Disclaimer: Still only own Viktoria Cole (and this sorry excuse for a plot)
so don't sue. I'd have no money to pay you anyway.
Warning: I upped the rating to R, for graphic violence described in this chapter, and some stuff that'll come up in later chapters. Please abide by the warnings, and if you don't, please don't come crying to me afterwards.
Peaceful Nightmares- You rock. Seriously. I really appreciate your reviews, it even gave me a new spin, and so I brought Piotr in early for ya. Well, mention of him anyway.
Chapter 7- This Is Your Life!
"She makes these little creatures out of fire, Professor. I mean, I've never seen anything like it. What else is she capable of?"
Charles Xavier unlocked a massive file cabinet, flipped through some flies until he came to the one he was looking for. He opened it, and then pushed it across the oak desk to Scott. "Viktoria has many talents, although some of them she is much less- in control of- then others."
Scott looked at the various contents of the thick manila folder. Newspaper clippings, a few pictures paper clipped to the side, a family history, a health report from Hank... Scott scanned the top newspaper article, from the Baltimore Sun Times. 'COLE CORP. STOCKS SURGE, SPLIT IN SIGHT' stated the headline in bold. A picture of a tall man in suit, dark hair combed back perfectly, smiled into the camera.
"Cole Corporations? Is that-"
"Yes, that's Viktoria's father's business. One of the largest software companies in the country." The Professor looked down at the photo in question, then back at Scott. "They also are at the fore-front of genetic testing and engineering, from what Hank and I have been able to find out. Nothing with the X-gene however, which I found quite odd."
"Especially since his own daughter is a mutant," Scott added.
"Exactly. And apparently, an autopsy report found that her deceased brother, Derek Cole, also had the X-gene."
"Her brother was a mutant too?"
"Apparently so. Viktoria told me his power manifested when he was around 13 or so. They kept it a secret from their parents though, for obvious reasons, her father being the businessman he is. Derek was a very strong telepath, and could also 'see' the intentions of people around him. He told Viktoria they come in colors-"
"Like auras?"
"Much like. Viktoria said it took him at least a year to figure out what each color meant, but by the time of his death, he had decoded, so to speak, over 400 different emotions and intentions in the form of color." The Professor pulled out a pale blue sheet from the folder on the desk, then turned it around so it was facing Scott. Scott scanned it quickly, realizing it was a list of known powers or abilities Viktoria possessed.
"Pyro-kinetic, that's the ability to control fire with your mind. Makes sense with those little creatures she makes. I suppose she could do a lot more with it too. Telepathy- must be from her brother. Let's see, what's this? She's clairvoyant? She's able to see the future?" Scott looked up from the sheet in confusion.
"Viktoria sees flashes of the future, and the past, sometimes. But as of right now, it causes her great mental strain, giving her headaches ranging from mild to, well, do you remember the headaches you had before your glasses?"
Scott nodded glumly. He remembered. Those headaches had been like machetes to the brain, and only his glasses could stop the pain. Ruby quartz to control the powerful blasts that surged from his eyes. He never wished that kind of pain on anyone, especially not a young girl.
"Is there anything we can do? To stop the headaches?" Scott replaced the blue sheet back in the folder. "I've talked to Viktoria, and Jean, and I think that if we can help her enhance her telepathy, Viktoria will be able to block the headaches herself. If not, then I'll set up mental blocks within her brain, to block the power entirely."
The Professor paused, knowing what Scott was thinking. "And yes, from what I've seen, her predictions are almost entirely accurate, if not a bit jumbled. She only sees quick flashes of what has or will happen, but her telepathy seems to enhance them, so Viktoria can figure out what they mean, more or less. That's why I don't want to have to block the power, it might become very useful to her in the future."
"Kind of like a sixth sense about danger?"
"Well, that, and it also shows her glimpses of the people around her. Within the hour that we were speaking, she had at least 3 different episodes, in which she saw glimpses of Jean's childhood, when her power manifested. She also saw the first time I met Erik, and then another one in which she saw a tall man in 'armor' coming to the mansion."
"Was that the new guy that's coming next week?" Scott asked.
"Yes, Piotr Rasputin," the Professor replied, shaking his head. "He's scheduled to arrive next week sometime. But as you can see, her 'predictions' are very accurate, and many times on things she doesn't even understand. Although she did know Erik's presence, even at that young."
"She was with the Brotherhood, Professor. And he is Pietro's father. I'm sure she's met him, in one form or the other."
