Chapter two

'You'll never get a second chance to make a first impression.'

-Unknown

There was a soft knock on the door, and before he knew it Josh was up and halfway ready to dive through the window. Another knock, as soft, and he remembered where he was.

'Yes?' he ventured, with what he hoped was a alert tone.

The door opened, and the lady that had shown him around a little yesterday smiled at him. He could vaugely remember her name, Jennie, Jean, something like that. He realised that he had been stareing silently at her, as she chuckled softly.

'You're not much of a talker, are you? Well, I'm just passing by to make sure you don't miss breakfast. If you want to come, that is?' She gave him a questioning look, and he nodded, trying to forget the fact that he hadn't eaten properly for days. Sometimes they had hid medicine in his food in the 'home' from wich Xavier had taken him...He remembered some manners though, and nodded, mumbling 'Yes, thank you.' before he swiftly pulled the bag from the bed and started to open it.

'I'll just change...if there is time?' he asked carefully, trying not to sound as uncertain as he felt. Her smile calmed him somewhat. She seemed very motherly, even if not in a old way...just as if she was born to be someones mother.

'Plenty of time. You just come when you're ready. I bet you'll beat Remy and Logan to the table anyway. I just thought that you didn't want to spend your first day here asleep.' She closed the door after her, and he sighed, looking at what little clothes he had with him. A black polo, another pair of jeans, and some underwear, everything rather torn and worn. But he changed clothes anyway, and about two or three minutes later he descended the large set of stairs and let himself be led to the kitchen by the smell of coffee.

The kitchen itself was a simple affair, rather large with all the usuall kitchen attires and benches, a big table with chairs around it and what seemed to be a backdoor a couple of meters away from the far end of it. Good to know. But all this he just noted by habit, because the people seated around the table in friendly morning banter caught his attention the second he walked in. Xavier, the bald guy in the wheelchair, and Jennie, Jean or whatever was her name next to him. On her other side, a bulky looking man with red shades, despite the early hour. Probably just trying to look cool, he thought and smirked invardly. The desired effect wasn't achieved.

On the other side of the table, a lean man with auburn hair stretched after the coffee pot as he passed some smart remark to the beautiful girl by his side, who replied and stroked some stray hairs from her face with a gloved hand. Gloves? In the summer? Not for the first time, he wondered what kind of place this was, and what on earth he was doing there...

Then, he could feel movement in the hallway behind him.

'Ya gonna stand here and stare all mornin', bub, or are ya gonna let a man in need get his coffee?' someone asked in a gruff tone, and he lept quickly to the side. A short, muscled man, with a hostile air around him steped by and grumbling made his way towards the table. All his observations had taken seconds to make, but now he had been noticed, and felt quite akward.

'Mornin'.' he mumbled, and he sat down at the table, on a free chair next to a coloured woman with the most amazing long, white, hair.

'Ah, good morning Josh. I hope your first night here has been pleasant?' Xavier said and handed him a cup, as everyone turned their gazes towards him.

'Yes, thank you...all very nice.' Josh answered quietly, feeling more and more self-concious. Luckily, Xavier just nodded and then started to introduce him to the people around the table.

'Well, you have met me and Jean already,' At the mentioning of her name, Jean gave him a quick little wave of her hand, and a comforting smile. As the others were presented, Josh turned his eyes from face to face, studying them carefully but quickly. 'and this is Scott,' the guy with red sunglasses nodded, before he seemed to return to the sports pages 'Remy,' the lean man with auburn hair turned his gaze towards him, and he nearly blinked in suprise. Those eyes were dangerous, and not just because they were red-on-black...a glimpse of something he could recognize was in there, something warning. But Remy smiled and said, with the strangest dialect he'd ever heard, 'Mornin', mon ami. Nice t' see some new talent 'round.' And strangest of all, he had signed 'no danger' with a thief-sign. A thief? From the Guild? Oh, God...Josh felt himself go pale. He was in so much trouble...he'd be lucky if he came out alive. Xavier didn't seem to notice the little exchange, as he continued. 'and next to him you have Rouge,' The girl with gloves nodded and smiled at Josh. 'Mornin' shuga'.' she said, with a heavy southern drawl. '..and next to yourself you have Ororo.' The woman next to him turned her pale blue eyes towards him and nodded in a friendly, if yet distant, way. 'Logan, you have met briefly now, even if he isn't much of a talker before coffee.' The little gruff man standing leaned towards the counter nodded shortly at Josh.

Then came the part that he had been fearing the most. Xavier turned his blue eyes towards him, and even if he smiled, Josh felt that he couldn't even try to lie while he was locked in that gaze. 'Now, I thought we'd finish breakfast, and if you'd like to join..' Josh hurried to interrupt him, struggling to keep his gaze straight into Xaviers eyes, 'I...I was thinking I'd stay in my room, for a while, if that's alright, just to..um, get into it, unpack, sort of thing...?' His voice faded, but he swallowed and forced himself to meet Xaviers gaze, his hands clenching under the table untill his knuckles where white, and he thought that everyone in the room could hear his heartbeat sounding like a drum. Xavier looked a little suprised, lifting an eyebrow, but then he just nodded. 'Of course. Feel free to do whatever you want to today, and we'll take some paperwork and studyplans tomorrow.' A surge of relief ran through Josh, and he smiled, quite steadily. 'Thank you, sir.' Then he got up and as slowly as he could manage walked out of the kitchen. He didn't run untill he reached the stairs.