Hello, this took so much longer for me to get done than I thought it would,
please forgive me. I hate the end of the semester, there's always so much
to do. Anyway, I was really tired last weekend and I felt like I was
burning out, so I decided to just not do anything that really involved
thinking (like writing), and then I had so much work on Monday and Tuesday
I didn't get any writing done either and then this took me three days to
write. Just thought you guys, who have been so cool about writing reviews
deserved an explanation.
Oh, and billion thanks for all the cool code name suggestions, I haven't made up my mind yet which ones I like the most, but Nick is probably going to be Shroud (thanks Phobia), because that's just cool. Special thanks to "J" for his/her suggestion about Quill/Spiny. That was useful, thanks!
Anyone have anymore suggestions?
Oh yeah, a minor change in the earlier chapters, I've stripped Laurie of one of her powers, she can no longer walk, or rather jump, on thin air. I had an explanation for the ability as it relates to her other powers, but decided that it just complicates her character, and without it I can have some funny lines about her. I can do that, right? After all, this is a work in progress.
Anyway, enough of that. This chapter had a good bit with Nick and Laurie, mostly Laurie, since they're really two of my favorite characters, and I think I've been ignoring them. It's not very funny, mostly because there isn't as much of Wen and Kale.
Professor Charles Xavier watched as the instructors and students, new and old, settled into seats in the Institutes's dining room. Some of the chairs around the table had been hastily brought in from the kitchen, and there was less space around than usual, even though the X-Men who had made the trip to Washington had gone to change and weren't present. Jean had intentionally failed to inform him of th sheer number of young mutants they had found during the telepathic discussion they had before the Velocity returned. He supposed it was her idea of a joke, or perhaps revenge for sending her out the for entire night and making her and Scott miss the movie they had been planing on seeing.
When the Velocity had begun to near Bayville, Jean had contacted him and told him that they had found the mutants Cerebro had detected, and after an initial misunderstanding, they had agree to come to the institute with them. She had also voiced concerns about two of the mutants, and a distrust of another.
The students already present at the had been equally surprised, but that didn't stop them from welcoming this new group. He felt proud that his charges were so willing to accept these newcomers without incident. When he had brought in the barrage of younger students the previous year, their integration had gone relatively smoothly, but these mutants were generally older, their powers more developed and their mannerisms more guarded. Never the less, the two groups were quickly becoming more comfortable with each other, and were now engaging in casual conversations as they took seats.
It seemed incredible that these mutants had manged to find one another, out of all the people on the west coast. Or perhaps not so incredible, through the ages, people had always been drawn to find others that they perceived as being like themselves.
He knew he would have to speak with each of the children individually, find out if they had any living relatives or guardians he could contact, what grade level they belonged to, and moreover what level of control they had over their powers. Jean had indicated that they had been living by themselves for sometime, Xavier was curious as to how long that had been.
"Come on, Spiny, just climb onto the chair," Athena was saying near his end of the table.
"Spiny" as they called her, was refusing to take a seat at the table. She kept shaking her head and moving backwards... in what appeared to be fear.
"It's alright, just come sit with the rest of us," Athena continued to coax, but Spiny continued to back away. Curious about the source of her fear, Xavier attempted to read her thoughts. As Jean had told him, they were distorted and confusing, but the girl was focusing on one clear memory. When Xavier manged to sort out the girl's thoughts and read the memory, he winced.
"Please, just come sit with us," Athena continued to beg, but the smaller girl continued to back away. "I don't know what's got into her, I've never seen her act like this before," Athena said, concerned.
"It's alright," Xavier said to the frightened girl. "You are among friends, equals, here. No one will punish or harm you, you may come sit with us if you wish, Quill."
Everyone turned to stared at Xavier, particularly Quill's friends, but he kept his own gaze on her. She had stopped backing away, and was looking at him, her fear slowly being replaced by curiosity.
"That is your name, isn't it? It's alright, I know you can't talk, just nod." When she did, slowly, he smiled, trying to calm her. "If you don't want to, you don't have to, but I would appreciate it if you would come and sit with us."
