.
"Why don't you make me, mutant lover!" Keith said. Everyone at school knew that Zack didn't hate mutants like everyone else; he was never one to follow the crowd, but he liked and respected mutants based on his own beliefs, that everyone is equal, and things like genetic mutations are not their choices. Keith then threw Zack's backpack to one of his friends, and they began playing keep away, which made Zack even angrier, and his headache get worse. Eventually, when the backpack got back to Keith, Zack, who was completely fed up, ran over to Keith, and punched the kid in the gut, hard. Keith stepped back, winded from Zack's blow, and Zack took his backpack back to his desk. Unfortunately, Zack's teacher saw Zack punch Keith.
"Zack! You know that fighting is strictly prohibited during school! I want you to report to Miss Williams's office, RIGHT NOW!" The teacher said.
"But Keith…" Zack started, but his teacher interrupted him.
"NOW!" The teacher yelled, and Zack took his backpack and walked out the room in a furious huff.
"Zack, do you mind explaining to me what happened?" Miss Williams said as Zack took a seat in front of her desk, and Zack recalled what happened.
"Well, when I got into homeroom, I was just minding my own business, when KEITH RODGERS took my backpack and began playing keep away with his friends! I got annoyed, and my headaches were getting worse, so I hit him!" Zack said, and Miss Williams shook her head.
"Zack, Keith wouldn't torment you so much if you weren't so open about your love for mutants." Miss Williams said, and Zack just rolled his eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with mutants! I don't get why you hate them so much." Zack said.
"I don't hate them; I just think everything would be better for everyone if the mutants would go into hiding. That way, they don't get ridiculed, and the normal people, like us, don't have to go on a frenzy." Miss Williams said, and Zack shook his head.
"Miss Williams, no one is truly 'normal'; we're all unique. Some people are just more unique than others; it's not like it's their choice anyway." Zack said.
"Listen Zack, you're words aren't going to change anything; you're just one person." Miss Williams explained.
"Sometimes, that's all you need to make a difference." Zack said.
"Zack…you're a good person with a heart of gold, but I can't let your actions go unpunished; I'm giving you three days of detention. You are to come to the lecture hall after school, and stay until five thirty. Understand?" Miss Williams said, and Zack nodded.
"Yes, Miss Williams." Zack said.
"Good. Now, try to have a good day Zack." Miss Williams said with a smile, and Zack nodded as he left the room.
When Zack got back into his homeroom, he returned to his seat and got out his favorite book; Mutation, by Charles Xavier. Zack began flipping through the pages, when he felt something small hit the back of his head. Zack began feeling for what hit him, and felt a small wet ball sticking in his hair. When he pulled it out to see what it was, Zack realized it was spit wad, and it didn't take a geneticist to figure out who it belonged to. Zack just threw the spit wad on ground in disgust, wiped his hands on his clothes, and continued reading. Over the next twenty minutes, Zack was hit by more spit wads, and he got angrier and angrier as each one hit his head. Zack continued to try and ignore Keith and his friends, but as he kept getting hit, his temper grew to its boiling point. All it took was one final spit wad to hit the back of Zack's head, and he snapped.
"QUIT IT!" Zack yelled, and he turned around angrily and threw his arm forward, not expecting the sudden sharp pain he was feeling in his arm, and the following crashing noise as something sharp went into the wall of the class room, and knocked a bulletin board off the wall. Zack looked at his arm and saw three holes in his arm, and blood pouring from the wounds. Zack and the rest of the class looked at where the noise came from, and saw three white spear like objects pierced into the cinderblock wall. Zack's attention then returned to his arm as he saw the three puncture wounds get smaller very quickly, until they finally healed. Once everyone returned to the reality of the situation, it didn't take long to realize what happened.
"He's a mutant!" One of the kids yelled, and all of them got scared quickly as they ran out of the class room, the teacher included. Zack looked at his arm again, and then looked at the projectiles that came from it; he stood up and walked over to the wall, and put his hand on one of the spears, and by feeling them, Zack could tell what the spears would made out of; his own bones.
After the hysterical freak-out the school went through when they realized that there was a mutant in their midst, Zack was called to the office to be picked up by his parents. As Zack waited in Miss Williams' office, he looked at his arms, wondering if he really was a mutant. While lost in thought, Zack was unaware of his parents walking into the office, anything but happy to be there.
"Miss Williams, why are we here?" Zack's dad asked angrily, and Miss Williams gulped.
"Well, Mister Stephenson, it…your son has caused a major…disruption in his homeroom this morning." Miss Williams said.
"What do you mean 'disruption'?" Zack's mom asked worriedly.
