Book 1

Chapter Four

When Belle arrived at the diner after her fateful meeting, she entered to see Charles and Yvonne talking at the breakfast bar. The older woman looked over at Belle and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Oh, honey I'm so proud of you! This wonderful professor told me about the position you're taking at his boarding school," she cooed as Belle looked at Charles. Play along, love. Nodding, she accepted Yvonne's hug. After the hug, Belle walked over to Charles and didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug. He responded tensely. Now it's your turn to play along, love. She felt him chuckle before he wrapped his arms around her and she couldn't help her heart from soaring. Once the hug was over, Charles went to get Belle's bag, which she had left behind at the door. Seeing him take it to his car, Yvonne pulled Belle closer to her. "Darling, I'm proud of you. You have a better job than anything you've ever done and you seem to be making good progress with Mr. Boss Man." Belle looked at her strangely.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he was gushing to me about you before. Plus that hug? Honey…" Suddenly, Belle understood what Yvonne was trying to hint at and blushed heavily.

"Yvonne, I met him yesterday. There's nothing there." Yvonne took her hand in her wrinkling one.

"...yet?"

"...maybe yet. Maybe never. Are you sure you're okay with me taking this...job?"

"Darling, of course, I am! I've wanted you to make more of your life than waiting on people in a diner and getting underpaid at a public school." At that moment, Charles returned.

"Are you ready, Belle?" Nodding, she was quick to give Yvonne one more strong hug. Taking Charles's outstretched hand in hers, she allowed him the lead her to a car, opening the passenger door for her. She removed the backpack she had on her back and settled it on her lap. Pulling out a pen and the book she had been reading most recently, she opened her hardcover copy of Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and wrote:

Yvonne

"It's the age of daring.

It's the only time we have.

We must live in the present.

We are young and alive."

Charles opened the door and got into the driver's seat, noticing the book on her lap. He chose not to ask as he started the car and began to drive. However, she could feel his curiosity and she gave in. I'm bad at saying goodbye, so I dedicate my books to certain people I say goodbye to and write a quote from the book that reminds me of them. She could see the curving of his lips into a smile. That's rather poetic and beautiful. She smiled and focused on the moving scenery, trying to distract herself. Eventually, both mutants got tired and proceeded to speak to each other mentally. The car was silent with the exception of laughter through the air was comfortable as they communicated without words. Finally, they reached a blocked government facility and as Charles helped her out of the car, she reached out for his arm, trying to relieve her nerves. He noticed her hesitation and took her hand in his. You'll be alright, love. She returned a small smile before he took her bag and they entered the building, hands still clasped together. Inside, Belle was greeted by a line of people. She recognized Erik and gave him a nod of acknowledgment which he returned.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Belle Yanos," Charles announced. A blonde woman approached them and gave Charles a loving hug, something that caught Belle slightly off guard. The woman then turned to her with a welcoming smile.

"I'm Raven. It's nice to meet you, Belle." She then turned around and began to point at people, each of them waving as they were referenced. "That's Angel, Darwin, Sean, Hank, Alex, and-"

"Erik. It's a pleasure to meet all of you," she shyly responded, surprising Raven. The shapeshifter smiled warmly at the new girl before taking the bag from Charles's hand.

"I'll show you your room." Raven began walking but paused for a moment, looking down. "Charles, would you mind letting her go so she can actually follow?" After doing a double take, Charles released Belle's hand and stuck his own in his pocket while Belle blushed and scurried after Raven.

Belle looked around her room, feeling uncomfortable in the block cell. Her bag of clothes and books sat next to her twin bed, a wooden frame with a twin mattress covered by thin grey sheets. There was nothing inviting about the militaristic room, but Belle knew better than to complain. At least I have a bed to sleep in, a roof over my head, and a guarantee of having food in the morning, she thought to herself as she changed. Dinner reminded her of nights at the orphanage, always funny banters and stories filling the air. Her first night with the other mutants was no different, everyone excited to be around one another. Even Charles joined in to perform "magic tricks" with his mutation, causing Belle and Raven to fall into fits of giggling like two mischievous sisters. Just remembering the night as Belle undressed and changed into her pajamas brought a closed smile to her lips. Soon after, she turned off the lights and plopped onto the bed, ready for a good night's sleep. Rather quickly, she fell into a dream, one she wasn't ready for. Trapped in another block cell, she began fighting against the restraints of the metallic clasps that held her to a metal table. Everything was slightly blurred and heavy as Belle tried to release herself. A man suddenly emerged from shadows and smiled at her.

"Belle Yanos. We meet again." A memory flashed in her mind and she froze in her spot, responding with a shaky voice.

"You...You're the man who saved me during the bombing." He let out a laugh.

"It's more than that darling. Let me introduce myself. My name is Sebastian Shaw." Her body became rigid and a shadow crossed her cold face.

"Sebastian Shaw…where am I? Why am I here?"

"I just want to make sure you're on the right side of this war."

"There won't be a war." He let out a laugh. It wasn't a pleasant laugh to hear and Belle cringed as he approached.

"Child, you're so innocent. Tell me something, do you still think that it was fate that you survived that bombing?" She blinked, her jaw slackening the slightest.

"What?"

"Do you really think I didn't know about the Americans planning to send you my way? Their little spy?" She remained silent, only watching him carefully as he came to the edge of the table. "I know what they did to you, what they wanted you to do, what they forced you to do. I saw your pain and I saved you. I destroyed what they built and rescued you. I was your salvation." His words triggered alarms and she struggled against her restraints, suddenly fueled by anger at the realization.

"You! You bombed the camp!" Her fists clenched.

