Out of Control
Chapter IV
By Artemis Fortuna
Professor Xavier gave me no answers, only a place to stay for the night. It wasn't yet night time yet, but he insisted and I didn't really feel like driving two hours home. Perhaps if I stayed, I might get some answers out of someone…one way or another.
After leaving the Professor's office, an attractive coffee-colored woman named Ororo offered to show me around the institute. She was very kind and graceful and looked almost goddess-like next to me as I stumbled around everywhere, trying to see everything at once. Her hair was white, though not because of old age. She seemed young, but slightly older than me. The shade added certain elegance to her appearance.
Xavier's school was a vast, sprawling building, filled not only with classrooms and laboratories, but also not-so-modest dorm rooms for faculty and students. When Ororo introduced me to mine, I was pleasantly surprised that I had my own rather large bathroom.
"I'm sure you'll be quite comfortable here, Lilly." Ororo said as she led me to the cafeteria for dinner. "The food is excellent, and you have all of your accommodations. Tomorrow Scott and I will go by your flat to pick up the rest of your belongings."
I stopped in my tracks, right in the middle of the empty hallway. All the students must be in the cafeteria already.
"I am not staying here, Ororo. I have no idea what the Professor wants with me and I have a job and a dog at home!" I was struggling not to get angry at the kind woman; it was not her fault I was in this situation.
With a gentle voice, she replied, "I can sympathize with your feelings, Lilly. But there are bigger things going on besides your job as a top-line model or your Boston Terrier at home. I know you take comfort in the little things like stopping for coffee on the way to a shoot, but you need to understand that you are a monumental part of the bigger picture."
I paused, baffled, staring at the dark-skinned woman in complete wonder. "How did you-? Are you a psychic?"
Ororo let out a hearty, tinkling laugh that reverberated throughout the hallway. I simply stared at her, completely confused.
"Oh, Lilly. I am gifted as you are, but I am no psychic," she said. "Professor Xavier has his own way of learning things. I'm sure he'll explain that soon enough."
I also have my own way of knowing things…
Still in a state of confusion, I followed Ororo into the busting cafeteria, formulating an ingenious plan.
Five years ago, I was madly in love. The man's name is of no importance; I do not speak it anymore. My hair was blonde, my eyes were brown. Compared to the gorgeous beach-bodies of San Diego, I wasn't really anything special.
I'd first met him at the university I worked at. I was an assistant biology professor. Professor Janae Sullivan, back then. I'm not sure why he was at the school that day, but I know that he impressed me completely. We went out to coffee at a quaint little shop right on the beach. He spoke to me of romantic ideas of freedom and love. His words put me under a spell and in a few short months we were engaged to be married.
I'd never known love until him. He completed me in a way that I didn't know was physically possible. I would come home from class to his welcoming embrace and his warm, sensual touch.
He was the one and only human being I'd never used my powers one. During the months of our engagement I almost forgot I even had my gift. I didn't need it.
Two weeks before our wedding we were relaxing on the beach together, basking in the last few rays of sun as it dipped below the horizon. He would draw his long nails up and down my bikini-clad back, tracing pictures of who knows what.
I had, for some weeks, been contemplating telling him about my ability. It was the one singular thing he didn't know about me, and I felt as if I was betraying him in some way by not telling him. I was terrified of being rejected and alone. With the wedding so close and all of our preparations all in order, I as scared I would be jeopardizing our special day. However, suppose I didn't tell him until afterwards. If he wanted to leave me we would have to go through divorce.
It seemed as if I didn't have much of a choice.
So on that evening as the sky began turning golden with late sunlight, I sat up on my towel and told him everything.
I followed Ororo into the cafeteria, nervously tugging on my black tank top. There were several long benched tables filling the room, most of which were occupied by children and teenagers and an occasional adult. Ororo lead me to the last table on the right hand side, where the only familiar face I saw was Logan.
"Hey there, Lils." He said, giving me a wink.
I gave him a tiny fake smile and took a seat between him and Ororo. Across the table from me was the man I remembered as Scott, still wearing his red sunglasses, even though we were inside. The possibility of blindness flashed through my mind. Next to him sat a girl who looked younger than me. Her hair was dark with a single white streak in the front where her hair was parted. She wore a look of boredom and her eyes were unfocused. On the other side of Scott sat a blue-skinned man with shaggy hair. I noticed quickly he only had three fingers and couldn't help shudder.
"Everyone, this is Lilly Walker." Ororo said. "This is Rogue, Scott, and Kurt." She gestured to the girl with two-tone hair, Scott and the blue man. "You already know Logan."
"Hey, Lilly." Kurt said with a thick German accent. "What's your gift?"
I was completely taken aback. They knew? I suppose having abilities wasn't exactly irregular compared to someone with blue skin, but I could hard grasp it sometimes.
Instead of answering, I turned to Ororo. "You never told me what you can do, Ororo."
Logan burst out a loud guffaw. "Ororo? Ha! Storm, show her what you can do."
With a modest smile, Ororo's eyes turned milky white. The large panoramic windows that were alight with evening sunlight just moments ago were now covered in snow which was rapidly piling up. Before I knew it, the sunlight returned and the snow began melting away. The cafeteria burst into applause and I heard a comment like, "Not as good as the time she did a monsoon."
"Wow," was all I could say.
"It's fine to be speechless, Lilly." Scott said, laying a reassuring hand on my arm.
"We all have gifts here, Lilly," said Ororo as her eyes returned to their normal shade. "I hope that you've finally found somewhere you'll finally be accepted. Somewhere you'll finally call home."
