A..N. Yes there will be more. And you'll have to find out what happens
with Evan. Also, *thought* means telepathic conversation.
Professor Xavier glanced over his shoulder, quickly finding and dismissing the students who would go with him to Kelly's last known presence. His mind worked overtime as he recalled the thoughts from the jet. And frankly, he was not pleased with all of them.
As a mutant, any one of the students could be grouped into the same category as Kelly. As a freak, as a person unfit to share the same table with "regular" people, as something not quite human.
The whole concept behind the Institute wasn't just trying to hide mutants from the world, or just to train the students how to develop their talents, but to make them feel comfortable and acceptable with non-mutants. And one- day maybe even living out in the world, as any "normal" citizen. Not in some cult, or brotherhood bent on ruining anyone without a mutant genome.
In a way, he was just like any special education teacher, for they too want their charges to be accepted by others.
"So Chuck, who's going with ya?
"Kurt, Kitty, and Jean come with me. *Jean and Evan, we will have to talk later. * Rouge and Scott, I will want the two of you to be ready for backup if needed. Other then that, Logan you have full reign. We will converge back here in two hours."
* * *
Raising a perfect manicured hand to the oak door, Jean knocked.
The sound quickly fading to the regular noises that night brings, chirping of nearby crickets, a car's motor passing down the quite suburbia street, a humming of the street light next to a well maintained sidewalk, complete with tons of chalk drawings, and a few toys scattered over the lawn.
It was almost normal. and Jean could almost believe that this was just a normal recruiting mission, with any other normal newbie.
But as soon as the door opened, that little dream was squashed flat.
A boy looked out, a really tall boy, and frankly quite fat to boot. The rest of the house was completely hidden from view from his balk, and as Jean scrunched her nose in disdain, he broke out in a wide grin, displaying horrible uncorrected rows of teeth.
Grimacing, she turned away, and began hard mental exercises almost missing Kitty's opening remark.
"Hi!" she started, using her happy go lucky nature to start up the formalities.
"You're here for the party aren't you?" the kid's childlike voice asked. One could even be deaf and hear the joy and happiness expressed in his voice, like a kid getting more gifts at Christmas.
Before Jean or the others respond, a smaller woman opened up the door fully, laughing good naturally at the boy's question.
"Well let's invite these unexpected guests in, shall we Isaac?" The woman's friendly warmth was much appreciated. Her good natured eyes ran quick look over the X-Men before waving them in.
Xavier nodded his head in thanks and started to wheel his chair forward. The boy Isaac couldn't contain the enthusiasm anymore, and in a huge bellow sure to draw attention from the neighbors, yelled "Hey guys, more friends!"
* * * Already, Kurt liked the place. Just from the quick glimpse of the yard, he knew that the kids here were happy. How could they not be, what kid's dream did this not look like? Balls and plastic bats lay on the mowed grass; chalk drawings beautified the sidewalk, handmade wind chimes trilling on the many trees. And with his private look in the back, which was huge, he could see many slides, gardens, and porch swings.
Plus, by judging from the Isaac's immediate liking toward them, the students weren't disliked by the neighbors either.
And that was only the outside.
Kurt's mouth just hung open, as the delighted Isaac led him and the others to the party. It's not that the inside was huge, or as plush as the Institute, it's just that this place had a warm and fuzzy feeling to it.
The walls just screamed love and happiness. Pictures colored with marker, crayon, and paint were pinned up everywhere; very little wall space still remained unopened. All happy smiling rainbows/bunnies style was depicted by the artists complete with giant happy faces. Other arts and crafts were hanging on the walls or resting on the table provided, along with a few awards. One such award, for a Miss Alison, for the prettiest smile, or even one for a happy greeting each and every school day present, for a Greg.
And Kurt smiled at that. They were getting attention, for all things that came best to kids like them. They may not be the smartest pupil with a great GPA, or an awesome athlete with a scholarship, but they tend to be the nicest. The ones that greet you each morning, or those who give you hugs when you think the whole world is against you.
