I don't own X-Men or any of these characters, besides my OC. They are property of Marvel.

Chapter 2: Initiation

After waking up, I checked the clock, only to discover it was 5:00 am. 'That early? I must've slept for only 4 hours.' I was still tired but couldn't fall asleep. Eventually, I gave up and checked the drawers in my closet to discover some spare clothes with a note.

'I thought you might need some clothes, so I put some in your room – Emma.'

'Perfect, thank you Miss Frost. Now, I need to have a shower.' I pulled out my map and studied it. 'If I can get to the gym, they probably have showers in there that I can use.'

I put on my clothes and headed to the gym. It was still dark outside, and the hallways were empty. Even the teachers were still probably asleep. I quietly made my way to the gym. 'Not locked. That's good to note.' I slip inside, found a towel, and get ready to shower. But before I could step in the shower, I realized something. I was a lot younger. I could tell. It was weird to suddenly be so many years younger than previously. 'How have I not noticed this previously?' It was one of those things that you can go so long without recognizing, but once you acknowledge it, it would be impossible to stop thinking about it.

I spent way too much time in the shower. It was already 7:00am. 'I have about two hours before my first class starts. What was it again, technology with Miss Pryde? I got time, I might as well explore around the school and try to figure out where everything is. If I'm going to be spending so much time here, I'm going to need to memorize important rooms. Cafeteria, my bedroom, and the gym are good rooms to start with.'

As I walk through the alleyways to go to the cafeteria to get something to eat, I begin to see teachers, and even some students, roaming about. I keep my head down and don't say anything. I don't want the hassle of any attention from either staff or student. I just want to eat and leave.

I walk up to the cafeteria and grab some pancakes (Okay, I grab a bunch, I was hungry). I scan the room, looking for an available seat, preferably in an isolated area away from other students. After sitting down, I eat my pancakes, silently praying for no interruptions from the delicious breakfast in front of me. The other students barely even seemed to notice me, too preoccupied with their own conversations, their own lives. The cafeteria wasn't that busy. It was still probably too early for most students to wake up.

By the time I finished my breakfast, the cafeteria was getting noticeably more crowded. Students and teachers began piling in just as the clock struck 8:00 am. 'I'm going to have to get here at about 7:00 am if I'm going to want to avoid a crowd. Wake up at 6:00, shower at 6:30, breakfast at 7:00.'

As I leave the cafeteria, I notice a few familiar faces. Esme and Sophie were sitting at a table with another one of their sisters. Doctor McCoy and Miss Frost were both in the cafeteria as well. Doctor McCoy was hanging out with some students, laughing. In contrast, Miss Frost leaned against a wall, sipping her beverage (probably coffee or tea), looking uninterestingly at the students. Doctor McCoy looks at me, his smile plastered on his face, but I pretend not to notice him, and I exit the cafeteria.

By the time I had finished exploring all of my other classrooms and pinpointing how to get there on my map, I crept back to Miss Pryde's classroom, where I would begin the first lecture of the day. It was only 8:40 am, twenty minutes before class started. As I entered the classroom, I was greeted with a young lady sitting at the head desk, who I recognized as Miss Pryde herself.

"You must be Selim? Hi. I'm Kitty Pryde. I'll be your teacher here for tech." She smiled at me, extending her arm, looking for a handshake.

Giving her a slight smile, greet her hand with my own.

"Hey Miss Pryde. It's nice to meet you."

"You too. Pick a seat. Classes are starting soon."

After her introduction, she returns to her desk, continuing whatever action she was previously engaged with. I briefly look at her before turning my attention to the rows of empty seats. Internally shrugging, I make my way to the back of the classroom before finding a nice corner seat to ease into. As I sit down, I notice that the students seem to be pouring into the classroom, with the typical obnoxiousness to be expected.

"Alright class. Let's settle down and continue. Now, where did we leave off?"

Internally, I was very grateful that Miss Pryde did not publicly introduce me to the class. I didn't need or want the attention. I did get some looks. Most of them are looks of curiosity from the students close to me. The person sitting next to me whispered a customary introduction to me before continuing to listen to Miss Pryde's lecture.

I listened to Miss Pryde's lecture with as much attention as I could give, but my mind couldn't help wondering how this all happened. Just three days ago, I was at my own house before suddenly being thrown into an alternate universe. I was discombobulated. Indubitably so. 'Come on. Pull yourself together.' I mentally berated myself. I needed to learn to focus very intensely. Even though Miss Pryde cannot, some of my other teachers have the annoying ability of telepathy. 'This is like a practice of sorts.' But I couldn't focus. All I could focus on was wanting to go home. Get the hell out of here as soon as possible. All of those Marvel, DC, and other comic stories make it seem so easy. Let me assure you that none of this is easier. Perhaps being born into it is, but being thrown from one life into another, having everything you've been accustomed to being taken, and to not know why or how. It was all so confusing, and the more I think about it, the angrier I get. 'Just calm the fuck down! I just need to get through these classes, then I can try to figure out what is happening.' I took a deep breath, attempting to relax from the vexing predicament I've been thrown into. However, deep down, I have a sneaking suspicion that this life I'm living will be permanent.

Class with Miss Pryde ended, and the next class was ethics with Miss Frost. I was definitely not looking forward to this. I would have to focus very intensely on only the lecture and nothing else. Unless I dare to tempt her wrath.