She stood completely still watching him as he watched her. Everyone was holding their breath, and then, slowly, she approached the seat at the table. She placed one clawed hand on the back of the chair and began to pull herself up into an awkward standing position, and then seated herself. She seemed unused to sitting in a chair and twitched constantly, but Xavier could feel her joy and pride. Hopefully, here, at the Institute, she would learn that she wasn't an animal, not matter how she had been treated in the past.
"How did you...?" Kale asked.
"I, like Jean, am a telepath," Xavier answered.
"Dude, Jean's a telepath?" Wen said, wide eyed.
"Does that mean you can read our minds?" Kale asked. When Xavier nodded he shook his head and said, "Holy shit, man."
"Watch your mouth, Kid," Logan said entering the room with Ororo, Jean, and Scott, who seated themselves at the few remaining spots. Jean sat down next to Scott, across from Wen, who started giving her nervous glances.
"Well, now that we are all present, perhaps we should begin," the professor said, calling everyones attention to the food in front of them.
"At last, I'm starving!" Kurt exclaimed, immediately digging in. Everyone else followed suit, helping themselves before Kurt got the chance to eat all the bacon.
Xavier gave himself a moment to watch the all the students eat and interact. He filled his plate, but paid more attention to what the others were doing then to what he was eating.
Jamie, as predicted, made fast friends with Dorian, the two were sitting next to one another, discussing their respective abilities and friends.
Nena, who had barely spoken a word since they had arrived, was seated next to Athena, who was holding her hand, rather like a mother and child. Nena's stuffed animals were dashing back and forth over the table, getting her what ever food she wanted, much to Logan's displeasure, and everyone else's confusion. One stuffed cat stumbled and ended up falling over onto Kurt's stack of pancakes. He stared at it and it sat and stared back at him at him until Kitty picked it up, laughing, and handed it back to a grateful looking Nena.
Kale and Wen had picked up a conversation with Ray and Bobby about what movies had come out recently, and if any of them were any good. They were completely engrossed, laughing, and asking whether they had any videos in the institute.
/Which one was it who's thoughts you could not read?/ Xavier asked Jean telepathically once she had finished serving herself.
/Laurie, the girl to your left,/ she told him, not interrupting her conversation with Scott.
Xavier studied the girl as she ate. She had seated herself next to Nicholas, the black eyed boy. Neither of them had engaged in any conversation with anyone else. Though Nicholas would answer any questions anyone directed at them, his responses were brief, almost curt. Laurie barely said anything at all.
Xavier attempted to scan her thoughts and found himself blocked, just as Jean had indicated. It was the strength of the block that surprised him, he could sense none of her thoughts. Yet, if she was a telepath, then she should have become aware of his attempts to read her mind, but she showed no sign of noticing. It was as if she wasn't the one responsible; as if someone else was blocking him.
Nicholas turned to look at Xavier, narrowing his eyes, his black gaze menacing. He could see some of Nick's thoughts, bits and pieces of painful memories, but nothing distinct. Still he could see them much more clearly than the girl's.
/Leave us alone, Professor./
Xavier heard the mental voice. He hid his surprise well. Farther down the table Nicholas turned back to his food and continued to eat as if nothing had happened.
/We came to your institute, isn't that enough?/
/Nicholas? Are you a telepath?/
/No, but I know that you are, and that's good enough./
/I don't understand./
/Since I don't think it's Red over there who's decided to try and take a peak at my brain, as she would most likely have tried earlier. It must be you, Professor./
/Are you protecting Laurie's thoughts?/
/Me? No, I can't even protect my own, as you've no doubt already noticed, much less someone else's. I told you I'm not a telepath... So you tried hers before mine, Jesus Christ, doesn't anyone have any privacy around you?/
/If you're not a telepath, then how did you know I was reading your thoughts?/
/It's a very distinct feeling, as if someone's sticking needles in my brain./
/You have encountered telepaths before?/
/That's my business, Professor, the only reason I'm here is because she wanted us to come with your lackeys, but don't think that'll stop us from leaving./
/I still don't understand all this, perhaps if you would explain.../
/No. I'm not explaining anything. You want us here right? Well, we'll stay and learn and be good little mutants, and even join your little spandex clad superhero group if you want, just stay out of our heads, okay?/
/Very well, but I would prefer some sort of explanation./
/Well tough, you're not going to get one... at least not now, not yet. Look, would you stop that? You're giving me a headache./
^~^~^~^~^~^
After the meal concluded, and everyone was about to get up, Xavier glanced around the collection of mutants again. The new ones, as well as those who had gone to meet them, looked tired, undoubtedly from their overnight journey.
