A/N: Hello and welcome to my first Marvel story! The story is set around my original character, Alice, a mutant with powerful healing abilities; this story will follow the timeline of the X-Men film trilogy, starting from the first X-Men film, set in the year 2000. Sixteen year-old Alice Scott finds herself orphaned and with no choice but to join Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, when her powers are revealed to the public. Also follow Alice travel into adulthood, into the Marvel cinematic universe, beginning from the 2011 Avengers film, and so forth. This story is a slow-burner, so please grab a snack and enjoy the adventure!

So far, this story will be a Bucky/OFC because I LOVE Sebastian Stan's portrayal of the Winter Solider, however I'm open to dabbling, depending on how the story goes. I'm thinking there will also be Steve/OFC, with a secondary OC :) But as mentioned earlier, this story is a slow burner, so will probably see Alice interacting with many Marvel characters along the way!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters (X-Men included!). The only characters that belong to me are Alice Scott, plus any other additional OC's. Finally—this story is set in America, unfortunately I am not American, I am from the UK, henceforth I may not use the correct American terminology for some things. Apologies in advance if there is any confusion. Please feel free to let me know if something should be phrased differently! Thanks :)

-:-

Chapter One

An End and A New Beginning

-:-

South Carolina, 2000.

It was a sweltering summer evening and Alice Scott lounged on the foot of Tommy Smith's pool, feet and calves submerged into the cool water. In her right hand was a plastic red cup that had been handed to her the moment she arrived—a strange concoction that the boys had rustled up, which will most probably have everyone puking until the new school year. The pool was filled with people, all desperately trying to find some relief from the heat; most people arriving in swim gear, or their most sparse items of clothing. Alice herself wore only a pair of denim shorts, and her red halter neck bikini top—her top, along with her sandals, abandoned a feet from the pool, from where she sat.

It appeared the whole of her high school class had turned up to Tommy Smith's pool party, that included Alice herself who had came with her friend Terri—who was currently across the other side of the pool, talking to Colin Jacobs, whom she has had a crush on since sophomore year. Terri's back was pressed against the edge of the pool, and Colin stood over her, head bent down and speaking to her in hushed tones. Whatever Colin was saying, Terri seemed to be enjoying it judging by the flush on her cheeks and the biting of her lip.

Alice looked away, knowing she would hear all about it tomorrow, thus feeling no need to intrude any further. Alice sighed and moved her gaze around her surroundings. She seemed to be the only purely sober person in this room. Not by lack of trying of course—she had drunk maybe five of these god awful concoctions since she arrived three hours ago, and unlike her fellow peers, she still had control over her inhibitions. The truth was it took a lot to get Alice drunk.

"Allie!" she heard a drunken slur from her right. Matt, her lab partner, had swam over to her and was now bobbing a feet or two from where she was perched at the edge of the pool, beer bottle in hand.

Matt was nice enough (and cute too), up until they became lab partners at the beginning of the last school year, they had never spoken more than one or two words. Terri thought it would be the perfect opportunity for Alice to speak to him, knowing Alice had once admitted on a few occasions that she thought Matt was cute. But Alice knew if she didn't score as highly as she did in lab, Matt never would have approached her wanting to be partners. It wasn't that Alice was a genius, per say—she was hard-working. It was something her parents had instilled in her since she was a baby—'work hard, and you get what you deserve' as her Dad always said.

"How's it going?" Matt said, sipping from his beer.

Alice nodded, taking a sip of her own drink. "Good—you?"

Matt grimaced at the cup in her hand. "You're not actually drinking that stuff are you? I heard Tommy and Kirk added some pretty strong stuff to that. Be careful you don't end up with alcohol poisoning tomorrow—how many have you had of those?"

Alice shrugged. "5—maybe? I dunno."

"Jesus, Allie. How are you still standing?" Alice tried not to blush at the nickname he had dubbed her over their course of the year.

Alice smirked. "Well I'm not exactly standing, am I?" she gestured with her free hand to her sitting position.

Matt rolled his eyes. "You're such a dork, Scott."

Alice shrugged again. "That's why you chose me for your lab partner."

"Too right." Matt laughed. "I hope we're in the same class this year. There's no way I can get through the year without my favorite lab partner."

Alice refrained from rolling his eyes, knowing the real truths behind that statement—Matt really wasn't exactly the smartest tool in the toolbox, and word was, his Dad was pretty set on him heading to an Ivy League college after high school; Matt knows this of course, hence enter Alice. "We'll see." Alice flashed him a quick smile. Alice felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. Pulling out her Nokia phone, she saw a text from her Dad.