"Yes, I'm sure she has met him also." The Professor flipped through the folder, pulled out a yellow sheet, then pointed to a line. "This medical report, that Hank filed the afternoon she got here, I want you to look over it. Make sure you know about her, Scott. Viktoria is already quite powerful already, what with the training she received while with the Brotherhood, and with her background and attitude, I don't want her to become a - handful."
"Of course Professor." Scott replaced the sheet into the folder, then picked up the manila file folder, ready to head out of the office. "She was very co-operative during the drills this morning, though. Shot Logan a few dirty looks, but I can't say I blame her for that-"
"Scott." the Professor began in warning tones.
"But she was very helpful with Kitty," Scott finished quickly. "I'm sure she'll be great for the team, as long as she stays away from Wanda."
"Ah, yes. Wanda. I spoke to both of them separately about the problems they have with each other, nothing more than a little jealousy I assure you-"
"Over Pietro?"
"Well, yes. Wanda seems to think Viktoria pushed him into becoming a spy of sorts, and Viktoria thinks it's none of Wanda's business. More of an 'I'm his sister, I know best' type thing. They both say they'll either quit it or keep out of the others way. Viktoria's actually words were "Anything to keep me out of that wacko's way"," the Professor added with a soft chuckle. "Quite the sense of humor that girl has. Needs to watch it on the language however."
"Well, she's still young."
"Ah, true. And so are you Scott."
"Yeah- well, err, I better get to looking over these reports and such, huh Professor? I'll see you at dinner." And with a small wave, Scott exited the Professor's office as quickly as possible.
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"Looks like an episode of This Is Your Life exploded on the kitchen table."
Scott looked up from the pile of papers scattered across the table in front of him to regard Jean. "Tell me about it. I went to the Professor to talk about Viktoria's session this morning in the Danger Room and-"
"How did she do?" Jean interrupted. "I know she was a bit worried by what Bobby was saying on the way there."
"She did great, surprisingly. Better than everyone else actually. I think Logan was actually impressed." Scott watched as Jean used her telekinesis to pull out the chair next to him and sit down. She absently picked up the paper stating Viktoria's various abilities and mutant powers.
"Logan- impressed? I'm not sure those two words belong in the same sentence, Scott. But I'm glad she did well all the same. I think it'll help her transition to the Institute."
Scott chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure she's fitting in just fine. She seems to fit in wherever she goes." Scott noticed Jean's eyebrows go up as she glanced at the blue paper before her. "You didn't know she was telepathic either?"
Jean shook her head disbelief. "I-I didn't even sense her when she came in that first day. Course I could have been busy that day... I don't really remember. Makes sense now though, the Professor wanted to know if I wanted to practice with her, maybe teach her some exercises on how to block others thoughts and move on the astral plane." Jean picked up a picture from an old yearbook of Viktoria, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. She didn't look older than 13 or so. "This must be rare, Viktoria without her glasses."
"Ah, yeah. That's from her 7th grade yearbook, blown up, of course." Scott glanced at the picture, a smiling Viktoria staring back at him kindly. "She hasn't changed much, just gotten taller, prettier, and mouthier. And her eyes."
"They match her glasses now," Jean replied. Scott shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Not why she wears them though. Look at this one." Scott handed Jean a more recent photo of Viktoria, also without her blue glasses. Jean gasped, her hand covering her mouth.
"Those aren't contacts, are they?" Scott shook his head, his mouth frowning slightly. "When her power manifested, it changed her eyes from blue to- well, that. That orange-red-yellow swirl mixture. Odd, isn't it?" Jean nodded, pushing the picture away under some newspaper clippings. Her eyes were- disturbing- to say the least.
"No wonder she wears the glasses," Jean murmured.
"Well, I- I don't know. I feel bad for her. She's had it pretty rough. I mean, even compared to some of us." Scott showed Jean the notebook paper where he'd been scribbling a short personal history. VIKTORIA COLE it read in dark letters at the top. Jean glimpsed down the page, picking up various words and phrases. "She has a brother?"
"Had," Scott corrected. "He died a few months after she came into her powers. He was telepathic too. Pretty powerful, from what she told the Professor. Taught her some of the basics apparently, before he died. He also had this form of empathy, where he could see other people's feelings in the form of a colorful- aura- I guess you'd say. Pretty interesting, actually."
"Wow." Jean scanned the sheet again. "It doesn't say how he died. Do you know?"
"He drowned," a voice replied from the doorway. "Sort of."
Viktoria strolled into the kitchen, grabbed an apple from the center bowl on the table and took a seat next to Jean. "G'afternoon you guys." She picked up a newspaper clipping of her father, grimaced, then tossed it absently onto another pile of papers, instead deciding to stare at her apple. "Professor said you were down her, learning all about fabulous me. Boring life, huh?"
