1. DISCOVERED
I was wary as I left the movie theatre that humid summer evening. I knew shouldn't have gone out alone, but I hadn't thought about it. I hadn't had time to map out my new hometown of Bayville, either, so I was lost.
I looked to the sky. The moon was shining brightly, so I pulled up the hood of my black leather jacket. No one could see that my alabaster skin glowed in the natural light.
I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see three tall men following me down the sidewalk. I could tell they were trying to be inconspicuous. This agitated me. I walked faster.
I could still hear them behind me, and I started to panic. Unthinkingly, I rounded a corner…and found myself in an abandoned alleyway.
Crap.
One of the men came closer to me. "Hey there," he said. His voice was gravelly, like that of a chain smoker. "You're a pretty little thing."
"Stay away from me," I warned them, slowly backing against the wall. My soprano voice was shaky. Suddenly, a brave high made my blood rush in my veins as I remembered what I could do.
They laughed. I knew my ice-blue eyes would petrify them—strike fear into their hearts and make them shiver. If only they could see them.
One of them, a blonde, turned to his friends. "Aw, how cute." I scowled. The third one, tall and dark, moved to stand in front of me.
"Don't touch me," I ordered, turning myself away. I felt my canine teeth elongate and sharpen. The glands in the roof of my mouth pulsed as they relayed venom to my fangs.
"What a precious little girl," the dark one said, grabbing my arm. That set me off.
"Don't touch me!" I growled. I reached up, fastening my left hand in his bushy hair and seizing his shoulder with my right. I jumped and anchored my feet against his thighs and opened my mouth wide. Then I pulled his head to the side and sank my fangs into his neck.
I jumped off. My hood had fallen off, and he stared at my luminous white skin and frozen eyes. "Wha…?" he muttered, his eyes glazing over as the poison worked its magic. I kneed him the gut, knocking the breath out of him and he fell, unconscious.
I looked up to find the blonde rushing me. Acting quickly, I kicked him in the chest. Almost as soon as he stumbled backwards, three puffs of blue smoke appeared and the men vanished. I yelped and fell on my bottom.
I took a deep breath. Then I turned to the side and retched; partly because of the adrenaline rush, and partly because the blue haze smelled like sulfur. I scrambled to the opposite wall, sat down, and put my head between my knees.
If I could just focus my chi, I'd be able to calm down. But I couldn't, so I remained in shock. I could have been seriously injured. More importantly, something or someone had just teleported the three jerks out of the alley, and I hadn't the slightest idea what it could have been. Randomly, I realized that the sound the air made when it rushed into the smoke sounded kind of like bamf, so I decided to use that to describe the action. "Teleport" was too big of a mouthful.
I heard the bamf sound again and I looked up. I gasped when I saw a pale boy with black chin-length hair standing in front of me. The swift intake of breath was a bad idea, for the sulfur smoke filled my lungs and caused me to have a coughing fit.
He looked down at me, his thin face wrought with concern. "Hey, are you okay?" His voice was a gentle tenor, and he had a German accent.
"Yeah," I wheezed, pushing myself upright. "I'm just perfect. Why?"
"I think you know why," he frowned. "You don't sound like you're from around here," he added, changing the subject.
I crossed my arms in front of my chest, feeling defensive. I never noticed how thick my accent was until someone pointed it out. "I'm not. I'm from New York City—ya know; NYC, the Big Apple, the City that Never Sleeps. Don't see why it matters. You're not from around here, either." I fixed a steely gaze upon him.
His dark eyes reflected my expression. "It doesn't matter. I was just making an observation." His face—which was, admittedly, quite handsome—smoothed out. "What did you do to the one guy? I mean, I know you bit him, but what happened?"
"You saw me bite him?" I was mortified. No one could know that I was a mutant! I didn't care that the only conscious eyewitness could just bamf in and out. No one could know.
"Ja. But what happened to him?" The boy didn't seem bothered at all.
My fangs had pretty much disappeared by this point. "Actually," I said, "I have no idea. The fangs are a relatively new development, to tell the truth. I think they knocked him out, though." I found myself calming down.
"Hmm…" The boy studied me thoughtfully. "Why are you wearing a jacket on a hot night like this?"
"Um…" I twiddled my thumbs. "Will you freak out?"
"Nein." In a puff of smoke, he was standing five feet behind me. "I won't."
I sighed. "Well, you've got me convinced." Cautiously, I unzipped the thick leather jacket and shrugged it to the ground. Though it felt good to stretch them out, I couldn't help but lower my face in shame as my white, twelve-foot, bat-like wings began to glow along with my snowy arms. "You see?" I didn't look up at him. "I'm a freak."
