A/N: I am so sorry for the tiny chapter! I couldn't go as far as I wanted, but hey, it's something. Just so you guys know, this story is taking place years before the first movie, and I have yet to see First Class. When the time for the third movie rolls around, Piper will actually be close to Angel's age. Just wanted to clear up any confusion. Oh, and please help me keep the X-Men in character. Just tell me what I'm doing wrong with their personalities and I'll tweek them. Love!
Piper had been at the Mansion for a total of two weeks. In those first days she had met the four adults and a few of the students who inhabited the institute. She had proven to be a fast and eager learner, and now that she had the massive library in the Mansion at her fingertips, she seemed to always have her nose in a book. Though she struggled with subjects like math and science, she excelled in reading, english, and social studies. Since her father had stopped her education the day of her beatings, her IQ was well bellow normal. Now that she was at the Mansion and only inhibited by her self-imposed limit, Professor Xavier and the rest of the adults expected her to flourish.
Unfortunately, Piper didn't seem to want to flourish. She usually didn't do any assignments outside of classes, never studied for tests- though there had only been one in each class so far,- and the only books she had her nose in were fiction novels. And, though they knew she was a mutant, they had yet see her excercise her talents. It had seemed that her father had literally beaten her mutant gene to submission, locking it away.
Jean seemed to take the girl's situation to heart. When she had first seen Piper Williams and her scars she had nearly started crying. Jean wanted to step in as her surragate mother, but it looked as if Piper didn't want her to. Everytime Jean had leaned in to hug her, Piper would step away. Jean seemed determined, however, and set herself to the task of making Piper's life as normal as possible.
Opposite to Jean, Scott was never out of the girls sight. She seemed to have memorized his schedule, often coming into whatever room he happened to be in with a new novel in their free time. She wouldn't instigate small talk, and instead would let him do his business while she read. Quite a few time, they would finish their work and simply talk to eachother, though it was very rarely anything other than favorite television shows and foods that only a ten year old would find captivating. He found her duckling behavior almost endearing. And if ever he felt she was getting a little claustrophobic, he could simply ask her to leave and she would. She seemed to understand.
Ororo seemed to be in the middle of the scale to the girl. Although Piper never sought her out, she never left the room when she saw her either. Piper never sat close to her, however. She got nervous around the white haired woman, and she could never figure out why. She did find the woman increadibly facinating, though, with her dark skin and white hair.
But what she had found most facinating about her stay was the Mansion itself. Never before had she seen a building so large. She had been restricted to her house and the shed before she was taken away, and now she had three stories of pure exploration. Xavier had said that some parts were being 'reconstucted'. He explained that meant that some places in the home were needing to be built again, so she wan't allowed near there because she could get hurt. The one level that Piper was not to enter upon any circumstance was the basement. It was completed, so as far as she knew, but Xavier had said she was not allowed. She'd had half a mind to go down there anyway, but then flashes of her father would spring in her minds eye. Dispite knowing that Xavier was not her father, she still feared whatever punishment he would give.
So far in her exploration she had discovered the rooms she would learn her school subjects taught by Xavier, Ororo, and Scott, the girl's dorms, the kitchen, dining room, den, bathrooms, the gardens on the girl's wing, and the school's medical bay. She knew that there was a gaming room somewhere because she had heard the few teens talking about going there, but she had yet to discover it and she feared what would happen if she were discovered following the boys.
Piper had met few children at the Mansion since most mutant's powers develop near the teen years. Her's had unfortunately awakened early, possibly at birth. As she had few friends, she spent most of her days in the den reading her newest novel or Bible or exploring the Mansion. The girl had an uncanny ability to take whatever she read from the Bible to heart, and studied what she'd learned that day almost reverently. That is, until she got exausted from it and read something else.
Another interest she had was music, which wasn't suprising really. She had taken to listening to lullabies, songs with long notes, and sad songs. Her favorite artists seemed to be Evanescense and Beethoven, dispite saying that she never judged songs by their singers. Jean had bought her several Disney musicles, including The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, The Fox and The Hound, and Lion King. Ororo had given her her favorite movie so far, however: The Prince of Egypt. Coupled with her facination of the Bible, the movie had inspired her to be even more fervent in her readings. Many times when Scott or Jean or Ororo had ventured into the den in the early morning to find The Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Prince of Egypt playing and Piper sound asleep on the couch.
Yet despite all of the goingson in her life at the moment, she was utterly and completely bored. She had read her share of the Bible, she had just finished the first book of Artemis Fowl, she was tired of the movies she had watched so many times before, Scott was busy, she didn't feel like being by Jean, she had no idea where Ororo was, and right now the only thing she could think of doing was sitting by a large window in the den and sunbathing.