"I wouldn't say that," Scott said unsteadily. How long had she been standing there? It couldn't of been long- I would of noticed her, or Jean would of sensed her mind... Unless she was blocking her presence mentally, but why would she do-
"Ah, come on," Viktoria replied, interrupting Scott's thoughts. "I've seen more interesting stories on Jerry Springer." Viktoria took a bite of her apple, lobbing it gently from hand to hand.
"What do you mean, when you said your brother drowned- sort of?" Jean asked. "How can you sort of drown?" Viktoria rolled her eyes behind the shades, obviously exasperated by the question.
"Well, the autopsy dude said he couldn't figure out if Derek, mi hermano brillante, drowned or if the huge gash across his neck killed him first and he just stumbled in." She rolled the apple on her arm, balancing it carefully so it wouldn't drop to the ground. "So he sort of drowned. But he's real dead."
Scott stacked some of the papers out of the way to make sure if Viktoria dropped the apple, it wouldn't land on them. "A huge gash? What happened?"
"Oh, well he was- ah, hell. I might as well tell you the whole damn story." She tapped her temple a few times, looking at Jean with one eyebrow raised. "You'd probably find out soon anyway."
"His power manifested when he was like, shoot, 13 or so, same for me, well, a little later for me, anyway. Only he was like 4 years older than me, right? So I was 14, almost 15, at the time, he was almost 18, and we kept our powers a secret from everyone, even our family, especially our family, actually." Viktoria tapped one red fingernail on a nearby newspaper clipping, her father's face visible only when she took her hand away. "You know how dad's can be."
"So anyway, my powers weren't as- let's just say hide-able. That's not a word, but it will be for now. So I sort of lit a few things on fire, didn't mean to of course, but it happens. So I guess some kids from school saw that, and people being the ignorant masses they happen to be, decided 'oh, something we don't understand, let's kill it!' Luckily, I squashed the fire before they got the chance to report me as a mutant to the school and the FOH. No proof or something."
"You had to deal with the Friends of Humanity?" Jean sighed, shaking her head. "They're impossible."
"Not really, they figured reporting me wouldn't do. But the kids didn't give up. They knew who I was, and apparently figured the mutant gene runs in the family, not a bad guess as it turns out, but decided if they couldn't kill me, Derek might as well be the next best thing. Why? I have no idea, I mean, I was a freshmen girl, they could of taken me, but my brother was a big bad senior and- oh never mind, kids are stupid."
"Anyway, they got some of their big bad senior buddies and jumped my brother on day. He was just getting out of work, at this music store. Derek loved music- err, anyway they beat the piss out of him, then left him there, in some dank alley downtown." Viktoria threw the finished apple across the kitchen, and the three listened as it landed in the trash can with a loud plop.
"So Derek somehow drives home, god knows how, and I'm back from this sketching class I took after school- not that it matters where I was- anyway, I'm home and I see him and he's all scraped up and his face is, oh god, you can't imagine. Where it wasn't bloody, it was bruised and god, I about broken down when I saw him. I'd never seen somebody so mangled in my life, except in like, movies and stuff." Viktoria looked down at the table, her vision blurring as tears stung at her eyes. "He was so handsome, I mean, he had a girlfriend and everything and then he just- they just- it was awful. Just plain gross."
Viktoria swiped at her cheeks as tears flowed down in a steady stream. Jean put a hand over Viktoria's, her eyes sympathetic. "You don't have to-"
"No, no, it's okay, I'm fine." Viktoria wiped her eyes, placing her glasses firmly back in place. "He was really messed up. I bandaged him up as best as I could, but we didn't even have enough stuff in the whole house- I mean, to cover all his wounds and everything. So I told him I'd go down to my friends house, and get some from her, but I had to WALK, and it so flipping FAR- like 2 miles or something and he was bleeding all over the place, even with the bandages..."
"So I was gone for about, I don't know, 30 minutes maybe? And I come back and Derek's all sprawled out on the couch, father would have had a cow if he'd seen him. Blood was just EVERYWHERE. They must of cut him with a knife too, or something, he was bleeding so badly. So I come home and fix him all right, I mean, better than he was. And try to get him to talk or eat or something, but he's just in this daze. He'd only speak telepathically at that point. We only used to do that when people were around that we didn't want to talk y'know, verbally, in front of."