Nicholas hadn't so much as looked in his direction since they ended the conversation. The boy was an enigma, but Xavier was willing to give him his privacy. Hopefully some day he would realize that he was among friends.
Xavier turned his mind back to the matters at hand.
"Perhaps now that everyone is fed, I should give you all a little more background on the institute.
"I opened the Institute several years ago when it became obvious to me that larger numbers of emerging mutants would need to be taught to control their powers, and also to help make the eventual introduction of mutants to the world at large smoother. Jean and Scott were my first pupils.
"I also created the X-Men, a group of mutants dedicated to using our powers for the good of society.
"No, as you all know, the existence of mutants was made public several months ago, and the circumstances were less than ideal. Fortunately we have helped to secure a least some rights for ourselves and others like us, but the situation is less than ideal.
"Most of you will be attending public schools. I ask you now to be on your best behavior. While mutants are allowed to attend public schools, you are not under any circumstances, allowed to use your powers on school grounds, under threat of expulsion."
Xavier glanced around the room. "Are there any questions?" Wen was the only one to raise his hand. "Yes, Wen?"
"Well, first of all, I thought this place /was/ a school, aren't /you/ going to teach us? Secondly, I haven't been to school since I was about Dorian's age, and I'm not going back to middle school. And lastly, why can't we use our powers on school grounds? What if someone finds out we're mutants and tries to hurt us? Are we allowed to use our powers then?" Wen babbled. He looked concerned. Kale, sitting next to him was nodding, and Dorian was looking at his shoes.
"Well, to answer you first question, this is a school, however, here you will be taught to use your powers, and attending public schools with other children your ages may be a valuable experience for all of you. As for the second, if it is necessary we will tutor you here until you are ready to enter into the appropriate grade level. And as for the last." The Professor sighed. "The best I can tell you is not to use your powers unless it is unavoidable.
"Now, I will need to speak with each of you in the library for a moment," Xavier said, wheeling his chair away from the table. Laurie, if you will come with me? Logan, Ororo, Jean, you as well, I think," Xavier concluded, turning leading the way.
Laurie stood up to follow the professor and Nicholas grabbed her hand to stop her. He glared at Xavier. Laurie pulled her hand out of his grip and whispered something to him that seemed to calm him. She walked around the table and followed them.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^
Laurie followed the professor and the others into the library. She glanced around nervously as she seated herself. The books lining the walls tempted her to pick them up and look through their pages. It had been so long since she gotten a chance to just sit and read, she and Nick had been running for so long. It was so hard to ignore the constant babbling, but when she was able to truly immerse herself in something, it seemed to fade away.
The babbling was quieter than usual, which was a relief. Most of it sounded like whispering now and, thankfully, she couldn't understand anything it was saying. As her eyes fell on the man with the metal claws (Was Logan his name?), the whispering picked up, louder now, but still mostly indistinct, only one of /them/ stood out clearly, she tried to ignore it, she didn't like that one at all, it was new and she wished it would just stop talking.
/Murderer!/
/Don't trust him./
/He's dangerous!/
/MURDERER!/
/Shut up!/ she thought at it vehemently. It quited down to an indistinct mumbling, fading in with the rest. She'd learned not to trust the ones she didn't recognize.
She looked up at the professor. The white haired lady was standing just behind him. She looked nice, Laurie thought, sort of motherly, safe. The red haired girl seemed nice too, but the claw man bothered her, he was scary. The professor... she wasn't sure what she thought of him, he seemed nice, and one of the older ones had told her to trust him, had told her all about him and his institute. Nick didn't like him, but then Nick didn't really like anyone.