Don't be home too late. It's church tomorrow.

Alice sighed. Her family were a fairly religious family, which meant prayers before every meal, before they went to bed and church every Sunday. Dad would not be impressed if Alice were to turn up to Sunday service, hung-over and puking the remnants of the night before—not that Dad knew he didn't have to worry about that happening with Alice.

"Hey," Matt spoke again after a few moments pause, pulling her from her thoughts. "My brother's home from college, he said he can sneak a few of us into a Fireflytonight." Firefly was the local, and only, nightclub in town. "Terri is a definite yes. I assume you'll be in too?"

Alice's eyes flickered to her friend, who was now locked mouth-to-mouth with Colin, completely oblivious to the two drunken guys wrestling in the water not far from them. She knew she wouldn't be hearing much from Terri tonight. "I can't … Curfew and all." Alice attempted to be apologetic. The truth was, the last thing she wanted was to be in a nightclub full of drunken people, as the only sober person there.

"Seriously? I'm sure we can sneak you back in without your parents knowing."

Alice raised a brow. "You clearly don't know my parents."

"Allie," Matt moaned. "Don't be so boring. It's summer! Please say you'll come?"

Alice opened her mouth to speak, but in that moment, three things happened. Firstly, one of the two boys wrestling from earlier (that had somehow managed to make it to the side of the pool Alice and Matt were located), had stumbled into a blonde girl, who pushed the guy into Matt with a scream. Then secondly, as the guy collided with Matt, he went flying towards Alice. She distinctly heard the sound of Matt's beer bottle shattering against the edge of the pool, before he ricocheted towards Alice. Then a searing pain flooded her, as she felt a sharp shard of glass pierce into the skin of her leg, causing her to let out a sharp yelp of pain.

Through the commotion, no-one seemed to hear Alice's yelp, bar Matt who was right next to her. The drunken guy slurred a "sorry, dude" in Matt's direction before swimming after his friend, splashing loudly; meanwhile the girl he had originally bumped into was being fussed over by her friends as she desperately tried to fix her now soaked bleach blonde hair.

Matt pulled away immediately and looked down. "Oh my God, Allie." Alice looked down to where the pain originated from. A shared of glass was lodged in her leg, and blood was seeping down into the pool, tainting the water. "Are you OK?"

Alice suddenly felt a wave of panic overtake her. "I'm fine." She snapped as Matt went to touch the shard of glass. "I'm going to go to the bathroom to clean myself up . . ."

"Alice, I don't think you should walk on it . . ." Matt attempted to protest, but Alice ignored him, pulling herself to her feet—with a slight wobble—and quickly rushed from the scene, grabbing her discarded t-shirt and sandals as she fled.

Alice pushed through the crowd of people in the kitchen, hunched around a keg, cheering and laughing as someone chugged down the whole bowl of punch Tommy had been dishing out on arrival. Alice limped her way up the stairs, squeezing around a couple making out on the steps, and after two attempts, opened the door to the bathroom—she quickly threw herself inside, locking the door behind her, and slumped herself on the toilet, panting in pain.

When she looked down, lines of blood had trickled down her leg, from where the large shard of glass was lodged. The said blood was beginning to drip onto the floor. "Shit." Alice grabbed a chunk of paper towels and began sweeping up the blood before it could stain the flooring. Meanwhile her other hand hovered around the shard of glass. "OK, Alice you can do this. You've done worse." Alice carefully pinched the glass with her forefinger and thumb. One, two . . . three "Shit!" Alice exclaimed as she yanked out the glass, throwing it into the porcelain sink to her side, and immediately pushing the paper towels onto the wound to prevent any further blood escaping.

Alice exhaled and inhaled deeply for several long moments, listening to her heart beat slow down. Once her heart had gone back to its normal rate, Alice re-opened her eyes and pulled the paper towels from her leg. Blood was smeared across her leg. Alice carefully wiped the blood away, revealing the place where the skin had been penetrated, sealed without even a scar or breakage. The wound was gone.

-:-

Alice could never exactly pinpoint the day, or exact moment, she realized she was a mutant. Perhaps it was time she fell from a swing, breaking her arm in the process, and snapped the broken bones back together like it was nothing when she was six years old. Or perhaps it was the time she accidentally burnt herself on the iron her Mum left out when she was five years old. Alice had screamed bloody murder, but by the time her Mum found her, there was no burn in sight. There were many instances where her healing abilities showed, but she could never pinpoint the exact moment they developed. For as long as Alice was aware, they had always been there. She had never been normal, for as long as she could remember.