"He told me that some guys jumped him, called him a mutie freak, y'know all that crap- and that they told him they'd seen me light this bush on fire with my 'magic' or something and he was gonna pay for it. I just felt so... I felt so guilty at that point. I mean, he was beaten up because of ME. It was my entire fault that he was- like that." Viktoria rested her chin in her hands, tears still swimming in eyes that would only stare off at a point beyond Scott's head.
"Later on I offered to go get something to eat for dinner, and I left him with the phone so he could call me if he needed me or anything like that. I was gone for maybe an hour, cause I had to get a ride from my friend, and while I was gone I got a call from him, but when I picked up, it disconnected."
Viktoria's eyes focused again, her gaze shifting to Scott's glasses, then to Jean's eyes, and then to her own hands clasped in front of her. "So when I get back, I can't find him on the couch, or in his room, or mine. I start to check the patio and I see his- his body floating face down in the water. I d-d-dove in after him, pulled him to the side and his throat was all slashed up. It looked like he'd taken a steak knife and- god... I didn't think he'd ever kill himself..."
"You don't have to continue, Viktoria," Jean said. "Really. You shouldn't have to re-live that-" Viktoria nodded absently, but continue as if she hadn't heard Jean at all.
"That night my parents came home, and saw him and I had to explain everything about us being mutants and- and my father just flipped out at me. He smacked me across the face and told me I- he told me that I killed Derek. He didn't believe that Derek was a mutant too, and he thought I killed him and he just wouldn't listen to me..." Viktoria dabbed at her eyes with a tissue Jean handed her. "He wouldn't listen to anyone. And my mother wasn't any help, she just melted into this pathetic puddle on the floor muttering Derek's name over and over. God, I'll never forget that."
"So that night I gathered up some of my clothes and things, pictures and stuff like that, some money and cards, grabbed the keys' to my father's 'Vette and left the next morning. My father never even reported the car stolen. I just- I didn't exist to him anymore. I met Pietro at this café thing about a week or so later. Talked to me about how his employer wanted to meet me, so we went out to California, and I stayed with the Brotherhood until Professor Xavier contacted me."
Viktoria sighed, her shoulders collapsing at her sides. "I didn't have anywhere else to go then. I didn't even know places like-" she waved a hand to the mansion around her "-like this existed. Pietro and Todd were always talking about you guys. I didn't know it was YOU guys when they talked though. You were just names to me. Then apparently he came out here to talk to the Professor about the information spy thing, and came back, told me, and by then Lance had already left, so we just kind of waited it out. The Professor contacted me a few weeks later, so here I am."
"Oh my." Jean looked to Scott to say something, when he seemed just as shocked as she did, Jean decided to just nod softly. "So, hmm, well, that's certainly more involved than any Jerry Springer episode I've ever seen."
"About your telepathy-" Scott started. "How much did your brother teach you before- before he passed on?"
"Some. I mean, I can communicate y'know-" Viktoria made a motion pointing from her temple to Scott's. "-And I can project thoughts, suggestions, stuff like that. I can make some- ummm, people? I don't know what the words for it are." Viktoria waved her hand beside her as the image of a boy, about 18, with dusty hair, bright blue eyes, and a huge grin flickered faintly next to her. "That's my brother. But I can't get the images to stay very well. Or very long. It's like a TV on the frizz or something." The image gave a small wave, and then blinked out.
"I can help you with your control," Jean said with a small smile. "Both the Professor and I will. We can teach you some exercises that will help increase the strength of your mind. I bet it'll make your fire creatures more.. more.."
"Just more," Scott finished for her.
"Really? I mean that's great. Derek was always saying- well, nevermind. When do you think we can start?"
"How about I meet you out on the patio in an hour or so? I'll check everything over with the Professor, and maybe he'll join us too." Viktoria smiled brightly, rising from her seat with Jean. "Yeah! Yeah, that'd be great. I'll see you out there then." She gave a quick wave, then disappeared around the corner, the sound of her boots becoming fainter and fainter.
"Well, looks like you have yourself one eager student there," Scott said with a small laugh. Jean nodded, smiling happily. "It's about time. I swear, some of these kids are starting to take their powers for granted- it's good to finally see someone whose willing to learn!"
"Tell me about it. I heard Sean and Emma are having the same problems over at the Massachusetts Academy. Emma is having some difficulty with them, especially with her two telepaths. They just don't care to enhance their skills." Scott shuffled the papers on the table, spreading them back into two piles of ones he'd read and one's he hadn't. "Have fun with your new student. I'll still be here if you need me, most likely."
"Alright. See you at dinner then." Jean dropped a quick kiss on Scott's cheek, giving him a tiny wave, then left him to reading the seemingly endless amounts of papers on Viktoria and her family.
