Chapter Two: Finding October
A/N: Again, only a few minor changes to this chapter, such with Tobi's powers and some of her interactions. Hope you enjoy :)
Tobi was reciting all the curse words he knew in his head as he tore down the sidewalk, roughly shoving past anyone in his way. He had only been caught stealing once before and that time, he'd nearly been shot. Tobi had no desire to look down the barrel of a gun ever again unless he was the one about to pull the trigger, and there was no doubting that his pursuers would be carrying guns.
He wheeled left down a side alleyway, but he had barely run four steps before he was jerked off his feet. For Tobi, the strange thing about this was that no one was touching him…the invisible force was tugging at his metal belt and he struggled fervently, kicking frantically at thin air as he was hoisted higher.
Tobi was spun around and immediately found himself facing two men who had walked into the alleyway. The taller one, perhaps in his early thirties, had his hand raised as if he was reaching out to Tobi…and Tobi's eyes widened as he realized that the man was the one levitating him in such a strange manner.
The smaller man was a little younger, in his late twenties, and he was frowning in confusion as the taller man lowered Tobi to the ground. Tobi was suddenly curious, because he could tell that the taller man, at least, had strange abilities…just like he did. He was curious, but not afraid. Perhaps there were others like him out there after all. His green eyes were like huge emerald orbs of shock.
"Tobi, there is no need to be afraid of us," the smaller man said in an English accent. His voice was quiet and serene. For some inexplicable reason, Tobi felt the urge to trust him…and he relaxed slightly without meaning to. "My name is Charles Xavier and this is my friend Erik Lehnsherr. Neither of us is here to hurt you."
Tobi felt a sudden presence in his mind, a wandering alien who had no permission to be there. Frightened, Tobi pushed at the presence, trying to force it out…but oh, it was strong. Charles threw a surprised look at Erik, before focusing his attention completely on Tobi.
It's alright, Tobi. You can hear me because I am a telepath. You can trust me. Your mind is very strongly fortified.
Tobi moved closer to the two men, taking one cautious step at a time. He had no clue how he had managed to start pushing this telepath back. Perhaps it was because of his own mental sensitivity, the ability to sense the emotions of others. Maybe that was what prevented Tobi's mind from becoming putty to Charles. Erik glanced at Charles a little impatiently.
"So, is this the kid we're looking for, or is he just a common thief?"
"She," Charles muttered, very softly.
Tobi started to hyperventilate, gazing from Charles to Erik and taking a stumbling step backwards in shock. How could they possibly know the truth? It had been concealed for over two years and now these men – men with strange powers like hers, but different – walked into her life and just…exposed that secret. Now she truly was afraid, of how powerful these two were that one of them had managed to discover what she had been hiding for long.
Erik frowned in puzzlement, until Charles leaned forward and grasped Tobi's beanie, pulling it from her head. Tobi wanted to fight back…yet at the same time, she found herself trusting this telepath. She scowled and Erik watched with a dispassionate expression as bronze hair fell free, past the girl's shoulders. Now that Charles thought about it, he should have realized the moment he saw Tobi. The 'boy' had had such a pretty, feminine face. It would also seem as though the barriers sealing Tobi's mind from him lowered once she wasn't suspicious. Trust was apparently the key to this girl's mind.
"How old are you, October Sutherland?"
Tobi knew better than to be shocked. This man seemed to know everything about her, so she just shrugged evenly.
"I don't know. You tell me. Besides, it's Tobi. Not October."
The hint of a smile quirked at the corners of Erik's lips. "She's a feisty one."
Tobi glowered at him and then relented. Now that Charles had been inside her mind, she realised that she had the ability to block telepaths, or at least waylay them to some degree. No wonder he hadn't known that Tobi was a girl upon first finding her. Apparently, he couldn't see all the details in her head…except when she stopped being suspicious and started to trust. Well, perhaps not trust…
"I'm seventeen, nearly eighteen."
Charles inclined his head. Posing as a boy, Tobi would seem a few years younger. She was a very wary girl and Charles could tell that it was going to take some time to get her to open up completely. However, he doubted she would have any trouble interacting with the other young mutants he and Erik had recruited. Tobi seemed tough as an old boot.