Bamf! I glanced up to see the boy standing in front of me. "No!" he insisted. "No, you're not. As a matter of fact, I'm…I'm relieved."
I raised my head. "Relieved?"
"Yes." He sounded earnest. "I thought I was the only one with…oddities."
I scrutinized him for a moment. "You look perfectly normal to me."
"That's what you think." He backed into the shadows so that I could no longer see him. He appeared on the wall near the back of the alley, where the light was dimmer. And he was literally on the wall, as if his hands and feet were adhesive. He touched a button on the watch he wore on his left wrist. Then he faded out like a hologram, revealing a demonic-looking creature, with fang-like teeth, a thin layer of blue fur, pointed ears, pale-yellow eyes, three-fingered hands, two-toed feet, and a forked prehensile tail. The creature also wore a red-and-black uniform with a belt featuring a distinct black X on the buckle.
I recognized him instantly.
"Oh my God," I whispered, crossing myself. Though I didn't think I was good at it, I considered myself Catholic. I raised the volume of my voice. "You're—you're Nightcrawler! Of the X-Men!"
"Sehr gut." Another puff of smoke and he stood in front of me.
"I—I—God forgive me," I stammered. "I was so rude to you. I really shouldn't have been. I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Nightcrawler sounded confused.
"Yes. I—well—you and the X-Men are kind of my biggest inspiration," I explained. "You make me feel like I'm not, you know, a monster."
He grabbed my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. His face, the same as the hologram's, was intense. His yellow eyes were hard as topaz. "Listen to me, Angelika," he hissed. I didn't ask how he knew my name. The X-Men had their ways. "You are not a monster. Don't let anyone tell you that."
I couldn't help but feel skeptical. "Not even myself?"
He shook his head. "No." He stood up straight again. "And besides, we may not have to merely be your inspiration anymore."
"Meaning…?"
He groaned. "Scheiße! The Professor told me to be subtle, but I can't take it anymore." His eyes were bright with excitement. "We tracked you down on Cerebro. We're actually not far from the Institute. The Professor wants to talk to your parents, Angelika. You could be one of us!"
I couldn't believe my ears. "Really?"
He nodded. "I'll have to come home with you, so I can tell your parents that the Professor is coming." He hit the button on his watch again and he appeared to be normal once more.
I stared up at his face. "Thanks, Nightcrawler."
He grinned. "To tell you the truth, my name is Kurt Wagner. Friends call me Kurt."
His smile was infectious. I couldn't help but return it. "Well, then, you're taller than you look in the tabloids, Herr Wagner."
"You speak German?" His eyes were wide.
"Ja, Deutsche ich sprechen," I replied. "Ich bin ziemlich fließendin ihr."
He changed the subject again. "The reason why I look taller is because I recently had my growth spurt. I'm five-foot-nine now." He was six inches taller than me, then.
I put my jacket back on over my furled wings. "Oh, and friends call me Angel."
"How ironic," Kurt chuckled. "An angel who looks like a vampire."
I laughed with him, and then held my hand out. "Nun, es ist schön, dass Sie wissen, Herr Wagner."
He took my glowing hand in his own three-fingered, yellow-gloved one. "Es ist schön, Sie wissen auch, Fräulein Black."
When we arrived at my residence approximately fifteen minutes later, I rang the doorbell. My mom, Maria, answered the door looking frantic as heck. Her eyes narrowed at me.
"Angelika Deborah Black!" she fumed. "Where in the world have you been? Your father left for work worried sick about you! Do you have any idea how scared we've been?" She stopped her rant when she saw Kurt. "Angel, honey, who's this?"
"Mom," I said in what I hoped was a collected tone. I gestured to the mutant beside me. "This is Kurt Wagner. I got into a rough spot on the way home from the movies, and he helped me out."
"She got lost," Kurt added before Maria could ask. "I told her I would help her get home. But there's another reason why I came home with her tonight."
Maria's face showed her contemplating his words. "Why did you come?"
Kurt's face was very serious. "Mrs. Black, I need to talk to you about Angelika's…gifts."
Maria looked shocked. "How do you—"
"I am like her, Mrs. Black," Kurt cut in. "You probably already know me, but I can't show you who I am. Not out here. But if you would invite me inside…"
Maria nodded, though she seemed unsure. "Alright, then." She stood aside. "Come in."
Kurt waited. I looked over at him. "Ladies first," he told me. I walked inside, he followed, and Maria closed the door behind us.