Warning: I upped the rating to R, for graphic violence described in this chapter, and some stuff that'll come up in later chapters. Please abide by the warnings, and if you don't, please don't come crying to me afterwards.
Peaceful Nightmares- You rock. Seriously. I really appreciate your reviews, it even gave me a new spin, and so I brought Piotr in early for ya. Well, mention of him anyway.
Chapter 7- This Is Your Life!
"She makes these little creatures out of fire, Professor. I mean, I've never seen anything like it. What else is she capable of?"
Charles Xavier unlocked a massive file cabinet, flipped through some flies until he came to the one he was looking for. He opened it, and then pushed it across the oak desk to Scott. "Viktoria has many talents, although some of them she is much less- in control of- then others."
Scott looked at the various contents of the thick manila folder. Newspaper clippings, a few pictures paper clipped to the side, a family history, a health report from Hank... Scott scanned the top newspaper article, from the Baltimore Sun Times. 'COLE CORP. STOCKS SURGE, SPLIT IN SIGHT' stated the headline in bold. A picture of a tall man in suit, dark hair combed back perfectly, smiled into the camera.
"Cole Corporations? Is that-"
"Yes, that's Viktoria's father's business. One of the largest software companies in the country." The Professor looked down at the photo in question, then back at Scott. "They also are at the fore-front of genetic testing and engineering, from what Hank and I have been able to find out. Nothing with the X-gene however, which I found quite odd."
"Especially since his own daughter is a mutant," Scott added.
"Exactly. And apparently, an autopsy report found that her deceased brother, Derek Cole, also had the X-gene."
"Her brother was a mutant too?"
"Apparently so. Viktoria told me his power manifested when he was around 13 or so. They kept it a secret from their parents though, for obvious reasons, her father being the businessman he is. Derek was a very strong telepath, and could also 'see' the intentions of people around him. He told Viktoria they come in colors-"
"Like auras?"
"Much like. Viktoria said it took him at least a year to figure out what each color meant, but by the time of his death, he had decoded, so to speak, over 400 different emotions and intentions in the form of color." The Professor pulled out a pale blue sheet from the folder on the desk, then turned it around so it was facing Scott. Scott scanned it quickly, realizing it was a list of known powers or abilities Viktoria possessed.
"Pyro-kinetic, that's the ability to control fire with your mind. Makes sense with those little creatures she makes. I suppose she could do a lot more with it too. Telepathy- must be from her brother. Let's see, what's this? She's clairvoyant? She's able to see the future?" Scott looked up from the sheet in confusion.
"Viktoria sees flashes of the future, and the past, sometimes. But as of right now, it causes her great mental strain, giving her headaches ranging from mild to, well, do you remember the headaches you had before your glasses?"
Scott nodded glumly. He remembered. Those headaches had been like machetes to the brain, and only his glasses could stop the pain. Ruby quartz to control the powerful blasts that surged from his eyes. He never wished that kind of pain on anyone, especially not a young girl.
"Is there anything we can do? To stop the headaches?" Scott replaced the blue sheet back in the folder. "I've talked to Viktoria, and Jean, and I think that if we can help her enhance her telepathy, Viktoria will be able to block the headaches herself. If not, then I'll set up mental blocks within her brain, to block the power entirely."
The Professor paused, knowing what Scott was thinking. "And yes, from what I've seen, her predictions are almost entirely accurate, if not a bit jumbled. She only sees quick flashes of what has or will happen, but her telepathy seems to enhance them, so Viktoria can figure out what they mean, more or less. That's why I don't want to have to block the power, it might become very useful to her in the future."
"Kind of like a sixth sense about danger?"
"Well, that, and it also shows her glimpses of the people around her. Within the hour that we were speaking, she had at least 3 different episodes, in which she saw glimpses of Jean's childhood, when her power manifested. She also saw the first time I met Erik, and then another one in which she saw a tall man in 'armor' coming to the mansion."
"Was that the new guy that's coming next week?" Scott asked.
"Yes, Piotr Rasputin," the Professor replied, shaking his head. "He's scheduled to arrive next week sometime. But as you can see, her 'predictions' are very accurate, and many times on things she doesn't even understand. Although she did know Erik's presence, even at that young."
"She was with the Brotherhood, Professor. And he is Pietro's father. I'm sure she's met him, in one form or the other."
"Yes, I'm sure she has met him also." The Professor flipped through the folder, pulled out a yellow sheet, then pointed to a line. "This medical report, that Hank filed the afternoon she got here, I want you to look over it. Make sure you know about her, Scott. Viktoria is already quite powerful already, what with the training she received while with the Brotherhood, and with her background and attitude, I don't want her to become a - handful."