To her family and friends, however, she was a normal, shy girl. Even as a child, Alice knew her abilities wasn't something she should go talking about—even to her parents, the ones who brought her into the world, who raised her.

As time went on, and mutants were acknowledged by the rest of the world, Alice came to accept she was one of them, but continued to stay quiet as other mutants spoke up. Alice particularly remembered the man, Brian Johnson, who had been reported on their local television news broadcast channel. He told his entire local network he was a mutant. At the time, Alice had been captivated by his presence on her screen—transfixed and inspired. Another person, just like her, fighting for mutants to be accepted by the rest of the world, as free people. He claimed his ability allowed him to walk across water.

Days later, he was kidnapped from his own home, driven to nearest lake, and killed by drowning. The killers, who were later apprehended by the police, had held him down in the water as he drowned to death. After that moment, it came apparently clear, that mutants will never be accepted in society, and Alice chose to stay hidden to everyone, including her family. That didn't mean there weren't near misses—events, like tonight, that happen in public, but for the most part Alice had managed to pass them off as 'flukes' or 'close calls'.

Tonight she would put blame on the alcohol. If Matt approached her over the next coming days, she would say it was nothing more than scratch, and they were both so drunk that they thought it was worse than it actually was. Or if luck was on her side, Matt won't even remember come the next morning. Judging by the fact she was the only person sober at the party that night, she doubted anyone would have noticed, bar Matt.

-:-

"Alice?" Alice snapped her head up, the distinct voice of Matt echoing from the other side of the door. When Alice didn't respond immediately, he began to knock. "Alice, it's me—Matt. Hey, are you OK? Do you need me to drive you to an A&E?" Alice considered ignoring him, maybe he would figure she wasn't there and give up, but the knocking persisted. "Alice? Are you in there?"

Alice groaned, knowing the guy wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Throwing herself to her feet, and unhinged the lock on the door. She opened the door to face her ex-lab partner. "Hey, don't worry—I'm fine. It was nothing more than cut." Matt looked at her unsurely, even as drunk as he was, he saw the blood and the glass shard sticking from her leg. Alice opened the door wider and motioned to her leg. "Nothing that a band-aid couldn't fix. See?" Alice motioned to the band-aid on her leg, where the wound had once been, that she managed to find in the cupboards. "No harm, no foul."

Matt exhaled. "Phew." Matt chuckled. "For a moment there, I thought you were definitely going to need an ambulance. Are you sure you don't want to go to the A&E? It looked pretty deep, you might need stitches . . ."

Alice waved him off. "The blood made it look worse than it actually was." Please don't insist I go to the hospital, please, please, please. "Nothing more than cut, I promise."

Matt shrugged in acceptance. "OK, then. Well, can I get you a drink or something? That got to have sobered you up."

Alice shook her head. "No, thanks, urr—I think its best I head back. Like I said earlier, I have a curfew. Thanks for checking up on me. See you around, maybe?" Alice gave him a small smile before squeezing around him and heading for the stairs. Luckily, Matt didn't follow her, and to her relief, she made it out of the house without being hounded by anyone else. It appeared Matt didn't mention her incident to anyone, or people were too drunk to even acknowledge it fully.

For a Saturday night, the streets heading back home, were relatively quiet, bar the occasional car that passed. It was roughly a twenty-minute to thirty minute walk back home from Tommy Smith's house. On the way here, Alice had been dropped off with Terri by Terri's older sister. Originally, Alice and Terri planned to head back together, but Alice had a feeling Terri wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. Alice smirked, knowing how happy Terri will be tomorrow, when she realises she finally hooked up with Colin Jacobs.

Alice pulled out her mobile and decided to drop Terri a text, telling her she was heading home, and to enjoy the rest of the night. She knew Terri probably wouldn't see it until she stops to wonder where Alice had gone, at some point through the night, so hopefully Terri will pick that up when she finally retracts from Colin's mouth for air. She also sent a text to her Dad, to let him know she was on her way home. It was almost midnight; her parents usually headed for bed around eleven, but Alice knew her parents were most likely waiting up until she came home, or lying awake in bed until they hear the front door opening and closing upon Alice's return.