"I did it to free you."

"You killed those people!" Her tattoos started appearing.

"They were in our way."

"They were people, living beings!" Vines started growing from her fingertips. The vines began to form a dagger that settled in her palm.

"They were just humans."

"You're crazy-" She didn't get a chance to react as Shaw backhanded her face.

"You have a choice to make." His cold steely tone made Belle clench the blade and press it tighter to her skin.

"It's not much of a choice." Sebastian glared at her and called upon someone named Emma. A woman dressed in all white came to them and he disappeared, leaving the two. She cocked her head at the tied down girl. Are you sure you won't consider joining us? Belle shook her head. I'm sorry but I know my place. The woman scoffed and nodded to a window Belle hadn't noticed before. She backed away from the table as Belle felt the restraints open. The young mutant was slow to get up but it only took Belle those few moments to dig into the woman's mind, causing her to scream before Belle felt the block. Emma turned to her diamond form and growled at her.

"You little witch!" She came forward to attack Belle, but Belle used the incoming force to launch herself to the side and shove Emma into the table. She then took the vine dagger and stuck it into the back of Emma's left knee, penetrating the diamonds through weakened creases in the mineral from movement. Emma screamed in agony before whirling around and grabbing Belle by her neck, lifting the young teacher off the ground. The diamond hand tightened around her throat as her mind was completely invaded. It wasn't long before Belle was on the verge of unconsciousness and Emma pulled her closer. Remember this moment. Belle felt her body being thrown to the side but didn't collide with anything as a comforting but firm voice broke through her head. Belle. She opened her eyes and bolted straight up, gasping and grabbing at the bed sheets for dear life. Charles sat beside her on the bed and when her senses returned and she noticed him, she crawled to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and crying into his shoulder as her legs curled behind her. He held her tightly, refusing to let go. The door opened and the rest of the mutants came rushing in with a busload of questions. Go back to bed. I'll handle this. The others slowly backed away, closing the door behind them and leaving Belle and Charles alone together. Her sobs finally calmed down to slight hiccups and she pulled away slightly from his shoulder to face him. What happened, Belle? She didn't hesitate to take his hand and lift the fingers to her temple. He himself hesitated but she nodded and closed her eyes, ready for his presence in her mind. She showed him the dream and when it finished, opened her eyes with a gasp. They stared at each other for an eternity before Belle moved forward slowly and hugged him again. At that moment, she shed a tear and opened her mind to him. He was suddenly flooded by her memories of war. He watched as military officials forced her to kill a man and two women, one of them who was pleading out to her as a friend. He watched her writing journals and crying at night because of the horrors she saw. He watched her sleeping as the whole camp was being blown up by bombs and a sphere of energy protecting her bed. He watched Sebastian Shaw come forward, pull her half-conscious body out of the wreckage, and walk away. He watched it all. When he came back to reality, he looked at her with the kindest eyes.

"They did this to you and yet you still joined us. Why?" She gave him a smile and cupped his face.

"You were convincing. I believed in your vision and you made me believe in it becoming a reality. You're the reason I joined." He smiled brightly at her, pulling one of her hands from his cheek and against his lip to kiss it, leaving it close.

"Well, I'm glad you did." They stayed that way for a moment, simply staring at each other. Her legs were still tucked beside her body as she leaned forward and let her forehead rest on his shoulder. Belle bit her lip and tried to think but she just couldn't. Her mind was totally blank as he moved his unused hand to her face and brought it up to face him. His fingers trailed up her cheekbone and landed on her ear, tucking a strand of hair behind it. "You should get some sleep." It came as a ghost of a whisper, but she heard it and immediately shook her head. My dreams aren't safe anymore. He stared at her and sighed. Come with me. I can protect you in your sleep. She slowly nodded and scooted away from him, allowing him room to stand. He helped her up and wrapped her in his bathrobe before draping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her to his room. When they entered the room, she froze in place, a terrified look on her face. Charles immediately moved in front of her and held her face gently. "Do you trust me?" Yes. She wanted to hit herself for responding so quickly and without thinking. "You're here so I can protect you in your sleep. I'm not going to do anything to you." She stared into his eyes and, smiling weakly, felt her body give out, partially because of her intense attraction to Charles but mostly because of the sudden shock in her emotional state. He was quick to catch her and carry her in his arms, her half-conscious body stabilized. He took her to the bed and laid her down, putting a pillow under her head before sitting next to her. When she regained her consciousness a minute or two later, she saw him fiddling with her hair. She let out a chuckle. Dork. He smiled at her and pulled his arm away. "I need access to your mind. I know you are very strong at defending it, but you need to drop that barrier with me." She nodded and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. He sorted through her mind and found beautiful memories: Yvonne teaching her how to bake a cake for the first time, her students bringing her dozens of flowers on her birthday, Miss Jane cutting her hair on the roof of the orphanage, her graduating and walking across the stage to see proud faces of the teachers and administration. He then came upon something interesting: a dream she'd had. The dream was blurry but Charles could make out the hand of a man reaching for her. Belle's hand slipped into the man's and she was led towards a garden overflowing with green. The man spoke to her, but he was muffled and soft so nothing was distinguishable. He came closer and Charles could faintly see that the man was actually him. A waltz began to play in the dream and the figment of Charles danced with her, though he knew she couldn't tell who it was. He decided to pull out of her head and rebuilt barriers around it as she breathed peacefully. He didn't want Shaw's telepath getting back in and ruining this for her. After a few minutes of staring at her, he felt himself doze off next to her, leaning against the headboard with her head shifted to lean on his leg. It was innocent and sweet, a picture perfect moment.

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