"Of course Professor." Scott replaced the sheet into the folder, then picked up the manila file folder, ready to head out of the office. "She was very co-operative during the drills this morning, though. Shot Logan a few dirty looks, but I can't say I blame her for that-"
"Scott." the Professor began in warning tones.
"But she was very helpful with Kitty," Scott finished quickly. "I'm sure she'll be great for the team, as long as she stays away from Wanda."
"Ah, yes. Wanda. I spoke to both of them separately about the problems they have with each other, nothing more than a little jealousy I assure you-"
"Over Pietro?"
"Well, yes. Wanda seems to think Viktoria pushed him into becoming a spy of sorts, and Viktoria thinks it's none of Wanda's business. More of an 'I'm his sister, I know best' type thing. They both say they'll either quit it or keep out of the others way. Viktoria's actually words were "Anything to keep me out of that wacko's way"," the Professor added with a soft chuckle. "Quite the sense of humor that girl has. Needs to watch it on the language however."
"Well, she's still young."
"Ah, true. And so are you Scott."
"Yeah- well, err, I better get to looking over these reports and such, huh Professor? I'll see you at dinner." And with a small wave, Scott exited the Professor's office as quickly as possible.
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"Looks like an episode of This Is Your Life exploded on the kitchen table."
Scott looked up from the pile of papers scattered across the table in front of him to regard Jean. "Tell me about it. I went to the Professor to talk about Viktoria's session this morning in the Danger Room and-"
"How did she do?" Jean interrupted. "I know she was a bit worried by what Bobby was saying on the way there."
"She did great, surprisingly. Better than everyone else actually. I think Logan was actually impressed." Scott watched as Jean used her telekinesis to pull out the chair next to him and sit down. She absently picked up the paper stating Viktoria's various abilities and mutant powers.
"Logan- impressed? I'm not sure those two words belong in the same sentence, Scott. But I'm glad she did well all the same. I think it'll help her transition to the Institute."
Scott chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure she's fitting in just fine. She seems to fit in wherever she goes." Scott noticed Jean's eyebrows go up as she glanced at the blue paper before her. "You didn't know she was telepathic either?"
Jean shook her head disbelief. "I-I didn't even sense her when she came in that first day. Course I could have been busy that day... I don't really remember. Makes sense now though, the Professor wanted to know if I wanted to practice with her, maybe teach her some exercises on how to block others thoughts and move on the astral plane." Jean picked up a picture from an old yearbook of Viktoria, maybe 4 or 5 years ago. She didn't look older than 13 or so. "This must be rare, Viktoria without her glasses."
"Ah, yeah. That's from her 7th grade yearbook, blown up, of course." Scott glanced at the picture, a smiling Viktoria staring back at him kindly. "She hasn't changed much, just gotten taller, prettier, and mouthier. And her eyes."
"They match her glasses now," Jean replied. Scott shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Not why she wears them though. Look at this one." Scott handed Jean a more recent photo of Viktoria, also without her blue glasses. Jean gasped, her hand covering her mouth.
"Those aren't contacts, are they?" Scott shook his head, his mouth frowning slightly. "When her power manifested, it changed her eyes from blue to- well, that. That orange-red-yellow swirl mixture. Odd, isn't it?" Jean nodded, pushing the picture away under some newspaper clippings. Her eyes were- disturbing- to say the least.
"No wonder she wears the glasses," Jean murmured.
"Well, I- I don't know. I feel bad for her. She's had it pretty rough. I mean, even compared to some of us." Scott showed Jean the notebook paper where he'd been scribbling a short personal history. VIKTORIA COLE it read in dark letters at the top. Jean glimpsed down the page, picking up various words and phrases. "She has a brother?"
"Had," Scott corrected. "He died a few months after she came into her powers. He was telepathic too. Pretty powerful, from what she told the Professor. Taught her some of the basics apparently, before he died. He also had this form of empathy, where he could see other people's feelings in the form of a colorful- aura- I guess you'd say. Pretty interesting, actually."
"Wow." Jean scanned the sheet again. "It doesn't say how he died. Do you know?"
"He drowned," a voice replied from the doorway. "Sort of."
Viktoria strolled into the kitchen, grabbed an apple from the center bowl on the table and took a seat next to Jean. "G'afternoon you guys." She picked up a newspaper clipping of her father, grimaced, then tossed it absently onto another pile of papers, instead deciding to stare at her apple. "Professor said you were down her, learning all about fabulous me. Boring life, huh?"
