This is my first X-Man fanfiction, so please be nice! But, I could use any constructive criticism, as long as it's not hate-mail. Flames, I guess are ok, so long as it's constructive and helpful...
Disclaimer: You know the drill. It's not mine in any way, shape, or form. Just M.G. and a few characters you have yet to meet!
One last note, this fanfiction does not follow any normal timeline. The main characters are all over the place in the comics.
Learning the Hard Way
Dancergirl51
Summary: Jamie is learning what goes on at the X-Mansion. She has a past that she would like to forget. Jamie holds it all in. She has a problem ignoring people when they are talking to her. Her thoughts run wild and are funny at times. It's told from Jamie's perspective. Italics are, for the most part, thoughts. Either Jamie's or Mara's or someone else's. Depends on the context. And I am awful at writing summaries, they always sound bad/ Mary Sueish. It's better in the chapters, and gets better as the story progresses, I guarantee it.
Chapter 1: In Which I Stupidly Open my Mouth
You would think I'd have learned by now to keep my mouth shut. You'd think so, but you are wrong.
I look at the crowd, glad I am not a part of it from my position to the side. The trees surrounding the crowd are thick and dark. The open air makes it seem a little calmer than what it actually is. The response that hasn't been generated yet has boosted my confidence. Usually these... rallies have the energy that kids have in candy shops right from the start. "Can't you see?" I interrupt the speaker. "We're just- they're just like us!"
Ooops. My bad. That slight slip of the tongue is all the people nearest me need- they start moving away at an alarming speed. It's as if I just announced I have a flesh-eating skin disease. My cheeks grow warm and I feel my temper rising. Calm down, I remind myself. This is why you're here.
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I instantly know someone's watching me. I leave the edge of the crowd, and head away from them. "That's the last time I go to an anti-mutant rally." I mutter under my breath.
Someone is now following me. I start to run, and I can hear my pursuer following me, pushing past anyone who's in his way. I start sprinting, but they're closing the small gap. I glance behind me, and instantly recognize my stalker. Creed. Victor Creed.
The gap between us gets smaller... smaller... smaller... He pounces.
Aw, come on! I leap into the air and take flight, my blonde hair flying in the wind, now surrounded by trees. I don't want to fly, but it's the only way to get out of there alive. I look over my shoulder, as I am now so far above him he cannot possibly reach me.
And... he's fighting. A man with metal claws is fighting the man I despise with a force otherwise unknown to me. I watch, midair, the fight below me.
Go, go, go, metal dude! I fly away, as fast as I can, hoping that the metal clawed guy won the fight. He should have, that's for sure, from what I saw.
If you have ever flown before, you know there is a slight problem with flying.
It... tires... you... out.
And I fall to the ground, in the middle of the forest, moss cushioning my fall. The world goes black in seconds.
The thing with falling unconscious is no matter how many times it happens, you are always confused when you wake up.
This is especially true when you fall unconscious in a forest, and wake up in a room that's white, smells clean and is most certainly not where you fell unconscious.
It's a curious thing, white walls. They are so plain. They have always annoyed me.
I get up from the bed I am laying upon. I look around the room, wondering where in God's name I could be. The perimeter of the room is completely metal machinery. Whatever those are for, I won't know, I assure my beating heart. I walk towards the door, slowly. I carefully monitor the room for any moving machines. Or cameras. I look out the window in the door. Nobody's there, and nobody's coming. I scan the room one last time. There are no other doors. Or windows. I open it, and start creeping through the hall. I am doing a fine job, if I may say so myself.
Until a door opens.
The door that I just happen to be walking past. And, of course, it's not someone I know. I do the only thing I can think of; I start to run.
"Wait!"
Run, run, run, run, run, my mind screams.
"I am not going to hurt you."
Right, of course you're not. I continue running.
I don't make it far. In fact, I am stopped almost at once.
"I thought I said to stop." He grabs my arm.
I pull it from him. "I won't." I start running again. Where is the exit to this place? Shouldn't they have emergency exit signs? If this isn't an emergency, waking up in a place I normally avoid, what is?
He follows alongside me. Have I mentioned I run pretty fast? "Where are you going?" He asks me, coolly.
"Somewhere else."
"Where?"
"Anywhere."
"Answer me." The man gives me an air of being someone people don't usually fight. And the look he's giving me is murderous.