Nick hadn't wanted her to go with them. Sometimes he was too protective. He treated her like a precious glass ornament, afraid she might shatter if he wasn't careful enough. She wasn't fragile. Why couldn't he understand that?
"Now, Laurie, Jean here tells me that you knew something about us before you anyone told you," the professor said. Laurie lowered her head. Why had she decided to listen to /that/ one? It wasn't one of the one she knew real well, it had only spoken to her once before, but it had seemed so compelling, and the last time she had listened to it, it had been right. It /had/ been important, she didn't want to see them fighting if they didn't have to be.
But she didn't want to be here. She didn't want these people poking and prodding at her, or worse, sending her to an asylum or something. She never wanted to go back to that place again. There was enough shrieking /inside/ her head, she didn't need to listen to it /outside/ as well. She wasn't crazy, she knew she wasn't crazy.
"It is my belief that you are a telepath." One of /them/ was screaming hysterically now. It sounded like it was in pain, but it wasn't saying anything useful, so she ignored it. "...and a fairly powerful one, since I cannot read any of your thoughts."
She looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not! I mean, I'm not a telepath, I can't read thoughts or anything, and I'm not stopping you from reading mine," she said. She wondered if he would believe her. Maybe she should have just told him she was a telepath, now he was going to ask her more questions.
"If you're not a telepath, then how did you know we were from the Institute?" Jean asked. /Institute/, Laurie didn't like that name, it made her think about being institutionalized. "Look, Laurie, we want to help you. You can trust us."
"I don't want to talk about it," she told them looking down at her feet. She could lie, make something up, but she wasn't any good at lying, and /they/ always made fun of her when she tried.
"Please, Laurie, try to understand, we can't help you learn to control your ability if we don't know what it is," the professor said to her. She looked up into his concerned eyes. She decided she liked him, he seemed really nice.
"Can you really do that? Help me stop it?" Hope was new to her. Maybe they really could help her. That would be nice, she'd forgotten what quiet sounded like.
"Yes, but you must tell us, how did you know all that?"
"They told me," she said, biting her lip.
"Who told you?," the professor asked after a pause.
"The voices."
That confused them. They were all watching her as if they knew the answer, but were never the less waiting for someone to ask the question.
"What voices?" Jean asked. She looked worried.
"The voices in my head."
Oh, and billion thanks for all the cool code name suggestions, I haven't made up my mind yet which ones I like the most, but Nick is probably going to be Shroud (thanks Phobia), because that's just cool. Special thanks to "J" for his/her suggestion about Quill/Spiny. That was useful, thanks!
Anyone have anymore suggestions?
Oh yeah, a minor change in the earlier chapters, I've stripped Laurie of one of her powers, she can no longer walk, or rather jump, on thin air. I had an explanation for the ability as it relates to her other powers, but decided that it just complicates her character, and without it I can have some funny lines about her. I can do that, right? After all, this is a work in progress.
Anyway, enough of that. This chapter had a good bit with Nick and Laurie, mostly Laurie, since they're really two of my favorite characters, and I think I've been ignoring them. It's not very funny, mostly because there isn't as much of Wen and Kale.
Professor Charles Xavier watched as the instructors and students, new and old, settled into seats in the Institutes's dining room. Some of the chairs around the table had been hastily brought in from the kitchen, and there was less space around than usual, even though the X-Men who had made the trip to Washington had gone to change and weren't present. Jean had intentionally failed to inform him of th sheer number of young mutants they had found during the telepathic discussion they had before the Velocity returned. He supposed it was her idea of a joke, or perhaps revenge for sending her out the for entire night and making her and Scott miss the movie they had been planing on seeing.
When the Velocity had begun to near Bayville, Jean had contacted him and told him that they had found the mutants Cerebro had detected, and after an initial misunderstanding, they had agree to come to the institute with them. She had also voiced concerns about two of the mutants, and a distrust of another.
The students already present at the had been equally surprised, but that didn't stop them from welcoming this new group. He felt proud that his charges were so willing to accept these newcomers without incident. When he had brought in the barrage of younger students the previous year, their integration had gone relatively smoothly, but these mutants were generally older, their powers more developed and their mannerisms more guarded. Never the less, the two groups were quickly becoming more comfortable with each other, and were now engaging in casual conversations as they took seats.