I looked around the living room, making sure the blinds were closed. I gave Kurt a nod and he set his watch. The hologram faded away, once again showcasing his blue demon form.
Maria shook her head in disbelief. "You're…"
"Nightcrawler." He bamfed onto the sofa. "When will your husband be home?"
"In about an hour." Maria still looked shaken. It was getting hot, so I took my jacket off, put it on the recliner, and loosened the retraction of my bat wings.
"Okay, then," said Nightcrawler. "Professor Xavier will be here five minutes after that. Do you mind if I stick around here for a while?"
"Not at all." Maria sat down uneasily.
All that was left of him was blue smoke. I turned my eyes to the top of the stairs and saw the same mist. "Kurt!" I called, running after him. "Kurt!"
After I'd climbed the stairs, I rounded the corner and went to my room to find Kurt studying it inquisitively. Now that I thought about it, the place really wasn't much. Gray walls, red bedspread, curtains on the two windows that matched.
"You like it?" I asked sarcastically.
"It's nice." He didn't look at me when he replied. "Better than what I had in Germany…though, my parents made up for what we didn't have…" He seemed to be slipping into a state of meek humility. He turned to me, his spirit lifted again. "You're going to love the Institute," he told me. "We finished rebuilding about six months ago. It's wonderful."
"Yeah." I tried to picture it. "But what makes you so sure I'll be able to go?"
"The Professor has a way with words," he said simply. "Say, can I see your kitchen?"
That was unexpected. "Why?"
"Honestly, I'm kind of hungry," he said sheepishly.
I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, of course you can."
He held out his hand. I stared at it questioningly, cocking my head to the side. "Well, come on." Hesitantly, I took his hand. One second, we were standing in my room. Then, for half a second, there was a flash of light and a whooshing sound in my ears. Now we were standing in the kitchen.
"Whoa," I breathed, putting a hand to my head. "Trippy."
He giggled, grinning impishly. I turned on the light while he opened the pantry door and looked inside. I perched lightly on the counter. Just then, a wave of pain hit my head. I moaned and clutched at my temples.
I could no longer see the kitchen.
I saw the back of a bald man in a wheelchair. I followed him out the door, Nightcrawler beside me. We got into a car and drove away.
I blinked when the vision faded. I registered that Kurt was gingerly shaking my shoulder. "Angelika? Angelika, are you alright?"
"Yeah," I responded quietly. "Those are relatively new, too."
"What? What is?"
"Well…" I had to choose my words carefully. I didn't want him to think I was crazy. Though, I was, kind of. "I have a certain talent of…clairvoyance."
"My English is good," he said. "Just not that good."
I would have to put it plainly, then. "I can, um…I can see the future."
"Seriously? Wow. That's cool." Huh. So he didn't think I was mental. Imagine that. "What did you see?"
"I'll get to go."
"Oh, yes!" he exclaimed, jumping. He grabbed my hand. "Come on! Let's go pack your stuff!" We bamfed up to my room and I went to my closet. I pulled out my big suitcase.
"Okay…what should I pack?" I knew it was a dumb question, but I felt the need to ask.
"Everything, I guess," he said, shrugging. "Everything you feel like you'll need."
So that was everything in both my closet and dresser, since I didn't have much. I started chucking everything out of my closet. As I worked, Kurt kept me company. It was nice having him there, though a normal human being would think of it as "freaky." I didn't feel quite so unstable with him around, either. In fact, it felt as though I'd known him forever, even though I'd met him just about an hour ago. I figured this was because he was so open and friendly. It was easy to like him. It was like he radiated peace.
"So, how long have you been here?" he asked as I tossed things onto the floor.
"About a month." The door was still open, so I unfurled my wings and beat them hard. The gust of wind pushed the door closed.
Nightcrawler seemed impressed. "How long have you had your wings?"
I hesitated. "Since I was born," I said. "My parents were able to hide them up until elementary school. Then they said I'd have to hide them myself, because people wouldn't like them."
"Oh," he said. His tone was sad. "I never got to go to school. Not until I came here."
I didn't know what to say. I settled on, "I'm sorry."
We were silent for a moment. Then he said, "What does your father do?"
"He's teaching Ancient History at the college here."
"That's neat—he might know Jean. She said she was taking that for her major," Kurt said, seating himself on my bed.
"You mean the Jean Grey?" That was too cool. "What's she majoring in?" I was done getting things out of the closet, and I began loading them into my suitcase.