"Well…I can't really think of a delicate way to put this, but…it's possible that you're son is a…mutant." Miss Williams said, and Zack's dad practically exploded.
"WHAT! THAT CAN'T BE POSSIBLE!" Zack's father shouted, and Misses Stephenson put her hand on his shoulder.
"Hank, don't shout! You're in a school! Miss Williams, what do you mean Zack's a mutant?" Misses Stephenson asked.
"Well, during homeroom, Keith Hodges was picking on your son, shooting spit balls at him, according to your son, and Zack was getting fed up, so he turned around sharply to yell at Keith, and while he swung his arm around, three spear-like objects shot out of his arm; according to Zack, the material that the spears were made of were the Ulna and Radius bones found in his forearms. At first, I found that hard to believe, but one of our scientist teachers was able to confirm that the objects were made from his bones." Miss Williams explained.
"How can that be possible! Our son is not a mutant! Besides, how could something like a spear shoot out of Zack's arm? They're both perfectly fine!" Hank said.
"According to Zack, there were three exit wounds made when the bones were shot out of his arm, but somehow, the wounds were healed as quickly as they were made." Miss Williams said.
"Well…if our Zack is a…mutant…what can we do?" Miss Stephenson asked.
"Well…the only thing I can suggest is that…you just take Zack home, and don't have him come back." Miss Williams suggested cautiously.
"What! We just forget about Zack's education! No! He's not a mutant!" Hank said.
"All the same, I think you should just take Zack home, at least for today; he really doesn't need to be around the other students, for his sake." Miss Williams said, and Hank growled.
"Zack!" Hank yelled, and Zack was broken from his trance, and looked at his, and realized that he was furious. "Get your stuff! We're going home!" Hank said, and Zack nodded without hesitation, but reluctantly grabbed his stuff and followed his parents outside the school.
The car ride home was mostly quiet, but Zack didn't want to do anything to break the silence; he wanted to avoid being yelled at his dad, at the moment at least, but he knew it was pointless to hope that he wouldn't yell at all.
"Zack…do you like making your mother and me mad?" Hank asked.
"Hank! Darling, we're not mad at you. We're…concerned…" Zack's mom said, and Hank snorted.
"Don't sugarcoat Maggie!" Hank said.
"He did nothing wrong Hank…" Maggie said, and Hank just snorted as he drove to their home.
When Zack got home, he completely ignored his parents and went to his bedroom.
"Hey! Don't you walk away from us like that, young man!" Hank yelled, and Zack rolled his eyes.
"I have nothing to say to a short-sighted bigot like you!" Zack said, and stomped up to his room and slammed the door.
"FINE! YOU CAN JUST STAY UP THERE FOR ALL I CARE! AND DON'T BOTHER COMING DOWN FOR DINNER, BECAUSE YOU WON'T BE GETTING ANY!" Hank yelled, and he stormed over to his bedroom, where he spent the rest of the evening.
The next morning, Zack was told he was staying home from school, so there wouldn't be any unnecessary drama, and Zack didn't care; he still didn't want to talk or see his dad, so he stayed in his room for most of the morning. Meanwhile, Maggie was sitting in the living room, reading one of Zack's books about genetic mutations, when she heard a knock on the front door. Maggie got up to open the door, and saw that the visitor was a middle aged man in a wheelchair.
"Hello, I'm Charles Xavier." The man greeted, and Maggie nervously smiled.
"Hello…" Maggie said, and Xavier just smiled warmly.
"Is your son home? I'd like to talk to him." Xavier explained, and Maggie was getting more nervous.
"About…about what?" Maggie asked.
"About your son's special gifts." Xavier said, and Maggie was about to just shut the door, when Zack began walking down stairs.
"Mom, who was at the…" Zack started, but was completely shocked when he saw Charles Xavier. "Professor Xavier?"
"Hello, Zack. I would like to talk to you, if that's okay with your mother." Xavier said, and Maggie just sighed as she stepped to the side.
"Your father isn't going to like this." Maggie said, and Zack rolled his eyes.
"I don't really care about what dad likes or dislikes." Zack said coldly.
"Well you should! He's your father and you should be more respectful towards him!" Maggie said.
"Your mother is right Zack; you should be respectful towards your parents, even if you disagree with them." Xavier said.
"I guess…so, Professor, I can't believe you're here…I'm a big fan of your book about genetic mutation." Zack said excitedly.
"Thank you. That's sort of why I'm here Zack; I want to talk to you about your special abilities." Xavier said, and Zack nodded as he sat down on the couch.
"Would you like anything to drink or eat, professor? Maggie asked.
"No, thank you, though I do think you should hear what I have to say." Xavier said. "Zack, yesterday you realized that you have a special gene called the X-gene. It's a…" Xavier began to explain, but Zack cut him off.