"Give me five good reasons." I am acting childish, yeah, but I'm never seeing him again, so what's the point.
He extends his metal claws. "Oops. That's six." He mocks.
"You're—you're—you attacked Creed!" I stammer, skidding to a halt on the gray-blue tiles. Have I mentioned how much I hate white walls?
"Yeah, I did."
"I-I-"
" Jean? Good, you're here."
A woman with very red hair came up behind me without my noticing. "Hi, Logan," she grins. She turns to me.
I glare at her sharply. "Stay—outta—my—head!" I yell and shoot her with telekinetic energy to make her retract her psychic presence, and I build another mental barricade.
"A telekinetic?" ' Logan' asks.
"Apparently." Jean picks herself up calmly.
"Where's the front door?"
"Why?" Jean looks confused.
"Kid thinks she's leaving."
Needless to say, I panic. "Why can't I? What do you want from me?" I screech loudly. "You are just like them, the-"
" Logan, maybe you should leave us alone for a bit."
"But-"
" Logan!" I can hear the hidden threat in her voice and I can feel the psychic energy in the room.
Logan growls, but disappears. "Let's try this again. Hi, I'm Jean Grey. What's your name?"
"Why can't I leave?" I'm hysterical.
"What's your name?"
"Why?"
"Your name, first."
" Jamie." I spit with contempt.
"Your other name?"
"I thought I said to stay out of my head?" I hiss.
"I meant your codename, but if you're lying about being Jamie, you might as well tell me now. It'll save you trouble."
"My name's Jamie." I repeat.
"What about your codename?"
"M.G."
"M.G?"
"Mind Games," I grin, and then glare at her. "Why can't I leave?"
"You can, I just want you to talk to a friend of mine first."
I flip out. "Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God." I repeat. "No, I won't talk to him! Your friend will-"
"Please?"
"No."
"Why not?" A voice behind me asks. Question: how have two people snuck up behind me in a matter of minutes, when I can usually never be snuck up on? Have they drugged me?
"Why should I?"
'I want you to join my school.' His voice comes into my head loud and clear.
'Of course. A school. For mutants, right? That's what they called the last place I was at, too.' I send back. 'And stay out of my head! What's with entering my head around here?'
I leap, about to take flight, when I am caught, midair by a force I can't fight. Jean has her hand out, and is focusing on me. If I could just enter her head and re-arrange-
" Jamie, I'll let you down if you promise to listen."
I sigh. I send both the professor and Jean flying away from me with a single telepathic blast. The choice is either be nice to the creep-o in the wheelchair or survive. Guess which I chose?
Logan catches up to me in seconds. "Where are we going?"
"We?" I rage.
"Professor X asked me to follow you." And talk to you, he adds to himself, mentally. "After blacking out, you can't be feeling too good right now."
"I'm fine."
"Of course you are."
"Why do you listen to him?" I'm still sprinting, trying to get away from him. Although, Logan seems to be having no problem at the pace we are at. I, however, start panting slightly. Who is this guy, and why is he so fast?
"He's never given me a reason not to."
"Why do you stay?"
"Hmmm." He fakes deep thought. "Free food, clothing, bedding, a room to beat stuff up in, classes, understanding, a life…" he lists. " It beats running away."
"What—is—this place?" I breathe, motioning to the never-ending hallway, the white walls and the oddly placed blue-gray X's on the ground.
"The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. A school… for mutants."
"Why does he want me?" I can feel myself liking this guy… against my better judgment. He's like me—tough. And unfriendly.
"So Magneto can't use you."
I visibly flinch at the name. " Logan?"
"Wolverine."
"What?"
"Call me Wolverine." The cold edge to his voice does not go unnoticed, thank you very much.
" Jamie."
"Codename?"
"M.G. Mind Games."
"Nice."
"Anyway, Wolverine?"
"Yeah?"
"I should stay?" I ask his opinion, even though I already know it.
"Honestly?" I nod. "You'd be stupid not to."
I am taken to a new room off of the eternal hallway. It's small and has three large desks in it, God only knows why, but they're there, let me tell you. Here, I am told a little about the school. "The necessities," a man says. He studies me carefully, or I assume he's watching me. Though with those geeky glasses I'm not sure. Then we begin.