Not only that, lately she had started feeling as if the stone walls of the Mansion were closing in on her. She had seen a few of the teenagers playing around with their powers, but instead of being inspired or welcome she had felt nervous. Even now as she knew that her father was far away and unable to get to her, she was afraid he would turn a corner, grab her arm and his belt, and beat her for even thinking about singing. The past year of nearly constant beatings could not disapear in the span of a few weeks, even for a child's constantly moving mind. Every night she would dream of him in her room, towering over her, spitting at her and kicking and punching, telling her that the mansion was just a dream, that she was alone. She would wake up several times in the night, crying and layered in a cold sweat. She dared not go to Xavier or Scott about her nightmares, they had done enough for her already. The Mansion was slowly but surely being filled with a negative vibe in her eyes, and though she desperately wanted to fit in, she simply couldn't.
Just thinking about the dreams made her shiver. Wanting to get her mind off it all, she hopped off the window seat. She thought only for a moment before making her way to the kitchen, her bare feet making soft pats on the wood floors. She grunted a little as she dragged a stool to the refrigerator. She climbed on to it and pulled the freezer door open, and sifted through the groceries inside. Just as she felt the tips of her fingers going numb, she found the treat she was looking for and pulled it out and shut the door. She slid off the stool carefully, pittered over to the island where she got the stool and set the Pomegranate sherbet on top. Then she scampered over to the drawers, pulling a spoon out of one, and scampered back, climbing onto another chair and digging in. Scott, who sat off to the side at another stool, lifted an eyebrow at the smaller-than-average girl. Piper seemed ignorant, indulging on her sherbet, and it almost made him chuckle.
Most kids would want ice cream, he thought. "You're going to ruin your dinner," he scolded her half-heartedly. She just shrugged and kept sucking on her spoon. He had noticed quickly that she hadn't said much since she first spoke and he wondered briefly if it was because of her father.
Scott, he heard the Professor's voice in his head. I fear that Miss Piper is getting a case of cabin fever. Find her and bring her to my office as soon as you can.
Yes, sir, he thought back. He was never really sure if the Professor ever heard him when he thought back, but he didn't want to seem disrespectful if Xavier could hear him. He stood from his seat and turned his attention to the girl, who was still eating. "Come on, Piper," he said, taking the container and spoon and putting them away. "Xavier want's to see you." Piper seemed to pale slightly before sliding off the stool and tucking it in. She stood by the door waiting for him and walked behind him silently on their way to Xaviers office. He didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything.
Soon they reached their destination and Scott held the door open for her. She walked in cautiously, but when she saw the Professor's face, she relaxed. She didn't feel like he was mad at her. Once she and Scott had taken a seat, Xavier spoke.
"Now, my dear," he began. "I have the feeling you are not feeling welcome in my mansion. May I ask why?" He watched her carefully as she bit at her lip, not looking at him. "Does it have anything to do with your teachers finding you in the den nearly every morning?" Piper looked up at him before quickly looking down. That simple gesture told him all what he knew already. He looked at Scott. He was looking at the girl with worry. Xavier had the notion that Scott would look into it now for him. When he had asked before, Scott had seemed doubtful, but now he was sure Scott would ask. He changed the subject.
"Piper," Xavier began again, but this time he waited until she looked up at him to continue. "How would you like to go to the circus?" And that look was the reason why he wanted her to look at him. Her eyes bulged out of her skull, her red and yellow eyes shining. Her mouth dropped, making a perfect oval 'o', and her shoulders slumped from pure disbelief. He didn't want to think about how long it had been since she had been anywhere other than her home.
Instead of speaking, which she seemed incapable of at the moment, she nodded, slowly at first but soon she was nodding with such enthusiasm he thought her head would fly off. It made him laugh as he motioned her away. "Alright then, dear girl, go off to your room and pack. You're going to Germany." Both Scott's and Piper's eyes widened again and Piper left with a delighted giggle, but Scott decided to stay. As soon as the door shut behind the poor girl, Scott turned on him.
"Germany? Are you serious?" He began apprehensively, but then he got a hold of himself. "You're sending the girl to Germany? Why so far? And what did you mean about her ending up in the den every morning?"
Charles waited until Scott finished before answering. "I've had the idea for a while now that Piper had been unable to sleep peacefully through the night due to nightmares." Scott's brows nit together in worry. "She dreams about her father, most likely. We should not be suprised. A child's mind does not work as ours do; she is afraid that all of this is a dream, and that she will wake up to her father's abuses once more. That is why I am sending her to Germany, to see the Munich circus." He looked pointedly at Scott. "But that is not the only reason I am sending her there. She trusts you the most, Scott, so I will send you there as her guardian. At the Munich Circus is a young man, a mutant, that I want you two to meet. We can not bring him here, as he is both happy where he is and he is a German citizen, but I would like it if Piper and this mutant meet and become friends." Scott was silent for a few moments.
"How do you know they will become friends?" Scott asked tentively. Xavier smiled and leaned back in his chair.
"Oh, I'm sure they'll find something in common." Xavier didn't mention that this was also to see just how much her singing controlled. The animals there would provide diversity. If, of course, she sang at all.
A/N: Oh and I would love to thank those hundred-something people who looked at my fic! Love!