"A special gene that causes the genetic mutation of humans, causing them to turn into what's known as scientifically called Homo Sapiens Superior, more commonly known as mutants. The gene is known to cause a physical manifestation by giving the one who holds the gene special abilities and powers, which can vary between super strength, teleporting, psychic abilities, and it's even rumored to be able to stop the aging process of some X-Gene carriers." Zack said, and Xavier looked at Zack, impressed.
"Zack, you know better than to interrupt people!" Maggie said, and Xavier smiled.
"No, no, it's quite alright. I must say Zack, you are very knowledgeable of this subject." Xavier said, and Zack rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Like I said, I'm a big fan of your book." Zack, and Xavier smiled. Just then, Hank walked into the room, and Zack rolled his eyes and looked away from his dad.
"Who are you?" Hank asked, and Xavier turned around and held out his hand to Hank.
"Professor Charles Xavier." Xavier greeted, and Hank shook the professor's hand.
"Nice to meet you. But why are you here?" Hank asked.
"I'm here to talk to your son about his gifts." Xavier said, and Hank got mad quickly.
"There's nothing wrong with our son!" Hank said.
"Of course there isn't, I'm just here to offer your son a special opportunity. I want him to come to my school; the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters." Xavier explained, and he pulled out a couple of brochures and handed them to Hank and Maggie. "Here, your son can get an advanced education in math, science, history, government, and many other fields, including the field that makes him unique. He will also be surrounded by students that are just like him." Xavier explained.
"You mean…other mutants?" Maggie asked, and Xavier nodded.
"Yes; Zack will learn how to control his powers and fit in with society." Xavier explained, and Zack's parents went over to the brochures.
"You're just…offering this to me?" Zack asked in shock, and Xavier nodded.
"Yes. And the program is fully funded, so your parents don't have to worry about any fees." Xavier explained, and after a couple of minutes, Maggie spoke up.
"It seems like a good school. And Zack could make plenty of new friends there." Maggie said.
"He doesn't need to go; Zack isn't a mutant. There's nothing wrong with him!" Hank said.
"I never said there was something wrong with him, but here, your son can learn to control his talents, get a proper education so he can thrive in modern society." Xavier explained.
"Mom, please let me go! This is the opportunity of a lifetime!" Zack said, and Maggie went over the brochure again.
"I don't see anything wrong with you going to this school, son. Where is it located?" Maggie asked.
"In Salem Center, New York." Xavier answered.
"New York…wow…that's far…away." Maggie said.
"You're son will be safe; the school will provide him with food and shelter as long as he stays there, and we'll support him up to a college education." Xavier said.
"Well…it's your choice sweetie; if you want to go, it's fine by me. Not everyone gets this opportunity." Maggie said, and Zack jumped for joy.
"YES! I'LL GO PACK MY THINGS!" Zack said excitedly, and he ran up to his room. Hank however, just stormed out of the living room.
"I'm sorry about my husband's behavior." Maggie said.
"There's no need to apologize; he's going through as much change as Zack is, he's just having a harder time dealing with it." Xavier said.
"And I'd like to thank you for giving my son this opportunity; I know he appreciates it too." Maggie said, and Xavier smiled warmly.
"I'm sure he does." Xavier said.
"Just don't get him debating about anything; he'll never stop talking." Maggie said with a smile, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"I know you'll miss him, but you really are helping Zack; in more ways than you know." Xavier explained, and Maggie nodded.
"I know, it's just…Zack's my baby…it's hard seeing him go." Maggie said as she started to cry.
"I promise you, Zack will be okay in my care." Xavier said, and Zack ran back down the stairs with bags that contained, his clothes, books, and a couple of game systems.
"I'm ready to go!" Zack said, and he looked at his mom, and saw that she was crying, so he walked over to her, and hugged her. "Thank you for this mom. I'll never forget that you let me take advantage of this opportunity." Zack said, and Maggie hugged her son tightly.
"You're welcome. Just make sure you use the education Professor Xavier is giving to it's fullest capabilities." Maggie said, and Zack smiled.
"I will mom. I'll be sure to write when I get to New York. I love you." Zack said, and Maggie hugged her son even tighter.
"I love you too son. Please, just be careful." Maggie said, and she gave Zack a kiss on the cheek goodbye, and waved as Xavier and Zack walked outside, to the limo Xavier arrived in, which would take Zack to his new life as a mutant.
A/N: So what do you guys think? This is my first X-Men story, so I'm a bit nervous. Please don't flame me if I did something wrong, but I will take constructive criticism. I really hope you guys liked this first chapter. If you give me a lot of good reviews, it'll encourage me to write and update faster.