"I wouldn't say that," Scott said unsteadily. How long had she been standing there? It couldn't of been long- I would of noticed her, or Jean would of sensed her mind... Unless she was blocking her presence mentally, but why would she do-
"Ah, come on," Viktoria replied, interrupting Scott's thoughts. "I've seen more interesting stories on Jerry Springer." Viktoria took a bite of her apple, lobbing it gently from hand to hand.
"What do you mean, when you said your brother drowned- sort of?" Jean asked. "How can you sort of drown?" Viktoria rolled her eyes behind the shades, obviously exasperated by the question.
"Well, the autopsy dude said he couldn't figure out if Derek, mi hermano brillante, drowned or if the huge gash across his neck killed him first and he just stumbled in." She rolled the apple on her arm, balancing it carefully so it wouldn't drop to the ground. "So he sort of drowned. But he's real dead."
Scott stacked some of the papers out of the way to make sure if Viktoria dropped the apple, it wouldn't land on them. "A huge gash? What happened?"
"Oh, well he was- ah, hell. I might as well tell you the whole damn story." She tapped her temple a few times, looking at Jean with one eyebrow raised. "You'd probably find out soon anyway."
"His power manifested when he was like, shoot, 13 or so, same for me, well, a little later for me, anyway. Only he was like 4 years older than me, right? So I was 14, almost 15, at the time, he was almost 18, and we kept our powers a secret from everyone, even our family, especially our family, actually." Viktoria tapped one red fingernail on a nearby newspaper clipping, her father's face visible only when she took her hand away. "You know how dad's can be."
"So anyway, my powers weren't as- let's just say hide-able. That's not a word, but it will be for now. So I sort of lit a few things on fire, didn't mean to of course, but it happens. So I guess some kids from school saw that, and people being the ignorant masses they happen to be, decided 'oh, something we don't understand, let's kill it!' Luckily, I squashed the fire before they got the chance to report me as a mutant to the school and the FOH. No proof or something."
"You had to deal with the Friends of Humanity?" Jean sighed, shaking her head. "They're impossible."
"Not really, they figured reporting me wouldn't do. But the kids didn't give up. They knew who I was, and apparently figured the mutant gene runs in the family, not a bad guess as it turns out, but decided if they couldn't kill me, Derek might as well be the next best thing. Why? I have no idea, I mean, I was a freshmen girl, they could of taken me, but my brother was a big bad senior and- oh never mind, kids are stupid."
"Anyway, they got some of their big bad senior buddies and jumped my brother on day. He was just getting out of work, at this music store. Derek loved music- err, anyway they beat the piss out of him, then left him there, in some dank alley downtown." Viktoria threw the finished apple across the kitchen, and the three listened as it landed in the trash can with a loud plop.
"So Derek somehow drives home, god knows how, and I'm back from this sketching class I took after school- not that it matters where I was- anyway, I'm home and I see him and he's all scraped up and his face is, oh god, you can't imagine. Where it wasn't bloody, it was bruised and god, I about broken down when I saw him. I'd never seen somebody so mangled in my life, except in like, movies and stuff." Viktoria looked down at the table, her vision blurring as tears stung at her eyes. "He was so handsome, I mean, he had a girlfriend and everything and then he just- they just- it was awful. Just plain gross."
Viktoria swiped at her cheeks as tears flowed down in a steady stream. Jean put a hand over Viktoria's, her eyes sympathetic. "You don't have to-"
"No, no, it's okay, I'm fine." Viktoria wiped her eyes, placing her glasses firmly back in place. "He was really messed up. I bandaged him up as best as I could, but we didn't even have enough stuff in the whole house- I mean, to cover all his wounds and everything. So I told him I'd go down to my friends house, and get some from her, but I had to WALK, and it so flipping FAR- like 2 miles or something and he was bleeding all over the place, even with the bandages..."
"So I was gone for about, I don't know, 30 minutes maybe? And I come back and Derek's all sprawled out on the couch, father would have had a cow if he'd seen him. Blood was just EVERYWHERE. They must of cut him with a knife too, or something, he was bleeding so badly. So I come home and fix him all right, I mean, better than he was. And try to get him to talk or eat or something, but he's just in this daze. He'd only speak telepathically at that point. We only used to do that when people were around that we didn't want to talk y'know, verbally, in front of."