It seemed incredible that these mutants had manged to find one another, out of all the people on the west coast. Or perhaps not so incredible, through the ages, people had always been drawn to find others that they perceived as being like themselves.
He knew he would have to speak with each of the children individually, find out if they had any living relatives or guardians he could contact, what grade level they belonged to, and moreover what level of control they had over their powers. Jean had indicated that they had been living by themselves for sometime, Xavier was curious as to how long that had been.
"Come on, Spiny, just climb onto the chair," Athena was saying near his end of the table.
"Spiny" as they called her, was refusing to take a seat at the table. She kept shaking her head and moving backwards... in what appeared to be fear.
"It's alright, just come sit with the rest of us," Athena continued to coax, but Spiny continued to back away. Curious about the source of her fear, Xavier attempted to read her thoughts. As Jean had told him, they were distorted and confusing, but the girl was focusing on one clear memory. When Xavier manged to sort out the girl's thoughts and read the memory, he winced.
"Please, just come sit with us," Athena continued to beg, but the smaller girl continued to back away. "I don't know what's got into her, I've never seen her act like this before," Athena said, concerned.
"It's alright," Xavier said to the frightened girl. "You are among friends, equals, here. No one will punish or harm you, you may come sit with us if you wish, Quill."
Everyone turned to stared at Xavier, particularly Quill's friends, but he kept his own gaze on her. She had stopped backing away, and was looking at him, her fear slowly being replaced by curiosity.
"That is your name, isn't it? It's alright, I know you can't talk, just nod." When she did, slowly, he smiled, trying to calm her. "If you don't want to, you don't have to, but I would appreciate it if you would come and sit with us."
She stood completely still watching him as he watched her. Everyone was holding their breath, and then, slowly, she approached the seat at the table. She placed one clawed hand on the back of the chair and began to pull herself up into an awkward standing position, and then seated herself. She seemed unused to sitting in a chair and twitched constantly, but Xavier could feel her joy and pride. Hopefully, here, at the Institute, she would learn that she wasn't an animal, not matter how she had been treated in the past.
"How did you...?" Kale asked.
"I, like Jean, am a telepath," Xavier answered.
"Dude, Jean's a telepath?" Wen said, wide eyed.
"Does that mean you can read our minds?" Kale asked. When Xavier nodded he shook his head and said, "Holy shit, man."
"Watch your mouth, Kid," Logan said entering the room with Ororo, Jean, and Scott, who seated themselves at the few remaining spots. Jean sat down next to Scott, across from Wen, who started giving her nervous glances.
"Well, now that we are all present, perhaps we should begin," the professor said, calling everyones attention to the food in front of them.
"At last, I'm starving!" Kurt exclaimed, immediately digging in. Everyone else followed suit, helping themselves before Kurt got the chance to eat all the bacon.
Xavier gave himself a moment to watch the all the students eat and interact. He filled his plate, but paid more attention to what the others were doing then to what he was eating.
Jamie, as predicted, made fast friends with Dorian, the two were sitting next to one another, discussing their respective abilities and friends.
Nena, who had barely spoken a word since they had arrived, was seated next to Athena, who was holding her hand, rather like a mother and child. Nena's stuffed animals were dashing back and forth over the table, getting her what ever food she wanted, much to Logan's displeasure, and everyone else's confusion. One stuffed cat stumbled and ended up falling over onto Kurt's stack of pancakes. He stared at it and it sat and stared back at him at him until Kitty picked it up, laughing, and handed it back to a grateful looking Nena.
Kale and Wen had picked up a conversation with Ray and Bobby about what movies had come out recently, and if any of them were any good. They were completely engrossed, laughing, and asking whether they had any videos in the institute.
/Which one was it who's thoughts you could not read?/ Xavier asked Jean telepathically once she had finished serving herself.
/Laurie, the girl to your left,/ she told him, not interrupting her conversation with Scott.
