Crystal was awoken by the sudden absence of warmth and a cold breeze in its place. Peter must have just left.
She turned to look at the empty space beside her and saw the light bursting through the window. She couldn't remember ever sleeping through the night. She doubted that it was the bed that had helped her settle as much as it was the company. She headed towards the tall window at the end of the room when there was a delicate knock on her door.
'Come in' she called without turning. She assumed it was the professor or Peter coming back, which made her realise that she didn't know how many mutants lived here.
Sage and an older teenage girl (with long red hair) walked into the room. 'The professor wanted to let you know breakfast is at 7. We knew you didn't have any clothes with you, so we thought we'd bring you a couple of things to get you through the day.' Sage sweetly handed over a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a new toothbrush.
'Thanks,' Crystal smiled. She wasn't used to people being sweet to her. She quickly wondered if Peter had left her in such a rush to get down to breakfast.
The other girl answered her mental question. 'It's against regulations for us to share bedrooms, but you're right. He's downstairs eating already.' The girl quickly dropped eye contact, almost ashamed of prying on Crystal's thoughts.
'How many mind-readers are in this house? It's a little unnerving.'
'Just two, and a few empaths. I'm Jean, by the way. We'll give you a few minutes to get yourself sorted and then take you down for breakfast.'
With that, the girls left. Crytal quickly put on the denim shorts and the black vest top, brushed her teeth and left the room. Jean must have sensed that Crystal was ready as she appeared at the top of the stairs.
'Hungry?' She asked. Jean seemed really lovely, and Crystal imagined that they could be good friends if she decided to stay. There was something about her manner that Crystal understood all too well. Most people didn't understand what it was like to be afraid of yourself, but she had a feeling Jean did.
They followed the scent of a variety of food coming from the kitchen. As Crystal walked through the door, she saw Peter leaning on the counter talking to some students. She wasn't looking for him intentionally, but her eyes somehow naturally met with his. It led her to question how they could be so intrinsically linked to each other in such a small amount of time. He seemed to be mid-conversation and not wanting to disturb him, she slid onto a stool next to Sage. She could hear a few whispers about her from around the room but chose to ignore them, concentrating on Sage explaining the rules of the mansion to her.
Peter, on the other hand, was struggling to concentrate on anything but Crystal. She'd walked into the kitchen in those denim shorts showing off her long legs and paired it with a flash of her gorgeous smile, and it threw him off guard. He was in trouble. When he had woken up this morning, he'd felt true contentment. The beautiful woman next to him had wrapped her legs around his, his arm was around her waist. His face had nuzzled into her blonde hair, the smell of honey washing over him. He hadn't wanted to leave her but felt if he'd stayed he'd be in danger of falling for her.
She went to sit with Sage, and he knew his eyes followed her (again). Jean walked towards him and Scott. When she reached them, Scott placed his arms around her leaving Peter to feel a twang of jealously towards their intimacy, still looking longingly at Crystal.
'Peter, you're playing with fire. If she is the professor's daughter, you don't want to get involved in something so complicated.' Jean's warning had good intentions, but Peter had always had a side that enjoyed 'complicated'. Sure, the professor might have good reasons for Crystal not to date him, but there was something about her. An unknown force was pushing him towards her, and he didn't know if he'd be able to ignore it.
Soon, the younger mutants began to filter out, leaving Peter, Jean, Scott, Sage and Crystal lingering. This was his moment to start a conversation. He whizzed over and sat beside her. He saw how it startled her and gave a little half-smile to show his amusement.
'What happens now?' If he wasn't mistaken, there was a hint of nervousness in her voice.
'Jean and Scott are heading down to the danger room to train. I'm going outside to work with some younger students. You and Sage are going to meet with the professor to discuss your possible training routines.' This wasn't what he wanted to talk about, and he had to go get ready for his students. He'd given them a head start (sort of), but he'd have to leave the kitchen soon to get there before them. 'Crystal, about leaving you this morning.'
'It's fine. I know it's against the rules. You don't need to explain.' She smiled despite the tone in her voice, suggesting that she wasn't ok. Peter didn't know what to say. Was she dismissing him?
'Crystal, it's time for us to go.' Sage wasn't aware that she had interrupted a moment between the two of them as she grabbed Crystal's arm pulling her away.
He gave her a quick nod and told her he would catch her later, then reluctantly headed outside to the basketball court.
'Ah, Crystal, please make yourself comfortable.' The professor had a constant air of courtesy about him. He seemed out of place in time. He didn't belong in 1989. Like the house, he would be better suited to Victorian England in Crystal's opinion, he'd fit right in with the characters from her book. 'I've invited Sage back, as she will be able to give us both a clearer understanding of your mutations. Now everyone has had a good nights sleep we can discuss next steps.' The professor directed his focus to Sage, 'What do you see?'