"You are very special, Tobi. You have abilities that are caused due to mutation. What I am trying to tell you is…there is no need for you to hide. You can embrace what you are, and I can teach you to do that. I can take you to a place where there are others like you…other mutants. You will be safe."
Tobi's green eyes narrowed in suspicion. In the environment she lived in, people didn't offer to help you unless there was something in it for them. She was unused to kindness and so she observed Charles and Erik with a hard expression.
"But…why?"
Charles blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
Tobi planted her hands on her hips. "I mean, why would you want to help me? What's in it for you?"
Charles looked baffled and Tobi could see no hint of an ulterior motive on his face. She started to think perhaps – just perhaps – these guys were willing to help her because they understood how she felt, what it was like to be an outcast in society.
"Nothing at all. Just the desire to see you achieve your potential, Tobi. I can offer you security and a home…you would never have to steal from people again."
A rare smile crossed Tobi's face as she recognized that things in her life were starting to look up. She always had her powers to rely on if this Charles wasn't what he seemed, but from what she could tell of his emotions, he seemed genuinely willing to help. For years, she had just been another street urchin, worth nothing. Now she had met Charles Xavier, who was willing to show her how to be somebody.
When Tobi reached the military base, she recognised that something was a little off-beat. She turned to throw Charles an accusatory glare and her barriers automatically went up, forbidding him from accessing her mind. Was she being taken into custody for her crimes? Why would they be going to a military base, unless…a thought occurred to her, and it wasn't entirely a pretty one.
"I want to know what's really going on. You need me to fight, don't you?"
Charles marvelled at how perceptive Tobi was and wondered if it was part of her ability. Possibly, as she did sense the changes in emotions which would lead her to understand what was happening. Reluctantly, he heaved a sigh and nodded. Tobi's expression hardened and her green eyes flashed with anger.
"You lied to me!"
Tobi didn't trust in her powers at all. The only thing she could do with them was hurt people and she had therefore developed a reluctance to use them…but it wasn't that simple. Tobi's powers were used almost involuntarily and she had come with Charles and Erik in the hope that she would be taught how better to control these abilities of hers.
"Please calm down, Tobi. I am not going to make you do anything that you don't want to. You are our guest here and there is…it is a complicated situation. I promise, I will explain everything to you once you settle in, but if you choose not to stay, I cannot disclose such information."
Tobi nodded slowly. She was still wary, but she leaned back in her seat and stared out the window as the car parked at the foot of the stone steps. Somehow, when Charles explained things, his soft tone and gentle words always made her feel calmer. It could also be the emotions that accompanied the words, a sort of soothing vibe that put her into a state of peace.
"So…there are others like me here – like with powers and everything?"
Charles inclined his head. "You'll get to meet them soon enough."
Suddenly, Tobi felt self-conscious. Her hair was her only vanity, and she brushed it every day with a comb she had hidden in the never-used bathroom cabinet. It was a little ruffled now from being stuffed up inside her beanie, but it wasn't her hair that was the problem. Tobi felt dirty and grimy, and was well aware that the too-big clothes meant to hide her curves swamped her frame. What would these other mutants think of her? She firmly decided she wasn't going to care. She had spent years not caring what others thought, and it wouldn't do to start caring now.
Tobi followed Charles and Erik as they showed her around the place. It was…cold. There was very little décor and it was clearly designed for practicality rather than comfort. She didn't like it much. When Charles opened the doors to the games room, Tobi saw that there were other people in there, people who were now staring at her. She lifted her chin and observed them all. Just because she looked like a rag-tag street urchin didn't mean she should be looked down upon.
"Who's this?"
It was an auburn-haired woman who had spoken. She was dressed formally and appeared around the same age as Charles. Despite Tobi's unkempt appearance, the woman smiled as she approached and held out her hand for the girl to shake. She exuded calm and caution, and Tobi understood that this woman was a professional.