The first part of "application" is the fact that because this school houses so many runaways, the professor makes it a rule that the legal guardians have to know where you are attending school. In other words, I have to call them.
That is a cheerful conversation.
"Hi, Sam. This is Jamie." I pace around the room, on the cordless phone they let me borrow. "The mutant foster kid you got stuck with? I'm going to a boarding school… No, it's in New York… No, it's for mutants… No, you can't visit… No, I won't come home for breaks… No, I won't call again…" Wow. Sam sure can act well.
After Sam and John let me hang up, and know which state I am in, I am told to take a questionnaire. The professor, however, is too busy to give it to me.
"This is Scott 'Cyclops' Summers. Please give him your application when you're done filling it out." He tells me.
"Aha, so Cyclops wears fashionable glasses. I got it now!" I say mock-serious. I am handed a ten page packet, instead. I fill it out to the best of my abilities.
Name: Choose one: Jamie Callahan, Jamie Johnson, Katrin Brown, or Kayla Morgan
Codename: M.G. (Mind Games)
Date of Birth: ? Either in 1993 or 1989
Place of Birth: Not sure. USA, presumably.
Residence: Debatable. According to the state, it's: 390 Oak Road, Bradley, PA,
Powers: Mind control, telekinesis, mind-reading, flying, etc.
It continues in a similar manner: it asking questions, me not giving direct answers. I hand it to Scott and start to leave the room. "Wait," That's a command. Ouch. Bad move, Scott. Strike one. "What's your name?"
"I don't know."
"What do people call you?"
"M.G."
"Other than that."
" Jamie."
" Jamie, what?" He's exasperated.
"I have gone by many names. Pick one." I spit.
He moves on. "Where were you born?"
"Pick a city."
"What state, at least," Scott's almost begging.
"Pick one."
"Professor!" Scott yells and storms out of the room. Childish, much? He returns, minutes later, with a tired-looking professor, a smirking Wolverine, and a woman introduced as Ororo "Storm" Monroe.
"She has left her application blank. Or, at least, it's essentially blank." He hands over the paper. Wolverine's smirk grows larger as he reads over the shoulder of the wheelchair-bound man.
" Scott, I think you are overreacting. Miss—um... uh... Jamie. Are you being intentionally obtuse?"
"No-"
"Or insubordinate?"
"No. My name's Jamie. I am born in the USA sometime between the years 1985-1995. It has been calculated more recently at 1993 and 1989, if that helps."
" See, Scott?"
"She's lying." False accusation: strike two.
"Am I? I'm sorry, I was unaware." I smirk at him.
"Was I lying?" Wolverine cuts in. Scott stops talking.
"What grade did you last complete?" Storm asks me.
"Grade?" I echo.
"In school?"
"School?" I laugh. "School?"
"Yes, it's a law, you know." She smiles.
"I don't remember going to 'school.' " As you know it, I mentally add.
"What do you-?"
"Oh, come on! What's the probability that she doesn't know her name, her age, her school yea-" I snap. I use telekinetic energy to slam Scott into a wall. Strike three. I smile.
"That's the probability."
Storm rushes over to look at Scott.
" Jamie, that was highly unadvisable. You must refrain from doing that any further." The Professor pauses, deep in thought. "Why don't we take a placement test to find your grade? Tomorrow morning, after a team Danger Room session. Is that okay?"
"Sure," I say, almost laughing. I thought I would have gotten in trouble, at least.
" Logan, please take Jamie to Marie's room. We'll talk… later."
"I don't like him," I defend my self, as Wolverine takes me into an elevator.
He doesn't say anything. He takes me up a few floors and to a room. "Here."
I knock on the door. A girl opens the door. Her hair is dark brown with a white streak in it. She's about my size, but I'm slightly taller.
"Your roommate, Rogue. Have fun." He says, and leaves. Of course. He leaves me with her. A girl in a skirt. Great.
"I'm Rogue. Anna Marie, actually."
" Jamie."
"I didn't know I was getting a roommate! Where's your stuff?"
I point at myself. "What you see is what you get."
Please bear with me as I post some more chapters. It gets better, in my opinion. If you hate it, tell me in a polite way. If you like it, please tell me so. If I have anything so horribly wrong, please tell me. I'll fix it. Thanks for your support and help!
Dancergirl51