Miranda's father sat her down at the dinner table and told Miranda all about the mother that she couldn't remember. The mother who had left Miranda when she was just an infant and had never looked back. The mother, who Miranda now knew, was a mutant herself. "Why didn't you tell me this?" she asked, staring at the table.
Her father shook his head. "I wasn't sure how. I didn't know what you would think if you found out."
Miranda just nodded. That made sense. Most people wouldn't like to find out that their mother was a mutant. She looked up as a thought crossed her mind. "What was her mutation?"
He smiled as if remembering. "Your mother had the most remarkable gift for getting anything she wanted. At first I thought I was just pure luck, but then she told me what she was. Turned out that while I knew her as Sophia, there was a whole group of people who called her Aphrodite. And they knew that she was capable of making anyone in the world fall in love with her and be at her bidding. I didn't care that she was a mutant- I loved her- and we settled down and we had you. But Sophia was no good at being stuck with a family. She was too wild for that. And the rest you know. Woke up one morning to find her note and haven't seen her since."
There was silence in the room. "You really don't know where she is?"
He nodded. "Really." For a while they both sat there not saying anything. Miranda was trying to work through things in her mind but mostly failing. It was a lot to take in. "So she could make people do things…I can't do that. Shouldn't-"
She was cut short by the ringing of the telephone and her father walked across the room to answer. She watched from where she stood and new exactly who was on the other end of the line. Her father was nodding. "Yes. She got home fine. I should thank you for making sure she- …Oh. No, I didn't know that. No, no, Miranda didn't tell me." He looked at her accusingly and she smiled slightly. "Of course, I'm more than happy for that. I think it will be good for her. Alright. Goodbye, Miss Grey." He hung up the phone and then looked at her with his arms crossed. "One of they stabbed you?"
She looked down. "Oh yeah." Then she raised her eyes. "He didn't mean it," she added quickly. "I mean, I jumped out at him. He wasn't expecting…" she trailed off and bit her lip. "I'll be more careful next time?"
"You bet you will," he said, and shook his head. Then he frowned. "What exactly is it you can do?"
"Oh," she said, realising this hadn't yet come up. "I can- Well, Logan thought was invisibility-"
"Logan?" Her father's tone of voice didn't sound pleased. "Who is Logan?"
She spoke quickly. "He's the mutant I met who stabbed me cause he has claws that shoot out of his hand but he didn't mean it and it took me to the hospital and it's all okay so don't be mad!" She took a breath. She decided that maybe she's spoken a little too quickly for her father to get any of that and smiled slightly. "He's a mutant. The one who took me to the hospital and"
"The one who stabbed you," he finished. Worry lines creased his brow.
"He didn't mean it," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I…Alright, I can, sort of, disappear."
"Disappear?"
Miranda nodded and sat down, flinching at the pain from her stitches. "It's not really disappearing. I mean, I'm still there and-" she stopped. Trying to describe this was ridiculous. She looked around the room and then pointed to the corner that was slightly shadowy. "Okay," she said as she stood up. "Watch me carefully." She walked toward the corner very slowly and felt that familiar tug in her stomach. It wasn't painful, but it always felt as though it should be. it felt as though her whole body was twisting and changing and she wasn't sure what happened when she hit darkness. She felt the pulling stop and heard her father say something under his breath. She turned to look at him. "Can you see me?" she asked.
He was staring blankly toward the shadows and it was clear that he couldn't. "Okay," she said steadily. "I'm going to move and I want you to watch me. You should see a shimmer." Watching his stunned face she waved her hand at him. "See that?"
"Miranda. I can't see any- wait. Yes. There's…something."
Miranda grinned. "That's me."
He nodded, looking rather dazed. "Okay, come back out now. It's creepy." But Miranda didn't move. "Miranda?" she lowered her head. Couldn't she just stay here? "Please Miranda?" she looked up and saw worry in his eyes. She nodded and closed her eyes, stepping slowly from the shadows. There was a pain in her chest as she did so and she held her breath to try and ease it. And then she heard her father take a deep, relieved breath and she knew that she was visible again. She smiled at him slightly. "Bet'cha mom couldn't do that," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He smiled and shook his head. "No." Then he walked across the room and hugged her gently. "I love you," he said and she smiled.
*
Later that afternoon Miranda was arriving at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Miranda stood on the lawn staring up at it. Whoa. She looked at her father. "Never seen a school like this before," she muttered.
He was looking around as well. "Looks like one of those posh boarding schools."
They were still looking around at the school when a young woman with bobbed red hair came out to meet them. "James Althea?" she asked with a smile.
Her father nodded and the woman shook his hand. "I'm Jean Grey. We spoke on the phone."
Her father smiled. "Ah, Miss Grey."
"Jean, please." The woman turned her eyes to Miranda. "And you must be Miranda. It's a pleasure to have you here."
Miranda smiled nervously. "Thanks." She looked around at the children everywhere. "Are they all mutants?" she asked, not sure if she sounded rude or not. Jean nodded, also looking around at them. "Yes," she said simply and then looked at Miranda. "Are you ready to come in and meet everyone?"
Miranda nodded and smiled at her father. "Yeah. I'm okay."
Her father smiled brightly and kissed her brow. "You'll be fine. I'll be back in a few hours to check in. Is that alright with you Mis- Jean?"
She smiled and nodded. "Of course. We'll get Miranda set up with a room and introduce her to everyone." She looked at Miranda. "Ready?"
