Chapter 3: Mansion Madness
The first thing Laue learned about the Mansion was that something strange was always going on, no matter the time of day. She had gotten out of Kitty's dorm room, hoping the showers would be nearby, only to find herself running into – quite literally – into a boy... who then became four boys. They were all identical, with the same tall and lanky frame, the same boyish features, the same dark brown hair and light blue eyes.
"Sorry!" one of them said.
"My bad!" the second said simultaneously.
Laue just kept walking, not even commenting on what she'd seen. When she glanced back behind her, the boys were one again.
It took her a good ten minutes, but ultimately she found her destination and was quite grateful when she found the bathroom empty. She stripped down and turned the hot water tap as far as it would go, barely even touching the cold one. She hadn't had a hot shower in such a long time that the scalding hot water on her skin was perfect bliss.
She washed and scrubbed until she was raw, shampooing her hair until it squeaked at her touch. She didn't want to leave the comfort of the water, but it was slowly growing colder and her skin was looking more and more like a wrinkled prune.
It was the arrival of two girls talking animatedly between each other about what they would be having for breakfast that forced Laue to get out, tightly wrapping a white towel around her thin body. Her stomach grumbled.
She got dressed in her old clothes; her purple T-shirt, her leather coat and her pair of ripped blue jeans. Her clothes reeked, but it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. The other option was walking around stark naked.
As she walked back to Kitty's room, not wanting to go to the dining room all by herself, Laue couldn't help but hear whispering about her.
"I heard she was attacked by the MRD last night." one boy with blond hair said.
"She doesn't look too beaten up – must be some fighter." another added with a sleazy smirk on his face.
Laue didn't pay them any more attention than was necessary, walking a couple more feet towards Kitty's dorm.
"What do you think she did to get chased by the Mardees?" a tall Brazilian girl with curly blonde hair and honey-colored eyes asked. Her roommate, a perky-looking Chinese girl, looked curiously at the new arrival but didn't reply, because Laue was staring back at them, looking a little angry.
But Laue didn't have to think about them too long, because the next thing she knew, Kitty was running through the wall, stopping right in front of Laue.
"Hey! Laue, I was looking for you! Are you coming down for breakfast?" Kitty asked.
Running a hand through her damp hair, Laue gave Kitty her best attempt at a smile. "Yeah, sure." she said.
The moment they went downstairs, the smell of eggs, bacon and sausage filled the air. Laue looked at Kitty in amazement. "Is breakfast always this fancy?" she asked without thinking.
"Not always, but today is Sunday." Kitty informed. Laue was surprised; she had been so lost in time this past month; the only moment she could really tell what date it was or what day of the week it was, was when she found a newspaper stand.
"Ah, Laue, how did you sleep?" a familiar voice called from behind. At first, Laue thought he was talking to her in her head, but when she glanced behind her, she saw Charles sitting at the end of the kitchen table next to a white-haired woman that could very easily be a goddess, considering how beautiful she was.
"I slept alright." she responded.
Not wanting to get into a big conversation, Laue followed Kitty to get herself a plate, which she filled with five of the largest eggs, a handful of bacon and three juicy sausages. On her way to the table, she filled a cup with steaming coffee, adding milk and three spoonfuls of sugar.
Kitty just looked perplexed, standing there with her one egg and a piece of toast.
Silently the two girls went and sat down between 'two of Kitty's friends'. One was a guy with light brown hair and light brown eyes. He had a cocky smile on his face, cracking jokes and eating as though he'd been raised with a gang of monkeys. Laue had a feeling she would like him.
"That's Bobby Drake – or Iceman, as we sometimes call him. He can manipulate ice." Kitty explained, already cutting into her eggs. "And that beside you is Pixie." she added. Pixie was a petite girl with bright bubblegum pink hair and darker pink eyes. She had elf-like ears and colorful wings. Laue could see why she was called Pixie.
"Guys, this is Laue. My new roommate." Kitty introduced.
"Hi, nice to meet you." Pixie said in a weak English accent.
Laue filled her mouth with food and started to chew. She had missed warm, fresh food. It felt so good as it went down her throat and filling her empty stomach. She took another bite, and then another one, a smile spreading on her face as her hunger was slowly but surely vanishing.
"What are your powers, anyway?" Bobby – or Iceman – asked after a short time.
Laue used up the time that it took for her to swallow her large mouthful of sausage to think of her answer. The three were all looking at her expectantly, and Laue even noticed a couple other people looking her way, wanting to know more about this new Mutant that had arrived late last night. Everyone seemed to know about her – odd how they hadn't figured out her power yet.
"I can um," Laue began, taking a sip from her coffee. "I can turn invisible... I'm not really good at it though." she explained awkwardly. It was the first time she was talking about her ability out loud, and that was scary. She knew she was in a room filled with other people like her, but still. Back home, she'd been literally chased away because she was a Mutant. The last thing she wanted was for it to happen again.