Alice gripped onto her phone for several minutes, half anticipating a reply from her Dad, but when she didn't receive one, she slipped her phone back in her pocket and continued on her route home.

As she headed home, she thought of how tomorrow would pan out; she would be woken by her mother at seven; she would get up, dress in her Sunday best, before she and her family had breakfast then headed to the church for the Sunday service that starts from nine. After the service, her parents would hang around to chat to the regulars and Father McCannon, before they head home for their Sunday lunch. The afternoon would follow with the usual—a walk in the summer sunshine, followed by a cool glass of lemonade upon their return. After dinner, they would play Monopoly (Alice and her sister Emily would fight over the metal dog, as always) before they would retire for the night to their rooms. That was when Terri will most likely call to clue her in on all the details that happened with her and Colin.

Alice continued about her route, in her own world, as she neared home. It was as she turned onto her block, that her world turned upside-down. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the sight of blue flashing lights, and a eerie orange glow and smoke that swarmed the street. Somewhere down the street, she could make out police cars—the owners of the blue and red flashing lights—through the crowds of people clung together behind a long strip of tape, warding them off from the lower half of the street.

Alice quickened her pace towards the crowds. She began to listen to the people chatter.

"It happened so quick. Myself and Joe were just nodding off to sleep when we heard the explosion. We escaped as fast as we could"-

-"I just can't believe it. They were such a lovely family"-

-"The police are suspecting a gas pipe explosion"-

-"They had two daughters, right?"-

Alice only heard bits and pieces as she waved through the crowds of people, towards the tape that stopped people from getting to the other side of the street. She could barely see what was happening over the crowds of people—she cursed herself for being so small. She craned her neck, attempting to see where the orange glow was coming from, when she heard her name being called and a hand grasping her elbow.

"Alice!"

Alice turned to her right to see Mrs. Jones, her elderly widowed neighbor looking at her with wide terrified eyes. "Mrs. Jones, hi." She said exasperatedly. "What's going on?"

Mrs. Jones brought a shaky hand to her mouth. "Oh child." She sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry . . ."

Alice felt confusion consume her. "What do you mean?" confusion was followed by a sudden flush of dread. "Wh-what do you mean, Mrs. Jones?" she repeated again, this time louder and more angrier. "Where are my parents? Where's Emily?" Mrs. Jones shook her head, her hand clamped to her mouth, tears falling down her face. Alice snapped her head back to where the orange glow came from over the heads of people. Cold fear washed over her as now, the orange glow, had replaced with furious flames, clawing higher and higher into the sky. It was then she realized where the flames were coming from. "No!"

"Alice!" Mrs. Jones had attempted to grab her, but she was too late; Alice was pushing through the people, ducking underneath the tape, and passed the group of cops facing towards the scene. "Somebody stop her!" she vaguely heard her elderly neighbor shout in the distance.

"Hey, Miss—stop! You can't go in there!" a cop exclaimed from behind her. "Stop!"

Alice dug her feet harder into the ground, increasing her speed. Her heart clenched in her chest as she saw the sight before her; her home was blaze with fire, the once beautiful white paintwork, blackened and collapsed in places. Alice run up the porch-steps and threw open the front door, her arm immediately reaching up to cover her mouth, as an attempt to guard her mouth from the smoke that filled the rooms. Much like the outside, the inside was filled with flames—walls were barely sticking to the frame of the house, doors were burnt to a crisp, and furniture was engulfed in fire.

"Mom! Dad! Emily!" Alice screamed through the roar and crunch of the house burning alive.

Alice headed for the stairs, knowing the were most likely to be found upstairs in their bedrooms. The floorboards cracked and moved beneath her, ready to crumble at any moment as she slammed open the door of her parents' room. The sight she saw made her stomach churn; she felt herself keel over and empty the continence of her stomach. There she found her parents, engulfed in flame, no longer recognizable—burnt almost to the bone—but she knew it was them and she knew there was nothing left of them.

"No!" Alice screamed hysterically, hands holding onto the frame of the door, her body completely ignoring the pain as she placed her hand on the burning wood. "Mom! Dad! Please—wake up!"

But they never moved. They would never move again.

"Al . . . ice!" Alice turned, hearing the faint sound of her name being called—the voice was weak, only just heard over the burning. Alice ran to the sound of the voice, where she found her sister, Emily, curled into the corner of her room, the rest of it a maze of fire. She was struggling to stay awake, her head lulled back against the wall, coughing and spluttering. Alice felt herself elapse into a fit of coughing as she enter the room that was so full of smoke, she could barely breathe—and either could Emily.

