Chapter 1

As I was slowly led away by the guards I took one last look back at my family. Their faces held no expression, as if I was just another person they were passing on the street. Except I wasn't. I was their daughter, their sister. I wished that what happened hadn't happened. The thing was that even though I knew I had done it, I didn't know how.

I was convicted of first-degree arson. I had burned my house to the ground. Thankfully no one was hurt. Some had burns and I had none, and I was the last one out, making sure that everyone else got out safely. Since I seemed untouched by the fire the jury believed that I was the one who set it. Even though the investigators couldn't find any reason for the fire to start in any way, I still pleaded guilty, wanting to be locked up. Then maybe I wouldn't be a danger to anyone anymore. Like I said before, I knew I started the fire, but I don't know how.

I was sitting in my cell one day, watching my cellmate read, and trying to figure out if my life had any direction now. Was there anything one could aspire to in prison? Then the guard came in.

"Lydia, you have a visitor." He said unlocking the cell.

"Who?"" was all I could say. No one had visited me since I was convicted, and that was three months ago.

I was led down the hall to the visitor's area and sat down where instructed. On the other side of the glass was a bald man in a wheelchair. He had a curious look on his face; I couldn't quite make out the expression. I picked up the phone receiver and he did the same.

"Good afternoon, Lydia." He said, kindly.

"Hello. Who are you?" I may have sounded rude, but I was curious too.

"My name is Charles Xavier. I am headmaster of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. It's a school for people like us." He kept that strange look on his face and looked into my eyes.

"People like us?" I asked. I didn't know what he meant. "People like what?"

"Mutants." He spoke that word softly, so others around him wouldn't overhear.

I was speechless for a moment. I had read about the so-called, "Mutant Phenomena" in the newspapers, but I had taken it to be nothing but sensationalized stories.

"Lydia, are you alright?" The man asked.

"Sir, there are no such things as mutants. That's all just media hype to improve sales." I kept my eyes on his.

Then I could feel a strange feeling inside my head, then I heard his voice, but he wasn't speaking to me with his mouth, I could hear it inside my mind.

I assure you, Lydia that mutants are quite real. I also am led to believe that you are one of us.

"I can't be," I said. "Even in the stories they said that the powers manifest at puberty." I was disturbed at him talking to me in my mind, but I was also doing all in my power to prove him wrong.

Maybe you're an anomaly. It's not impossible.

"But you talking to me like this is." I hung up the phone and told the guard that our conversation was over. I looked over my shoulder as I was led back and Charles Xavier still watched me with that penetrating look.

Later that night I tried to sleep but couldn't get my conversation with Charles Xavier out of my mind. I went through the events of the night of the fire in my mind. I was very agitated. I had just had a huge fight with my boyfriend, resulting in a breakup. My mother wanted me to talk about it, I wasn't ready. I was walking from the living room to the kitchen to get some water to drink and cool down and the next thing I know I hear a scream and the house is engulfed in flames. Immediately I scrambled to get my brother and sister out and my parents. Nothing had caught on fire around me since. But I hadn't been that agitated since, even when I was being interrogated and in court.

I also thought about what I had read about mutants. Technically I was 18 and not out of puberty yet. But I assumed the papers meant like 13 or 14 years of age. I hadn't seen anyone that I knew to be mutants around, so I assumed they were just made up. I suddenly had a ton of questions I wanted to ask the strange man who visited me. Hopefully he'd come back again.

A couple of weeks passed by and the guard came to get me again and led me to the front of the jailhouse and handed me a box of my personal affects. The clothes I was arrested in were in there, unfortunately they were scorched and had burn holes in them, but then he had me sign discharge papers.

"What?" I asked. "I'm leaving?"

"Your sentence was reduced to time served. Also, your behavior was good. Personally I don't see you as a danger to society." This guard did seem like a kind man.

"But what if something else catches on fire? Someone could die!" I was desperate. I didn't want anyone to get hurt.

"Lydia, you'll be fine." I signed the papers after changing into my charred clothes and then left.

Where do I go from here? I thought.