"I'm Moira McTaggert. You must be…"
"I thought you were bringing back a guy." It was a blonde boy, nineteen at the oldest. He frowned across at Erik and Charles and it was the way he ignored her completely that pissed Tobi off. She hated being treated as though she didn't exist. "Didn't you say a guy called Tobi?"
"Her name is Tobi," Charles replied patiently, placing a hand on Tobi's shoulders to placate her due to the fact that he could sense the anger radiating from her. "Alex Summers, this is October Sutherland."
Alex's lips curved into a derogatory smirk as he finally registered Tobi. She thought he was actually pretty hot, fairly tall and quite muscular. He looked like a typical high school jock as he folded his arms and observed her with critical blue eyes.
"Yeah? What's her power, being filthy?"
Tobi lost it. She pushed off Charles's restraining hand and went straight at Alex, sprinting across the room so fast that to the others, it was almost as if she'd teleported. Tobi shoved Alex hard in the shoulders so that he slammed into the wall, before she grabbed a fistful of his grey sweatshirt.
"You want to be careful, Alex," she told him in a low voice, "If you want to mess with me, I'm not afraid to get rough."
It was quite an amusing sight, watching a girl who couldn't have weighed more than 50 kilos pinning Alex against the wall despite the fact that the blonde boy was a good few inches taller than her. Charles bit back a smile.
"Ready to say sorry, big guy?" Tobi demanded. She could feel the anger and embarrassment radiating off Alex, and knew that she had immediately started off on the wrong foot with him. Maybe she'd created an enemy as soon as she'd arrived. The thought wasn't a very appealing one.
Humiliated at being pushed around by this girl, Alex scowled as Tobi finally released him. He shoved her aside as Tobi stared dispassionately down at him. Then she turned on her heel and went to meet some civilised people. A pretty blonde girl around the same age as Alex came up to Tobi and smiled. She smiled at the sight of Alex picking himself up off the ground, looking infuriated.
"Hey, I'm Raven. Nice job with Alex over there. He can be kind of a jerk."
Tobi raked back her hair in frustration. "Yeah, I noticed."
Raven then went about introducing Tobi to the others. There were two other boys and girl around the same as Raven and Alex. The girl was dark-haired and dark-eyed with caramel skin and she introduced herself as Angel. One of the boys was very tall and rather shy, with brilliant blue eyes and dark hair. His name was Hank McCoy. The other was freckle-faced and ginger-haired and his name was Sean Cassidy. The last member of the group was an ebony-skinned man of about Erik's age who introduced himself as Darwin.
"You're a little messy," Raven said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she observed Tobi, "Take a shower and I'll fix you up and get you some clothes, okay?"
Tobi was a person who relied a lot on first impressions. She had immediately decided that she wanted Raven as a friend. The girl had been very kind to Tobi, probably pleased to have yet another girl as a companion. Tobi was well aware that she was the youngest of the group of mutants. She had also decided that she didn't like Alex and the feeling seemed mutual. She could never remember being so…well, clean. After her shower, the girl staring back from the mirror seemed a foreigner. Having spent so long pretending to be a boy, it was almost as if Tobi had forgotten how to be a girl.
Raven had judged them as being around the same size and had generously given Tobi some of her clothes. She had the same sort of kindness Charles possessed and when Tobi had asked if Raven was his sister, she had laughed a little uncomfortably and said that they had been best friends since childhood, and that she was technically his foster sister.
"Uh, Raven? I'm not so sure about these clothes."
The door to the bathroom opened and Raven leaned in the doorway, nodding approvingly. Tobi didn't think she had ever worn a skirt in her life…and this one came down mid-thigh. It showed off a lot of her legs, and the shirt…
Tobi laughed nervously, staring down at her cleavage. "It's official. I've been wearing guy's clothes for so long, I never even realized I had boobs."
Raven smirked. "Well, I'm sure the guys will spot the difference as soon as you walk in."
Tobi cringed. She wasn't sure she wanted to attract that sort of attention. She had lived in Las Vegas long enough to know how guys looked at girls when they only viewed them as objects. She didn't want that sort of look directed at her.
"Raven, do you have anything a little more…inconspicuous?"