The Hunter
By: Kismet NoelaniDisclaimer: I don't own the X-Men. They all belong to someone else. Or several someone else's. Don't sue me! I have to pay for college. I do own Cyrene Hunter and the story line.
Author's Notes: Please, please, please read and review. It only takes like 5 seconds of your time. Thanks ahead of time. If you're looking for action or romance, just wait. It will come, eventually. I'd like to thank Mel specially for being my very first review!!!! I'd also like to that Lateo, Kit Thespian, Carmen, and Wolverine Groupie for all reviewing chapter one! You guys are great! And now, on with the show.
All personal thoughts are in italics.
All telepathic thoughts are *italics*
Chapter Two
Scott Summers sat on the front porch of Xavier's mansion and waited for Ms. Hunter to arrive. Things had been a little rough with Jean after she had left. Jean had been sure that he was flirting with her. He wondered why Jean was so insecure about their relationship. Sometimes he thought he'd never understand women. He turned his thoughts away from his problem with jean with a sigh and back to Ms. Hunter. It was a little unusual for anyone to ask about the school like that, and generally any calls they got they were from the parents of students who were looking for a school for exceptionally intelligent students, not mutants. He sighed and hoped this one would be different.
Just then the gates opened and a black Mazda Miata convertible came down the drive. The woman parked the car, stepped out, and took a look around. Scott stood and smiled. Even if she was a lawyer, she did seem like a nice person, if a little ditzy. He hoped that if they were forced to turn down this child there would be no hard feelings; hoped she wouldn't dig any deeper.
Scott watched her slide out of the car. He studied it from the porch, it was a great car. He also had to admit that, while he would never act on the feelings, he did find the driver attractive. To be blunt, she was gorgeous. She had long hair that looked like a cross between mahogany, cherry wood, and black that hung straight down her back. Her figure was model perfect, if a little short. She looked to be about 5'2 or so. She was wearing a black business suit with a short skirt and a gray button down shirt. She was carrying a brief case. Well, whatever else she is, she seems to be all business today. Scott smiled politely. "Hello, it's nice to see you again Ms. Hunter. Professor Xavier asked me to show you around the school a bit today and answer your questions."
Cyrene let the barest hint of a smile touch her face. "Thank you very much for accommodating me on such short notice Mr. Summers," she was about to continue when the front door opened and Jean came out.
"The Professor needs to see you Scott. I'll take over the tour," she said shortly. Scott nodded and turned back to Cyrene. "Or, Jean will, it seems I'm needed elsewhere. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the tour." He turned, shot Jean a look and went into the mansion.
Jean followed Scott inside and said without turning back, "If you'll follow me Miss Hunter, I'll give you a tour of the school and tell you a little bit about what we do here."
"Thank you, the tour would be nice." Her voice was warm and musical, and sounded a little horse. Jean cynically figured she never lacked for men in her life.
The pair entered the building in silence. Jean let the silence became uncomfortable before she said anything. "This is the main entrance hall and the foyer," Jean began as she very carefully reached out a mental hand to Cyrene, but ran into her mental shield. Her eyes widened and she had to take a deep breath to steady herself. It's like steel! she thought, slightly stunned. Cyrene's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and pursed her lips. It was rude to pry into another's thoughts. Telepathic etiquette.
Jean tried once again to touch the other woman's thoughts, and once again failed. She hadn't realized she had stopped speaking until Cyrene broke the silence. "I would like to let you know that I realize that this is a school for children with genetic mutations." Jean's eyes widened. The fact that the school was for mutants wasn't public knowledge. Cyrene was continuing, "I hope that you will be able to answer my questions, I have quite a few." Cyrene watched Jean's eyebrows go up. "I have done my research Dr. Grey. Anything that is out there on the school, I know. Granted there's not a lot of information I can get, but I do know something of the school."
Jean tried to read her thoughts a third time, and was, once again, met with that shield. Her lips pursed and she frowned slightly. "Feel free to ask any questions you want Miss Hunter, but I have one question of my own first. Are you a reporter or a lawyer?" Jean didn't like the woman's cold, polite tone or thick shield. It seemed too much like she was hiding something.
"A reporter or lawyer? No, I'm the President and owner of Hunter Investments. It's a brokerage firm. I'm here on behalf of two friends of mine. Their son was recently in a car accident and the trauma triggered his mutation. They are looking for some place where he can learn how to control his gifts." She stopped. This Dr. Grey didn't need to hear anymore until she was sure she could trust her.
"I see." Jean paused a second before asking, "And do you have a mutation yourself?"
"I think you already know, considering you haven't been able to get past my mental shields," Cyrene answered.
Embarrassed, and a little angry, Jean turned and looked at her, but Cyrene's eyes were blank, her posture relaxed, and shields firmly in place. Frustrated at not being able to read her face, body language, or mind, Jean frowned, turned and gestured for her to follow. "Right, well, to your right is the student's game room." Her tone was coldly polite and very business like.
"Perfect. Now, what is it, exactly, that you do Dr. Grey?" Cyrene smiled slightly giving her voice a condescending accent. Two could play Dr. Grey's little game, and Cyrene had perfected it thousands of years ago.
*****
After the tour Jean had taken Cyrene to the Professor's office. They arrived just as his physics class was leaving. Kitty had been the first one to leave, phasing right through the door. Cyrene had let a smile touch her face while waiting for the rest of the students to leave. Jean had shown her in, introduced her and left.
Jean didn't like the woman. She made her feel uncomfortable. She mentally voiced her meeting with Cyrene and her reservations about her to Professor Xavier as she left. Realizing that Scott's class should have been over, she walked down to the faculty kitchen and sat down next to her boyfriend.