Xavier studied the girl as she ate. She had seated herself next to Nicholas, the black eyed boy. Neither of them had engaged in any conversation with anyone else. Though Nicholas would answer any questions anyone directed at them, his responses were brief, almost curt. Laurie barely said anything at all.
Xavier attempted to scan her thoughts and found himself blocked, just as Jean had indicated. It was the strength of the block that surprised him, he could sense none of her thoughts. Yet, if she was a telepath, then she should have become aware of his attempts to read her mind, but she showed no sign of noticing. It was as if she wasn't the one responsible; as if someone else was blocking him.
Nicholas turned to look at Xavier, narrowing his eyes, his black gaze menacing. He could see some of Nick's thoughts, bits and pieces of painful memories, but nothing distinct. Still he could see them much more clearly than the girl's.
/Leave us alone, Professor./
Xavier heard the mental voice. He hid his surprise well. Farther down the table Nicholas turned back to his food and continued to eat as if nothing had happened.
/We came to your institute, isn't that enough?/
/Nicholas? Are you a telepath?/
/No, but I know that you are, and that's good enough./
/I don't understand./
/Since I don't think it's Red over there who's decided to try and take a peak at my brain, as she would most likely have tried earlier. It must be you, Professor./
/Are you protecting Laurie's thoughts?/
/Me? No, I can't even protect my own, as you've no doubt already noticed, much less someone else's. I told you I'm not a telepath... So you tried hers before mine, Jesus Christ, doesn't anyone have any privacy around you?/
/If you're not a telepath, then how did you know I was reading your thoughts?/
/It's a very distinct feeling, as if someone's sticking needles in my brain./
/You have encountered telepaths before?/
/That's my business, Professor, the only reason I'm here is because she wanted us to come with your lackeys, but don't think that'll stop us from leaving./
/I still don't understand all this, perhaps if you would explain.../
/No. I'm not explaining anything. You want us here right? Well, we'll stay and learn and be good little mutants, and even join your little spandex clad superhero group if you want, just stay out of our heads, okay?/
/Very well, but I would prefer some sort of explanation./
/Well tough, you're not going to get one... at least not now, not yet. Look, would you stop that? You're giving me a headache./
^~^~^~^~^~^
After the meal concluded, and everyone was about to get up, Xavier glanced around the collection of mutants again. The new ones, as well as those who had gone to meet them, looked tired, undoubtedly from their overnight journey.
Nicholas hadn't so much as looked in his direction since they ended the conversation. The boy was an enigma, but Xavier was willing to give him his privacy. Hopefully some day he would realize that he was among friends.
Xavier turned his mind back to the matters at hand.
"Perhaps now that everyone is fed, I should give you all a little more background on the institute.
"I opened the Institute several years ago when it became obvious to me that larger numbers of emerging mutants would need to be taught to control their powers, and also to help make the eventual introduction of mutants to the world at large smoother. Jean and Scott were my first pupils.
"I also created the X-Men, a group of mutants dedicated to using our powers for the good of society.
"No, as you all know, the existence of mutants was made public several months ago, and the circumstances were less than ideal. Fortunately we have helped to secure a least some rights for ourselves and others like us, but the situation is less than ideal.
"Most of you will be attending public schools. I ask you now to be on your best behavior. While mutants are allowed to attend public schools, you are not under any circumstances, allowed to use your powers on school grounds, under threat of expulsion."
Xavier glanced around the room. "Are there any questions?" Wen was the only one to raise his hand. "Yes, Wen?"
"Well, first of all, I thought this place /was/ a school, aren't /you/ going to teach us? Secondly, I haven't been to school since I was about Dorian's age, and I'm not going back to middle school. And lastly, why can't we use our powers on school grounds? What if someone finds out we're mutants and tries to hurt us? Are we allowed to use our powers then?" Wen babbled. He looked concerned. Kale, sitting next to him was nodding, and Dorian was looking at his shoes.
"Well, to answer you first question, this is a school, however, here you will be taught to use your powers, and attending public schools with other children your ages may be a valuable experience for all of you. As for the second, if it is necessary we will tutor you here until you are ready to enter into the appropriate grade level. And as for the last." The Professor sighed. "The best I can tell you is not to use your powers unless it is unavoidable.