Miranda nodded and swallowed her nervousness. "Yeah. Let's go."
Her father shook his head. "I wasn't sure how. I didn't know what you would think if you found out."
Miranda just nodded. That made sense. Most people wouldn't like to find out that their mother was a mutant. She looked up as a thought crossed her mind. "What was her mutation?"
He smiled as if remembering. "Your mother had the most remarkable gift for getting anything she wanted. At first I thought I was just pure luck, but then she told me what she was. Turned out that while I knew her as Sophia, there was a whole group of people who called her Aphrodite. And they knew that she was capable of making anyone in the world fall in love with her and be at her bidding. I didn't care that she was a mutant- I loved her- and we settled down and we had you. But Sophia was no good at being stuck with a family. She was too wild for that. And the rest you know. Woke up one morning to find her note and haven't seen her since."
There was silence in the room. "You really don't know where she is?"
He nodded. "Really." For a while they both sat there not saying anything. Miranda was trying to work through things in her mind but mostly failing. It was a lot to take in. "So she could make people do things…I can't do that. Shouldn't-"
She was cut short by the ringing of the telephone and her father walked across the room to answer. She watched from where she stood and new exactly who was on the other end of the line. Her father was nodding. "Yes. She got home fine. I should thank you for making sure she- …Oh. No, I didn't know that. No, no, Miranda didn't tell me." He looked at her accusingly and she smiled slightly. "Of course, I'm more than happy for that. I think it will be good for her. Alright. Goodbye, Miss Grey." He hung up the phone and then looked at her with his arms crossed. "One of they stabbed you?"
She looked down. "Oh yeah." Then she raised her eyes. "He didn't mean it," she added quickly. "I mean, I jumped out at him. He wasn't expecting…" she trailed off and bit her lip. "I'll be more careful next time?"
"You bet you will," he said, and shook his head. Then he frowned. "What exactly is it you can do?"
"Oh," she said, realising this hadn't yet come up. "I can- Well, Logan thought was invisibility-"
"Logan?" Her father's tone of voice didn't sound pleased. "Who is Logan?"
She spoke quickly. "He's the mutant I met who stabbed me cause he has claws that shoot out of his hand but he didn't mean it and it took me to the hospital and it's all okay so don't be mad!" She took a breath. She decided that maybe she's spoken a little too quickly for her father to get any of that and smiled slightly. "He's a mutant. The one who took me to the hospital and"
"The one who stabbed you," he finished. Worry lines creased his brow.
"He didn't mean it," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "I…Alright, I can, sort of, disappear."
"Disappear?"
Miranda nodded and sat down, flinching at the pain from her stitches. "It's not really disappearing. I mean, I'm still there and-" she stopped. Trying to describe this was ridiculous. She looked around the room and then pointed to the corner that was slightly shadowy. "Okay," she said as she stood up. "Watch me carefully." She walked toward the corner very slowly and felt that familiar tug in her stomach. It wasn't painful, but it always felt as though it should be. it felt as though her whole body was twisting and changing and she wasn't sure what happened when she hit darkness. She felt the pulling stop and heard her father say something under his breath. She turned to look at him. "Can you see me?" she asked.
He was staring blankly toward the shadows and it was clear that he couldn't. "Okay," she said steadily. "I'm going to move and I want you to watch me. You should see a shimmer." Watching his stunned face she waved her hand at him. "See that?"
"Miranda. I can't see any- wait. Yes. There's…something."
Miranda grinned. "That's me."
He nodded, looking rather dazed. "Okay, come back out now. It's creepy." But Miranda didn't move. "Miranda?" she lowered her head. Couldn't she just stay here? "Please Miranda?" she looked up and saw worry in his eyes. She nodded and closed her eyes, stepping slowly from the shadows. There was a pain in her chest as she did so and she held her breath to try and ease it. And then she heard her father take a deep, relieved breath and she knew that she was visible again. She smiled at him slightly. "Bet'cha mom couldn't do that," she said, feeling slightly embarrassed.
He smiled and shook his head. "No." Then he walked across the room and hugged her gently. "I love you," he said and she smiled.
*
Later that afternoon Miranda was arriving at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Miranda stood on the lawn staring up at it. Whoa. She looked at her father. "Never seen a school like this before," she muttered.
He was looking around as well. "Looks like one of those posh boarding schools."
They were still looking around at the school when a young woman with bobbed red hair came out to meet them. "James Althea?" she asked with a smile.
Her father nodded and the woman shook his hand. "I'm Jean Grey. We spoke on the phone."
Her father smiled. "Ah, Miss Grey."
"Jean, please." The woman turned her eyes to Miranda. "And you must be Miranda. It's a pleasure to have you here."
Miranda smiled nervously. "Thanks." She looked around at the children everywhere. "Are they all mutants?" she asked, not sure if she sounded rude or not. Jean nodded, also looking around at them. "Yes," she said simply and then looked at Miranda. "Are you ready to come in and meet everyone?"
Miranda nodded and smiled at her father. "Yeah. I'm okay."
Her father smiled brightly and kissed her brow. "You'll be fine. I'll be back in a few hours to check in. Is that alright with you Mis- Jean?"
She smiled and nodded. "Of course. We'll get Miranda set up with a room and introduce her to everyone." She looked at Miranda. "Ready?"
Miranda nodded and swallowed her nervousness. "Yeah. Let's go."