A dark car with tinted windows pulled up and a voice I recognized instructed me to get in. I did as I was told. When I got inside I could see Charles Xavier sitting in the passenger side and a man in sunglasses driving.

"Sir, what are you doing here?" I was happy that we were getting another chance to talk, but the circumstances were strange.

"I helped to get your sentence reduced." He simply said.

"How?"

"I can be very persuasive at times." He looked at me then.

"This is Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops." He indicated the driver of the car. He waved at me in the rearview mirror.

"Cyclops?" I still didn't understand.

"All the mutants in my school make up nicknames for themselves, due to what their power is. I believe your power is the ability to create fire." Xavier said.

"Where are we headed?" I asked.

"Westchester, New York. I think you will enjoy the school. Also you'll be safe there."

"Safe from what?" I wasn't worried about me, I was worried about others.

"From those who might seek to do you harm. We recently had some problems with a man who did experimentation on mutants. He is no longer operational but that doesn't mean there are not others out there wishing to do the same."

"But no one knows I am a mutant, if they actually exist." I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"More people know about you then you think." I heard inside my head.

The ride itself was uneventful and I found all the questions I wanted to ask Xavier were forgotten. We entered an iron gate to a beautiful mansion with ivy covered walls and extensive grounds. I noticed on an upstairs veranda there were pots of geraniums.

We got out of the car and then Xavier turned to me and said, "Welcome to your new home. Scott will show you to your room."

Scott approached me and smiled and held out his hand since we didn't get to properly introduce ourselves earlier.

"I don't know why Xavier said that. I never agreed to stay here."

"Well, we think its best due to your power. Any other place could burn down, but not this place, at least where we are putting you." He led me inside.

I looked around at all the young faces around me. All these people believed themselves to be mutants. Maybe this is the school for the insane, of for those who have delusions of grandeur I thought.

"Where are you putting me?" I asked as I rushed down the hall to keep pace with him.

"In a quiet corner of the mansion, away from the other students; since you're done with school you get your own room. And we've made sure that the whole place is flame retardant, just in case." He smiled and opened the door.

I walked in and after saying goodbye I collapsed on the bed. I walked to the closet and there were clothes in there. I quickly decided on a shower and change, no doubt looking like a homeless person when I walked in. I also noticed there was a bible in the nightstand. I wasn't sure if it would help me. My faith had wavered since my incarceration.

This was the best shower I had in ages, mostly because it was private but we had more than two temperatures to the water here. In prison it was scalding hot and freezing cold. I got dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt and laid down to take a nap.

I awoke late at night, missing dinner but not all that hungry. However I was very thirsty and had a hankering for orange juice. I figured that since this is a school they have to have orange juice, right?

I walked in the direction of the kitchen, at least where I assumed it was. I passed by a lounge area where a young boy sat, changing the channels with a blink of his eyes. I moved on without saying anything, not believing what I saw and found the kitchen. It was dark and quiet, a light in the hall illuminating enough and I found the fridge. I opened it and saw a carton of orange juice. I took it out, did a quick look around then twisted the top off and took a swig then put the top back on and placed it back inside.

I closed the door and turned to leave but saw a movement in the shadows and nearly jumped out of my skin. There was a man, sitting on the counter watching me. The only thing was he didn't look much like a man. He had blue skin, yellow eyes and a long, thin tail. He frightened me, I'd never seen anyone that looked like this before, and the fact that he was hiding in shadow watching me made me even more uneasy.

He must have noticed my fear because he got off the counter and came toward me. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to frighten you." He held out a hand. "My name is Kurt Wagener."

He pronounced the w like a v so I figured he must be German. "Lydia," I replied. I found that he wasn't so frightening since he greeted me so.

"In the Munich Circus I was known as the Incredible Nightcrawler." He looked very proud of that fact.

"I don't have a nickname yet, unless you want to call me arsonist." I looked down; embarrassed mostly that he caught me steeling orange juice.

"Why would I call you an arsonist?" He asked.

"Because I burned down my house without knowing how and that's why I'm here. Charles Xavier thinks I'm a mutant. I don't think they exist." Then I took a look at the blue man next to me and realized that I was probably wrong, "Sorry." I replied.