"Now, I will need to speak with each of you in the library for a moment," Xavier said, wheeling his chair away from the table. Laurie, if you will come with me? Logan, Ororo, Jean, you as well, I think," Xavier concluded, turning leading the way.
Laurie stood up to follow the professor and Nicholas grabbed her hand to stop her. He glared at Xavier. Laurie pulled her hand out of his grip and whispered something to him that seemed to calm him. She walked around the table and followed them.
^~^~^~^~^~^~^
Laurie followed the professor and the others into the library. She glanced around nervously as she seated herself. The books lining the walls tempted her to pick them up and look through their pages. It had been so long since she gotten a chance to just sit and read, she and Nick had been running for so long. It was so hard to ignore the constant babbling, but when she was able to truly immerse herself in something, it seemed to fade away.
The babbling was quieter than usual, which was a relief. Most of it sounded like whispering now and, thankfully, she couldn't understand anything it was saying. As her eyes fell on the man with the metal claws (Was Logan his name?), the whispering picked up, louder now, but still mostly indistinct, only one of /them/ stood out clearly, she tried to ignore it, she didn't like that one at all, it was new and she wished it would just stop talking.
/Murderer!/
/Don't trust him./
/He's dangerous!/
/MURDERER!/
/Shut up!/ she thought at it vehemently. It quited down to an indistinct mumbling, fading in with the rest. She'd learned not to trust the ones she didn't recognize.
She looked up at the professor. The white haired lady was standing just behind him. She looked nice, Laurie thought, sort of motherly, safe. The red haired girl seemed nice too, but the claw man bothered her, he was scary. The professor... she wasn't sure what she thought of him, he seemed nice, and one of the older ones had told her to trust him, had told her all about him and his institute. Nick didn't like him, but then Nick didn't really like anyone.
Nick hadn't wanted her to go with them. Sometimes he was too protective. He treated her like a precious glass ornament, afraid she might shatter if he wasn't careful enough. She wasn't fragile. Why couldn't he understand that?
"Now, Laurie, Jean here tells me that you knew something about us before you anyone told you," the professor said. Laurie lowered her head. Why had she decided to listen to /that/ one? It wasn't one of the one she knew real well, it had only spoken to her once before, but it had seemed so compelling, and the last time she had listened to it, it had been right. It /had/ been important, she didn't want to see them fighting if they didn't have to be.
But she didn't want to be here. She didn't want these people poking and prodding at her, or worse, sending her to an asylum or something. She never wanted to go back to that place again. There was enough shrieking /inside/ her head, she didn't need to listen to it /outside/ as well. She wasn't crazy, she knew she wasn't crazy.
"It is my belief that you are a telepath." One of /them/ was screaming hysterically now. It sounded like it was in pain, but it wasn't saying anything useful, so she ignored it. "...and a fairly powerful one, since I cannot read any of your thoughts."
She looked up at him in surprise. "I'm not! I mean, I'm not a telepath, I can't read thoughts or anything, and I'm not stopping you from reading mine," she said. She wondered if he would believe her. Maybe she should have just told him she was a telepath, now he was going to ask her more questions.
"If you're not a telepath, then how did you know we were from the Institute?" Jean asked. /Institute/, Laurie didn't like that name, it made her think about being institutionalized. "Look, Laurie, we want to help you. You can trust us."
"I don't want to talk about it," she told them looking down at her feet. She could lie, make something up, but she wasn't any good at lying, and /they/ always made fun of her when she tried.
"Please, Laurie, try to understand, we can't help you learn to control your ability if we don't know what it is," the professor said to her. She looked up into his concerned eyes. She decided she liked him, he seemed really nice.
"Can you really do that? Help me stop it?" Hope was new to her. Maybe they really could help her. That would be nice, she'd forgotten what quiet sounded like.
"Yes, but you must tell us, how did you know all that?"
"They told me," she said, biting her lip.
"Who told you?," the professor asked after a pause.
"The voices."
That confused them. They were all watching her as if they knew the answer, but were never the less waiting for someone to ask the question.
"What voices?" Jean asked. She looked worried.
"The voices in my head."