"Humanities." Kurt's tail flicked up and down, reminding me of a contented cat as I opened my dresser drawer. "How do you know German so well? I mean, you know it better than a lot of kids taking it as an elective."
I started unloading my drawer. I'd managed to cram my pajamas, underwear, and socks into one drawer. "Well, my grandmother on my father's side, Charlotte, is from a little village near Worms. We visit her a lot. She taught me the language. I learned from the locals, too."
"What about your mother's side?" He seemed genuinely interested.
"My grandfather on my mom's side is Italian. His name is Arlecchino. He lives in Verona." By now, I'd reached the bottom of the drawer. At the bottom was a little silken sack. I knew what was inside. There were two strings of Rosary beads. My grandfather had given them to me during my last visit to Verona six months ago. He told me to keep one and give the other to a friend. However, the one friend I'd had in NYC was Wiccan, so I still had the second. Reverently, I carried the pouch over to my suitcase and gently placed it inside. Then I tossed the rest of my clothes in and zipped it up. "There. Now I just have to get my toiletries and I'll be done." I began walking out. I waved my arm, indicating to Kurt that he should follow.
I took a little purple bag out of the hall closet before going into the bathroom. I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste and put them in the bag.
"What grade are you in?" Nightcrawler asked as he watched me gather the rest.
"I'll be a senior this year," I answered.
"Hey, me too!" He sounded excited, like he didn't have friends who were in his grade. "Maybe we'll have some classes together."
"Aren't any of your friends going to be seniors?" It was kind of a rude question, but I'd felt the impulse to inquire.
He shook his head. "No. There would have been, but her parents got jobs in British Columbia. Her name's Amanda Sefton."
I couldn't help but feel bad for him. "That's too bad." I zipped the purple bag and we headed back to my room. "Well, at least you've got me. Though, I'd bet I hardly suffice as a friend. My only friend from New York, Meg, even seemed annoyed with me sometimes."
"We'll just have to see." His eyes flashed teasingly.
I heard a car pull up outside. "Dad's home early."
Kurt grabbed my hand. Bamf! We stood in the kitchen again. I heard my dad open the door. Before he could call my name, I ran to him and hugged him.
"Sorry I'm late, Dad."
He hugged me back. "Where were you, Angel?"
Maria rose from the loveseat. "She got lost, Wilhelm," she said soothingly. "But she made a friend who helped her get home."
I stepped back, hoping Kurt could take a cue. "Dad, I want you to meet Kurt Wagner."
Bamf! In a puff of smoke, Kurt stood beside me. "You probably know me as Nightcrawler," he added.
Wilhelm didn't freak out like Maria. "Professor Xavier knows."
I was confused. "How did you know?"
Wilhelm sighed. "Sit down, please." Kurt and I sat down on the couch while my parents sat on the loveseat. Wilhelm went on, "When you first discovered that you could fly with your wings, I started thinking about sending you to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. You see, when I was your age, I found out that I was a technopath."
"You're a mutant?" This startled me. How come my parents had never told me?
"Yes." Wilhelm met my eyes. "But I turned down Xavier's offer of training. However, he told me that if I ever needed him again, he would be there for me. And he didn't lie."
I saw the flash of headlights outside. "That's them," Kurt said; he bamfed outside. Half a minute later, he came through the front door, followed by a wise-looking bald man in a wheelchair.
The bald man wheeled up to me. "Hello, Angelika," he said. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier. I hear you have gifts."
"Yes," I told the man—the Charles Xavier. "I can fly. I have echolocation powers. I can knock people out with fangs. I can see the future, too."
Xavier turned to my parents while Kurt sat beside me again. "I'm sure you remember my offer, Wilhelm," Xavier said to my father.
"I remember." Wilhelm looked calm in the presence of the powerful telepath.
"Then you know what I came to ask."
"Yes. And I accept the offer without a second thought." Wilhelm's tone was sure.
Xavier turned to me. "Angelika, would you like to be a resident at the Xavier Institute?"
I smiled at him. "You shouldn't even have to ask, Professor."
Xavier returned my smile.
A/N: There's Chapter 1. And yes, Kurt did cuss in German. You'll see a lot of that, as well as cussing in English. The story has to be rated T for something.
German phrases in the chapter are, in this order:
Angelika: Yes, I speak German. I'm quite fluent in it.
Angelika: Well, it is nice to know you, Mr. Wagner.
Kurt: It is nice to know you, too, Miss Black.
Also, "Worms" is pronounced "Vahrms."
Please review! Reviews are so loverly, don't you think?