"No need. Most mutants look like everyone else. I wish I did."

"So…what's your power?" I asked.

He disappeared with a loud BAMF! And appeared behind me and said, "Teleportation."

I actually thought that to be quite amazing and actually useful. My power only gets people hurt and I imprisoned.

I nodded and turned around to go back to bed. "Good night, Kurt Wagener." I said as I walked out.

"Good night, Lydia," he replied. As I walked out I could hear him muttering in German. A quick glance back and I saw his rosary in his hand. He was praying. The kitchen seemed a weird place to pray, but I guess it's where he was comfortable. When I got back to bed I didn't sleep for the rest of the night.

Chapter 2

When I got up in the morning I took a quick shower and changed and went in search of breakfast, and perhaps the strange man I met the night before.

I exchanged pleasantries with a few of the students who were at breakfast and invited me to sit at their table. They seemed fascinated with the fact that my powers didn't manifest at a younger age like theirs.

When breakfast was over while they headed off to their classes I decided to take a walk around the grounds and get to know this place.

I had wandered out to the courtyard and was gazing into the reflective pond when I saw a reflection other than my own appear walk up beside mine.

"Gutan tag." He said pleasantly to my reflection.

"Oh, hello Kurt." I replied.

"I've been wondering about you." He said and I looked up at him.

"About what?" I asked.

"Why were you stealing orange juice last night?"

I thought it strange for him to be asking me this now.

"I was thirsty," I said softly.

He nodded then sat down on a bench and gestured for me to do the same.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you last night. I tend to go into the kitchen to pray as it's quiet and serene."

"A kitchen is serene?" I asked. I certainly never thought about it that way.

"It's homey, in a way. Growing up in the circus I never had a permanent home. It was always something I wanted, but I enjoyed the freedom I felt in the circus." He looked out to the field.

"What kind of freedom?" I asked.

"Outside of the circus, most people are afraid of me. In the circus I could be who and what I was and it didn't make any difference. Most people thought it was just a mask or makeup anyway." He looked back at me.

I nodded, thinking about my own power. Oh, how I hated it. I gripped the wooden railing in the front of the bench in frustration, remembering how I felt when the house went up in flames.

"Do you smell something burning?" Kurt said after a moment.

I looked down and saw smoke coming from my hands. I screamed and let go and got up from the bench. I looked back and saw my hand prints burned into the wood. I backed away from Kurt and soon I was looking down at him. I realized that I had risen in the air, flames forming beneath my feet. I looked around, panicked, not sure how to stop this and of course afraid of setting fire to the mansion or hurting someone. I saw the professor wheel toward me while Kurt watched in awe. I felt the flames engulf me, but they didn't hurt. They felt comfortable, like a second skin. I felt the flames come over my head and my arms rose to my sides and burst forth in wings of flame. I hovered there for a moment, trying to figure out how to come down when I heard the professor shout, "Just imagine lowering yourself and dismissing the flame."

I did as I was instructed and slowly it started working. I slowly lowered myself to the ground and when my feet touched the grass again the flames were gone. I just stood there, stunned and afraid that it might happen again, while I was closer to someone.

"That was magnificent,Lydia. You looked like a phoenix." He smiled at me.

I immediately knew that's what I wanted to be my nickname. It sounded so dramatic. I started smiling as well. I walked back in with the professor and Kurt and we went to his office.

"What we need to do now is help you learn to control your power. It seems when you feel agitated or nervous," and he gave a look to Kurt who looked confused by this, "you seem to manifest. If you learn to control that it would be safer for you and everyone else."

When we were done with our meeting Kurt and I walked back outside.

"What did the professor mean with that look he gave me? Do I make you nervous?"

"To be perfectly honest, a little." He smiled and I blushed and looked away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." He came a little closer to me.

"It's ok. I guess there's no hiding anything from the professor, huh?" I asked.

"Well, he is psychic, you know." He was joking. I was smiling with him, enjoying his company and he lightly stroked some hair behind my ear, but kept his hand there, on the side of my face. I started feeling nervous again, and still afraid of my power I jerked away from Kurt's hand and with frightened eyes ran back inside and to my flame-retardant room.