'Your DNA is fascinating. It's been chopped and changed to try and include more mutations. Your most notable skill is your elemental manipulation. Air, earth, fire and water are all at your control. If you were to develop these skills, you'd be able to control anything that is fundamentally one of these elements. You'd also be able to use your air manipulation to create flight.' Sage's face was full of concentration as she continued, 'There does seem to be some untapped potential in your earth powers that seem to be lying dormant. If untapped, you should be able to develop botanpathy. That seems to be a manufactured mutation due to the experiments.'
Crystal thought she was done, but it seemed she was only pausing to take a breath. 'Your other key mutation is your voice. The tonality and rhythm you create when you speak should allow you to manipulate the thoughts and emotions of others. It wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as the professor's or Jean's, but it should allow you a small level of control for short periods. Because it works based on tonality and rhythm, it would be stronger if you sang'.
Crystal couldn't believe what she heard. All that testing, the experiments. Stryker had always told her she would be his most significant defence against attack, now she had an idea why.
'Thank you, Sage, you've done well. Please run along to class now and give Hank my apologises for keeping you.' Once Sage had left, the professor and Crystal stared at each other for a few moments.
'You don't know how to handle me, do you?'
'No, I'm afraid not. Students, I can deal with. I'm well practised at that. A daughter. Well, I just assumed that I would never have children. I wasn't expecting to gain a 25-year-old child overnight.'
'25?' This was the first time Crystal had ever been told her age.
'Yes, 25. Crystal, I would very much like to build a relationship with you. I hope that, over time, you would be able to consider me your true father in every sense of the word.' He spoke with such compassion and conviction that she knew he meant it.
She thought about her reply before speaking, she wanted to be honest with him, the way he had with her. 'It's funny. When I was little, I use to dream that I'd get rescued by my family and live with them. I use to cry out every night for someone to come and save me. As I got older, I gave up dreaming. I knew that no matter how hard I wished or how long I cried out, no one was coming. Now that I'm here, it just seems so unreal'.
'Crystal, would you mind if I have a look into your past and see what you had to endure?'
She nodded. She couldn't see the harm in the professor looking around. He gestured to the sofa and waited patiently for her to sit. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She felt her father's presence. It was like he was flipping through a picture book, and she was glimpsing over his shoulder. There were images of her being tortured, of Mirage creating living nightmares if she disobeyed Styker or the guards. Being hauled into the labs, the endless testing and training. She tried to hide the times she hurt the other mutants in the facility, but he did see glimpses of her battles. At some point, he had grabbed her hand out of compassion. A tear escaped from his eye, and he wiped it away. 'I'm so sorry.'
A few more moments past before Crystal spoke. 'What do we do now?'
'To start with, why don't I give you a tour of the mansion?'
As they toured, Crystal was surprised that every student greeted them both by name. 'I've not been here a day yet. How do they all know my name?'
'Save is a very unique mutant, and is very useful when new mutants arrive unsure of their powers. However, she is prone to gossip. It's the downside of living in a school full of teenagers. Nothing is secret.'
Her father took her on a tour of the whole mansion, which took most of the morning. She was particularly intrigued by the lower levels and the training rooms, although she did wonder if the professor would let her be involved in this side of his operations given her backdown.
The overall feeling she got from the mansion was that everyone was supportive of each other. It was a real family. Having spent her life stuck in a cell, she wanted that feeling. Nothing would be denied to her if she chose to stay.
After her tour, the professor had to leave her to teach, she walked with him to his classroom. 'Before you leave Crystal, I have something for you.' He handed her a copy of Pride and Prejudice. 'I saw you started reading it but were unable to finish. I do hope it lives up to your expectations.'
She smiled and thanked him repeatedly. It was a small gift, a token really. But it meant the world to her. The sun was glorious, so she decided to spend her afternoon reading on the bench, under the pergola she had seen earlier.
After an hour or so, she felt the small breeze on her cheek that announced Peter's arrival. 'So, what do you think?' He seemed playful this afternoon. It was a contrast to how serious he had been in the morning.
'The book? I love it' she smiled, but his eye roll was so noticeable she almost heard it. 'I can see why you all like it so much.'
'So are you planning on staying?' There was a little more urgency in his voice now.
The answer seemed so complicated to Crystal. Yes, her father was here. She could have a family. Plus, the school seemed incredible. But, even though she knew so little of the outside world, she knew she wanted to see it all. He was still awaiting an answer. She decided the best response was to shrug her shoulders and smile.
In their silent moment, she looked at his silver hair, goggles sat on top. He wore skinny jeans and a slightly oversized t-shirt. She hadn't met many people in her life, but already she knew that she wouldn't meet anyone else like him. They seemed to be drawn to each other like magnets. Sat on the bench looking at each other, they seemed to be communicating without speaking. They probably sat like that for a few seconds, but it felt like hours. It was only broken when Peter (who had the inability of sitting still) shifted his weight, causing his hand to brush against hers. It broke their small trance. The sudden contact caused her to drop her gaze and made Peter clear his throat.
'The professor said you'd need a ride to the mall. I've done for the day if you still want to go.'
'When you say ride, you mean car, right? I don't think my stomach would cope with another run'.
He laughed and flashed her a set of keys.