"He told me that some guys jumped him, called him a mutie freak, y'know all that crap- and that they told him they'd seen me light this bush on fire with my 'magic' or something and he was gonna pay for it. I just felt so... I felt so guilty at that point. I mean, he was beaten up because of ME. It was my entire fault that he was- like that." Viktoria rested her chin in her hands, tears still swimming in eyes that would only stare off at a point beyond Scott's head.
"Later on I offered to go get something to eat for dinner, and I left him with the phone so he could call me if he needed me or anything like that. I was gone for maybe an hour, cause I had to get a ride from my friend, and while I was gone I got a call from him, but when I picked up, it disconnected."
Viktoria's eyes focused again, her gaze shifting to Scott's glasses, then to Jean's eyes, and then to her own hands clasped in front of her. "So when I get back, I can't find him on the couch, or in his room, or mine. I start to check the patio and I see his- his body floating face down in the water. I d-d-dove in after him, pulled him to the side and his throat was all slashed up. It looked like he'd taken a steak knife and- god... I didn't think he'd ever kill himself..."
"You don't have to continue, Viktoria," Jean said. "Really. You shouldn't have to re-live that-" Viktoria nodded absently, but continue as if she hadn't heard Jean at all.
"That night my parents came home, and saw him and I had to explain everything about us being mutants and- and my father just flipped out at me. He smacked me across the face and told me I- he told me that I killed Derek. He didn't believe that Derek was a mutant too, and he thought I killed him and he just wouldn't listen to me..." Viktoria dabbed at her eyes with a tissue Jean handed her. "He wouldn't listen to anyone. And my mother wasn't any help, she just melted into this pathetic puddle on the floor muttering Derek's name over and over. God, I'll never forget that."
"So that night I gathered up some of my clothes and things, pictures and stuff like that, some money and cards, grabbed the keys' to my father's 'Vette and left the next morning. My father never even reported the car stolen. I just- I didn't exist to him anymore. I met Pietro at this café thing about a week or so later. Talked to me about how his employer wanted to meet me, so we went out to California, and I stayed with the Brotherhood until Professor Xavier contacted me."
Viktoria sighed, her shoulders collapsing at her sides. "I didn't have anywhere else to go then. I didn't even know places like-" she waved a hand to the mansion around her "-like this existed. Pietro and Todd were always talking about you guys. I didn't know it was YOU guys when they talked though. You were just names to me. Then apparently he came out here to talk to the Professor about the information spy thing, and came back, told me, and by then Lance had already left, so we just kind of waited it out. The Professor contacted me a few weeks later, so here I am."
"Oh my." Jean looked to Scott to say something, when he seemed just as shocked as she did, Jean decided to just nod softly. "So, hmm, well, that's certainly more involved than any Jerry Springer episode I've ever seen."
"About your telepathy-" Scott started. "How much did your brother teach you before- before he passed on?"
"Some. I mean, I can communicate y'know-" Viktoria made a motion pointing from her temple to Scott's. "-And I can project thoughts, suggestions, stuff like that. I can make some- ummm, people? I don't know what the words for it are." Viktoria waved her hand beside her as the image of a boy, about 18, with dusty hair, bright blue eyes, and a huge grin flickered faintly next to her. "That's my brother. But I can't get the images to stay very well. Or very long. It's like a TV on the frizz or something." The image gave a small wave, and then blinked out.
"I can help you with your control," Jean said with a small smile. "Both the Professor and I will. We can teach you some exercises that will help increase the strength of your mind. I bet it'll make your fire creatures more.. more.."
"Just more," Scott finished for her.
"Really? I mean that's great. Derek was always saying- well, nevermind. When do you think we can start?"
"How about I meet you out on the patio in an hour or so? I'll check everything over with the Professor, and maybe he'll join us too." Viktoria smiled brightly, rising from her seat with Jean. "Yeah! Yeah, that'd be great. I'll see you out there then." She gave a quick wave, then disappeared around the corner, the sound of her boots becoming fainter and fainter.
"Well, looks like you have yourself one eager student there," Scott said with a small laugh. Jean nodded, smiling happily. "It's about time. I swear, some of these kids are starting to take their powers for granted- it's good to finally see someone whose willing to learn!"
"Tell me about it. I heard Sean and Emma are having the same problems over at the Massachusetts Academy. Emma is having some difficulty with them, especially with her two telepaths. They just don't care to enhance their skills." Scott shuffled the papers on the table, spreading them back into two piles of ones he'd read and one's he hadn't. "Have fun with your new student. I'll still be here if you need me, most likely."
"Alright. See you at dinner then." Jean dropped a quick kiss on Scott's cheek, giving him a tiny wave, then left him to reading the seemingly endless amounts of papers on Viktoria and her family.