Unexpectedly so, Miss Frost's class went well. The student body exited her class, with myself lagging behind, giving enough space for my comfort. 'First, I got a lunch break. But after that, my next class appears to be with Mister Logan. The Wolverine. He seems like a no bullshit kind of guy, so I definitely want to make sure I'm not slacking off in his class.' But before I could continue walking to my next class, I was telepathically intercepted.

'Selim? It's me, Jean. I just want to talk to you at the end of the day if you don't mind? Please come by my office.'

'Sure thing, Miss Grey.'

'Great. I'll see you soon. Oh, and don't worry. You're not in trouble.'

Huh. Weird. Why would she want to see me? 'Probably just wants to ask me how classes are,' I thought to myself. But then I froze. I have a sneaking suspicion that she might want to figure out a bit more about me. What could I possibly say to her? That I'm from an alternate universe? If she asks for my parents' names, or an address, or anything like that, then I'm fucked. Thinking back on it, they never did ask me any questions relating to my background. Perhaps they thought I was an orphan and didn't want to stir up any bad memories. What do I do, lie to her? If she does ask me these questions, and I try to lie to her, she might find out with her telepathy. I'm going to need a convincing story.

The remainder of the day went by fine. Mister Logan's class was as unceremonious as I expected it to be. But as my dreaded encounter with Miss Grey loomed closer, I couldn't help but internally panic. I head to her office, mentally going over my backstory, trying to ensure if there were any loopholes. 'My parents died in a car accident several years ago, and I was sent to Saint Joans Orphanage. After the environment there became hostile, I decided to leave and took to the streets. I've been there ever since. If I need to, I could go into more detail, but this sounds believable enough.'

I reached the headmistresses door, and just as I was about to knock, she responded.

"Come in, Selim."

She must have sensed me telepathically.

I opened the door and carefully make my way into the room. She sat behind a big wooden desk, mahogany perhaps. Giving me a happy smile, she arose from her seat. She started to walk towards me and pulled up a chair to sit next to me. Perhaps she was trying to make me feel more comfortable, but her closeness to me was doing the complete opposite.

"Selim, thanks for coming. I just wanted to make sure that you were settling in nicely. Are classes going okay?"

"Umm, yeah. Everything's going fine really." I smirked. "I mean, it's school. No offense"

My horrible attempt to lighten the mood seemed to have a positive effect on her. She giggled, before regaining her composure, never losing any of her gaiety but maintaining a certain professionalism.

"Funny. I'm glad that you're finding comfort here. This school does its best to raise young mutant children to be the best they can possibly be."

For the first time since I got to the school, her smile dropped. 'Here comes the question.' I thought.

"I'm a bit concerned though. You see, I saw you at both breakfast and lunch, and you haven't even attempted to speak to anyone. I also spoke to some of your teachers and they said you didn't speak to anyone too. Only to staff members, and only when spoken to. You haven't made any efforts for a friend."

I sighed. Is she serious? This is what she called me in for. 'This is a cakewalk. I can buy myself some time.'

"I know. It's just all so new to me. These powers, this school, me being a mutant…."

"I know it can be hard, and I know being thrown into such an unfamiliar atmosphere can be difficult, especially for a young man such as yourself. But I really think gaining some sort of friendship will really have a positive effect on you. Mentally."

Sure, sure. Whatever she says. I was definitely not going to make friends. I couldn't even make friends back in my world, let alone one I've only been accustomed to for several days. I still hadn't fully gotten over the fact that all of this was real.

"Okay Miss Grey. I'll try. I'm not the most social person though. I've always kind of been a bit of a loser."

"You're not a loser, Selim. You're just confused. It's perfectly normal, and I completely understand what you're going through. I just want you to know that we, the staff, are here for you. If you need anything, you can speak to us. Any of us… Okay, maybe not Logan, but the rest of us for sure."

I smiled at her. "Thank you, Miss Grey."

After deducing that the meeting was over, she got up from beside me and escorted me out of the room, gently closing the door behind me. I had something much more important to do. It was time to test out my powers.

I made my way to one of the many gymnasiums the school has to offer. There was a combat room called the Danger Room, but I didn't want to go there. Not until I get better control of my powers. I don't even know how they work. 'They're based on shadows right. Shadows are created by a lack of light rays reaching a physical area. So maybe I need to manipulate pre-existing shadows. Or maybe, I can create my own shadows out of nothingness. Regardless, there are a lot of questions I have, and I'd like to get answers immediately.' I continued my stroll through the school and found myself directly in front of my destination, the gym. I peered through the door to check out how many people there were. It was busy. Too busy for my experiments. 'I'll do some weight training instead.'

After about ninety minutes of weight training, a combination of compound exercises and abs, I entered the showers for the second time this day. I got out of the shower, put on my clothes (fortunately, I had the insight to bring workout clothes with me), and headed to the cafeteria for some early dinner.

It was 5:00 pm. Way too early for me to normally eat dinner, but I ate nonetheless. I took some leftover food with me and some fruit, crackers, and other foods I might need. I planned to stay up for a long time, figuring out my powers.

I made my way back to my room, did some studying and then had a quick nap. 'After my nap,' I thought. 'I will figure out these abilities that I have been either cursed or blessed with.'