"I'm coming Emily!" Alice shouted over the smoke. "Stay there!" Alice looked around her—there were flames everywhere, there was no chance she could get herself to Emily without burning herself in some shape or form. Alice would heal—Emily, however, would not. Just then, the house rocked; Alice grabbed onto the nearest thing she could grasp onto to steady herself, a chair with a blanket over it. Alice knew the house wouldn't standing for much longer—she had to get Emily out of there, and out of there quick.

Alice moved quickly, grasping hold of the blanket draped over the chair and threw herself over the bed, through the fire. She felt the fire claw at her open skin, Alice wailed in pain, throwing herself next to Emily. Next to Emily, she spied a bedside table, with a trembling glass of water on it. Throwing the water over the blanket to dampen the fabric, Alice quickly cocooned her sister in the blanket. "You have to get up!" Alice screamed, pulling her sister to her feet. "We have to move fast, OK? Don't think, just run. Do you understand?" Emily nodded, her whole body shaking. "I've got you." the house shook once more. "We have to go—Now!"

Alice pulled Emily over the bed once more, the flames attacking her skin once more in the process. She could feel the flames burn deeper and deeper into her skin; she could distinctly smell the scent of her flesh burning. Alice gritted her teeth and pulled Emily out of the room and down the stairs. Emily suddenly stopped. "Mom and Dad!" Emily screamed over the flames, beginning to head towards their bedroom.

"No!" Alice pulled Emily back, scared she would see what Alice had scene just moments earlier. "They're gone Emily!" The house shuddered once more. Alice looked to the ceiling above them, seeing the crack beginning to form, and begin to collapse. "Move!" Alice screamed, pulling Emily down the stairs, which caved as they stepped upon them. Alice just managed to pull Emily onto the next step, before she would fall with the steps, and through the front door before that also collapsed on them. Alice threw Emily onto the lawn and jumped on top of her, as the house finally crumbled and collapsed with a loud band. She felt a burning piece of rubble tumble onto her and bounce away, sending a piercing pain through her back. She could faintly hear Emily's screams beneath her, as she house crumbled and fell ten feet behind them.

When the sound creased, and they were suddenly eloped in silence, Alice peered over her shoulder to see the place where her home ounce stood, was nothing more than a smoking pile of rubble.

"Alice!" Emily exclaimed.

Alice looked down at her sister, panicked. "What is it? Are you hurt?!"

"No!" Emily shook her head, but raised a shaky finger to point at her. "But you are . . ."

Alice looked down; her entire body was black and red, her clothes were barely there, burnt in the fire. There were burns that were so deep, a bone or organ was visible. "It's OK . . . I'm OK." Alice attempted to calm Emily, but the shaking wouldn't crease. Alice rolled to her side, the pain finally kicking in.

"Help! Somebody help!" she vaguely heard the scream of Emily from next to her. "Alice! Alice!"

"Miss, stand back!" a male voice suddenly sounded. Alice re-opened her eyes to see a hysterical Emily being pulled away from Alice by a cop, and unfamiliar people in paramedic uniform dropping down beside her, shouting words to one another, but all Alice could hear was Emily's screams over the voices.

"Alice! Alice!" her sister screamed. Alice watched as her sister struggled against the cop holding her back. Her tears washing away the black layer of smoke on her face. She also watched as her sister suddenly stopped struggling against the cop, her eyes staring down at Alice's body in fear. "Alice?"

Alice felt the EMT's around her freeze above her. "What the hell . . . Is she . . . healing?" she vaguely heard one of them murmur.

"By the grace of God . . ." another one said.

"What's happening? What have you done to her? Alice!"

Emily's voice was the last thing she heard as darkness slowly overtook Alice.

-:-

Sometime later, Alice felt the darkness fade away, and her senses return to her. Alice immediately knew she was no-longer on the lawn of her home, but rather in a bed, and judging by the consistent beeping sound and slight pinch and tug that came from moving her hand, she knew she was in a hospital bed. Alice opened her eyes, groaning at the brightness of the lights, and waited for her eyes to re-adjusted. To her right, she could see her heart monitor, beeping away. Beyond the heart monitor, and the half-closed curtains, she could see a window. It was daylight outside, which meant she must have been out for a while—12 hours at the most, judging by the sun in it's highest point in the sky.