Your among friends, Laue. Here, you will never be persecuted for what you are.
Laue's head snapped to the left, where she eyed Charles Xavier – was he really going to get into her mind again today?
"Attention, everyone." Charles said aloud, this time speaking to the entire table. About twenty people stopped talking, eating or doing whatever it is they were doing. Everyone was fixed on the Headmaster of the school. "I'd like to introduce you to Laue Aberdeen; if she so chooses, she could be a new student here at the school."
Everyone's attention turned to Laue, as if expecting her to make a decision right then and there. Looking from Kitty to Pixie, and then finally at Bobby, Laue thought about the last twelve hours. She'd been chased down by Mutant-hating police officers, she'd flown in the arms of a winged-Mutant, been attacked by a drunk Mutant with long metal claws, had her mind invaded by a bald man in a wheelchair, had met a girl who could walk through walls... But what she really remembered was sleeping in a good, comfortable bed for the first time in a month, had a hot shower, gotten a really good meal...
Sure, maybe Laue didn't trust any of these people, and maybe crowds made her feel claustrophobic, and maybe she felt as if she had absolutely no control on her Mutant ability, but if there was one thing she was certain of, it was that this was the greatest place she'd ever been in since coming to New York.
"I think I'll stick around." she said with a half-smile.
After eating to the point where she felt like bursting, Laue decided to go look around at the place. She was surprised when Bobby suggested he could give her a little tour.
"Hey, the world as we know it is about to end because of a Mutant-hating Senator. I'm allowed to try and have a love life here." Bobby had joked, which had only earned him an eye-roll from both Laue and Kitty.
"Keep dreaming, Frosty." Laue scoffed, but she was unable to hide the tiny smile that hinted her amusement.
"I'd offer to tag along and save you from getting your heart frozen and shattered into tiny pieces, but I have a Danger Room session with Colossus." Kitty laughed before phasing through the kitchen floor.
"What?" Laue asked Bobby.
"He's Kitty's boyfriend – giant Russian metal dude." Bobby explained with a shake of his head. "Brainless with an oversized ego, if you ask me."
"I'm not talking about Colossus. I mean the Danger Room." Laue said.
"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" Bobby said sheepishly, "It's only the coolest freaking place on earth!" he added with enthusiasm. "But it's the last stop on our tour, so you'll have to be patient." he concluded with a smirk.
"Is that your way to keep me from walking away from you?" Laue asked.
"Maybe." Bobby laughed before opening the door that led to the back courtyard. "After you." he said in a false attempt at a gentlemanly tone.
It was only nine o'clock in the morning, but already the grounds were buzzing with activity. The white-haired goddess (Laue had learned from Kitty that her name was Storm) was watching over a group of Mutants running around. Before Laue's very eyes was an abundance of power demonstration.
A girl – the same Brazilian one that had asked her friend what she thought Laue had done to get chased by the MRD – was shining brightly and it looked as though her hands and hair were made of flame.
"That's Magma – she's... not my type." Bobby said with a chuckle.
"You're hilarious." Laue said sarcastically.
They walked around a bit, meeting an older blond guy who could release plasma blasts from his hands. His name was Alex Summers. Bobby also introduced Laue to the guy that had transformed himself into a pair of triplets. Turns out, Jamie Madrox was just one guy – but with the ability to multiply himself.
"So what's the X-Men like?" Laue asked once they had entered the Mansion again, Bobby now showing her the living room and where all of the cool video games were stashed.
Laue had heard a lot about the Brotherhood through word of mouth, newspaper articles and the occasion report on television, but the X-Men were a different story. They were more careful about concealing their identity – no one actually knew what Xavier's School really was for or that it was the headquarters of the X-Men.
"Well, the team is led by Scott Summers – he's Alex's big brother. He can shoot optic blasts. There's Wolverine, Beast... Scott's girlfriend Jean Grey, there's Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue... and Kitty... or Shadowcat." he said. "I'm a trainee; I should be a full X-Men in the next couple months." he boasted.
"How long have they been a team?" Laue asked.
"Oh, long before Mutants were actually known to the world – Professor X started the team in the eighties, before we were even born. It evolved over time though; became the kick-ass team we all know and love." he said.
That didn't really answer much of Laue's questions, but she didn't ask anything else, deciding that Bobby probably didn't know – or couldn't tell her – half the things the X-Men had been up to these last couple years.
"So are you going to show me the Danger Room now?" Laue asked.
Bobby gave her a large, goofy smile, holding out his hand. "Sure," he said.
Laue rolled her eyes, waving his hand away. "Just lead the way, and no funny business." she said flatly.
A/N: I really hope you guys like this; don't worry, the fluff won't last long. Soon the plot will really kick off.
Want more? I want at least two reviews! :)