"So, how did it go?" he asked looking over at her.
"She's a mutant, looking for some place to send one of her friend's children whose mutation was triggered early, which is good. She knows an awful lot about this place, which may or may not be good. Something about her makes me uncomfortable, which is bad," Jean said still frowning.
Scott watched her for a minute. "Its sounds like the parents of the child are being supportive. That's always positive." He was quiet for a moment. "What about her makes you uncomfortable?"
Jean thought for a minute before answering, "I think it was because, she's unreadable. I couldn't read her face, or eyes, or body language. She was too perfect. Cold, polite, and distant. And it comes off a little rude and condescending. I couldn't read her mind either, she was blocking me. I don't trust her. I got the impression that she was hiding something." She didn't say anything about the way she seemed to be after Scott. That hadn't gone over very well last night and she didn't want to start another fight.
"She probably just not used to trusting other people about her mutation, that's all," Scott answered. "I'm sure it will be okay," he murmured into her hair as he pulled her into a hug. Jean nodded into his shirt, but wasn't quite sure she agreed.
*****
After Jean left her with Professor Xavier, Cyrene sat down. She smiled blandly at the man while he tried to read her thoughts and met with only her mental shield. On the outside she was the cool, confident woman. On the inside, however, she was going nuts. There was a reason she lived alone in the suburbs. The rioting emotions of so many teenagers were starting to get to her, even through her shields. She wasn't quite sure why her shields seemed to be failing more and more lately, but they were. It seemed that no matter how strong she built them up, the smallest emotion shattered them. She tried building up her mental walls a little more, but it didn't help much. She could feel a migraine coming on.
Other then that, she had an overall good feeling about the school. The kids were happy with the place and the teachers were genuinely concerned for the students well being. She wasn't sure she trusted Dr. Grey, but she didn't trust anyone who had the bad manners to try and pry in her head. Those type of people tended to be the ones who would use the information they got against you. Of course, she sold information on other people, so were that put her on the whole scale of things, she wasn't quite sure. She could tell from Xavier's emotions, though, that it was just something he did to everyone. Nothing but a reaction, a habit. After an instant he pulled back and smiled at her. She relaxed minutely and smiled slightly in return.
"I apologize for not asking permission first Miss Hunter." Her eyebrows rose at that. "I assure you, it is something I do to everyone I meet the first time. I try to make sure everyone who comes here has good intentions for my students."
Cyrene smiled openly. "I would put my shields down, but I'm not just telepathic. I am also empathetic and I don't dare sit in a school with so many teenagers without strong shields. I already have a headache from so many emotions." She felt completely at ease with this man. It was something she didn't often feel. She felt his own shield snap up around the room and her tension eased. It wasn't an empathetic shield, but another telepathic shield was better than nothing. "Thank you Professor."
"Please call me Charles." Xavier smiled pleasantly at her. Jean had warned him that she didn't trust this woman, but Charles could see nothing wrong with her. She was a warm, polite young woman with a gift that she needed to keep shielded. She was also a mutant who had made it in the world, all on her own despite her gifts and the prejudice against them. He was actually quite impressed that she had such a good handle on her gifts. At her nod he continued, "Well Miss Hunter, Jean told me why you are here and I have a few questions for you." Xavier had looked at her expectantly. Cyrene nodded at him and he continued. "I would like to know a little bit more about this family."
Cyrene's outward appearance didn't change, but she immediately grew suspicious. "What do you need to know about them?"
"Well, I wanted to know a little bit about how supportive they are of their son. Are they going to send him here to get rid of an embarrassing problem, or are they concerned for the boy?" He asked gently.
Cyrene relaxed again. Here was another example of the genuine feelings of the adults for the children. "They are very supported and worried. They are worried that he won't get control of his gifts and that if he doesn't he could be in real danger from hate groups." Xavier nodded, obviously pleased.
"It is a rare, wonderful thing for the parents of a mutant child to be concerned instead of afraid..."
Cyrene smiled. "Oh, they aren't afraid, more... exasperated. You see his gift is the ability to communicate with animals," She chuckled softly. "I picked up that it was the conversation with the snakes, in the house, that drove his mother to me. It seems animals keep showing up at their house because he's calling them and doesn't know how to stop it."
Xavier laughed. "I can see how that would be a bit disconcerting. Did they have a time to come visit in mind?"
Cyrene nodded. "Monday morning, around 10 o'clock. That way they can get a tour, have lunch, and talk to some students and the teachers. They'll also want to meet with you, if that's okay?"
"Of course. Are you going to be coming with them?" he asked while mentally relaying everything about the visit to his secretary.
"Yes, I think I will. If you don't mind, I'd like to bring my brother with me. This might be the sort of place that he would fit in." Cyrene said slowly thinking of the boy. "I really only have two questions left. One, how much? And two, do you have any information I can bring them? A booklet perhaps?" she asked, getting back to business.
Xavier opened a drawer in his desk and handed her an informational book. "In answer to your first question, there are no fees here, but any kind of donations would be welcome." He smiled at her.
She flipped through the book and smiled back. "Thank you Professor. Is it alright if I bring them by on Monday?"
"Of course, if you have any questions feel free to call us."
"Thank you." Cyrene stood, "I'll show myself out."
After she left Charles Xavier smiled to himself. She was well prepared and business like, but she was a good person as far as he could tell. Empathy was a gift he had not yet come into contact with. He wondered exactly how much control she had over the power. He turned back to his computer only to hear a knock at the door. "Come in."
John opened the door and took a seat.
"So John," Professor Xavier started, "What's this I hear about you lighting your books and desk on fire during English class?"