Alice licked her lips, attempting to bring some moisture back into them, and moved her head to the left. She was shocked to see that she was in-fact, not alone. At her bedside, was a man—a man in his 50s at the most, she couldn't quite tell. His face was kind, and his head was hairless. He was sitting in a wheelchair, dressed in a sharp suit. Alice opened her mouth; it took a few attempts before her voice came to her. "Hello?"

"Hello, Alice." The man spoke, a soft smile on his face, hands interlinked in his chair.

Alice looked at the man confused. "Are you my doctor?" she croaked, evaluating his attire, looking for a lab coat or a name tag.

"No, Alice, I am not." the man shook his head gently. "Though I'm sure your doctor will be along shortly—not that he will be needed." He smiled again, softly, with a sense of knowing in his eyes. Alice shifted uncomfortably under his gaze; albeit having a kind look about him, there was something about this man that unnerved her—it was almost as if one look at her, and he knew everything about her, from her past to her inner most deepest thoughts. The man's smile slowly faded. "Do you remember why you're here, Alice?"

Alice looked around her, her brow crunching together—flashes of fire, her parents' corpses, and her sister surrounded by smoke and fire returned to her, followed by Alice looking down at her own body, burnt flesh, and then Emily's look of fear. "Emily . . ." Alice spoke with a sudden essence of panic.

"Is safe and alive—all thanks to you." the man finished. "What you did was a very brave thing, Alice. Your parents would have been very proud."

Alice felt a lump in her throat grow and her eyes become wetter. "They're . . . gone?"

The man nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so, Alice. There was nothing more that could have been done."

"No. . ." Alice sniffed. "If only I came home earlier, I could have gotten them out . . ."

The man shook his head. "Their deaths were instantaneous. They died the moment the explosion happened. Emily was lucky to have survived with next to none wounds."

"Where is she now? Can I see her?" Alice watched as the man lent back with a grave look on her face. "I can't see her, can I?"

"I am afraid not." the man gravely responded. "She has been placed in temporary foster care, for now. But, it will most likely be decided that, due to the nature of your abilities, it has been decided that it would be safer for the two of you to be separated."

Alice's jaw clenched, eyes welling in tears. "Do you agree with that?"

"Do I agree that you need to be in a safer place where you can learn to develop and understand your abilities in a healthy, non-judging environment? Yes. Do I agree that you should be separated from your sister? No, no I do not." Alice opened her mouth to speak, but the man continued. "Unfortunately I do not have any control over the latter. But I do, however, have control over the former." Alice stared at the man. "Alice, my name is Professor Charles Xavier. I run a school for gifted children like yourself,"-

"Mutants?" Alice interrupted.

The man, that she now knows as Professor Xavier, nodded with a smile. "Yes, a school for mutants. We thrive in teaching young people, like yourself, how to learn to understand their abilities, enhance them—and in some cases, control them."

Alice nodded slowly. "And you want me to join your school?"

"Yes," Professor Xavier confirmed. "Should you wish to enroll. It is your choice, of course."

Alice slowly ingested the information she was given. "What will happen to me if I were to not enroll?"

Professor Xavier sighed. "I cannot give you a definite answer; I imagine you will be put into the foster care system, however, due to the nature of your abilities, you can probably understand that there would be great interest in you—from the government and even external sources." Professor Xavier murmured. "Healing properties is something very rare—even as a mutant—and, if studied properly, could provide the answer to a lot of diseases or conditions worldwide."

Alice swallowed. "I have never thought of that. That . . ." Alice paused. ". . . That my abilities could be used for good."

"But it could also cause a lot of damage." Professor Xavier countered. "Life and death is a natural process, that shouldn't be tampered with, and if your abilities are placed into the wrong hands—it could potentially be problematic." Professor Xavier said. "I do not wish to alarm you, that is not my intention. I only wish to warn you that, now your abilities have become known to the public, your safety could be at danger."

"It doesn't sound like you're giving me a whole lot of choice, but to enroll." Alice dryly commented.

Professor Xavier reached forward, placing his hand over hers. "I truly believe we can help you, teach you, and protect you."

"OK." Alice exhaled. "I'll . . . enroll at your school."

Professor Xavier grinned. "Excellent." He produced a pamphlet from his blazer inside pocket and placed it on her lap. Alice picked up the pamphlet, the front cover baring a picture of a picturesque manor house. Above it read: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

-:-

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the story so far. I know we are only in the first chapter, but it will be interesting to know what you think of the story so far.