Simple stuff, with a whole lot of Love.
Entering the room where the party was being held, Kurt was almost trampled for people coming up to him and giving him hugs, and their names. Those that couldn't reach him, or leave their seats without help, waved excitably with grins that matched Isaac's, and tried yelling over the din their own names.
Caught up in all the hugging, and the contagious happiness, Kitty glanced his way and then at Jean. Catching her meaning, he glanced Jean's way. The girl herself was stiff as a board as the kids crowded to give hugs to her. Carefully extracting him from the throng of arms, he made his way to Jean.
"Lighten up, even the fuzzy dude is getting hugged." Jean looked up at him, and understood his meaning. As a furry mutant, he tried not to touch anybody, in fear that they would feel his unprotected skin.
But, with the suit on, and the kindness given in the quick hugs, he could tolerate the touch. But only for a while, the many students who gave the hugs and repeated hugs, and repeated hugs, got a little hard to be totally comfortable with.
Seeing that the hugging was still going, the same lady that greeted them called for her charges attention by clapping her hands. As soon as the signal was given, the standing students scurried for their seats and got quite, clapping around with her in an easy beat. They all looked at the others grinning widely, but still respecting the silent part of the clap. Only a few giggles escaped the joyful teens as their teacher looked over all of them. Smiling to them, she stopped and turned to the X-men.
"We hug are friends, to show that we like you, and to show that we trust you." While specking, she signed, her hands creating the gestures in time with each and every word spoken. "Hello my name is Erin."
As the adult in charge, Xavier responded in turn. "Hello, and thank you for that warm greeting, my name is Charles, and this is Kurt, Kitty, and Jean."
"I have a kitty! Her name's Pretty. But she's at home, chasing mice." Said a girl in the back
"No, sweetie. Her name is short for Katherine, like yours is short for Jennifer" answered her caregiver. Looking around to the students and the adjacent room, Xavier noted those parents and helpers were supervising the students. With nametags that read, "Hi I'm Bill's dad," or "Hello I'm Kimmy's Mommy" adorning their jackets, the eager parents whisked back and forth preparing drinks, grabbing napkins for spills, and being at their child's side.
Smiling at the thoroughness and simple answer given, Erin turned to face her new quests. "Won't you stay for cake, we have plenty here, and from the kid's approval I'd say it was pretty good too."
"We wouldn't want to intrude on anything, but actually we have come to talk to you about a student." Xavier states, his own mind a whirl with the "quietness" of the room. Most of the children present don't have the capacity to "think" to themselves, instead whatever they want or need they ask out loud, but at the same time, those who can not speak have minds that are poweful at keeping his simple telepathic probes out.
Erin's face turned hard at this, and began saying something, but another helper spoke up. "It would be our pleasure to help you, but pleasure before business if you will" He said this with a wink, and began giving the X-men plates full of cake.
Indeed it was delicious, and from the icing, Kitty could just make out the letters i-r-t-h, which she was hoping was part of a birthday. Smiling, while filling herself with the confection masterpiece, Kitty looked around for the birthday kid. A boy, sitting in a wheelchair with drool coming down his cheek was the one given the most attention to, with his friends talking to him from across the room, or people showing him the pretty wrapping designs on their gifts to him.
Kitty glanced over to Xavier, really noticing for the first time that he too was in a wheelchair. She hadn't really ever noticed it before. He was always such an imposing figure and one full of life that the wheelchair just faded into the background, like the color suit he wore that day or some pen in his coat pocket. She cocked her head at this thought, it really didn't matter to the children in this room that some were in wheelchairs, and some were in braces and some were covered in burns or other such skin problems. They all talked with each other, still goofed off, still got in the others faces and would laugh their childish laugh.
Erin's voice quickly brought her out of wonderment "Alright, everybody get their present for Danny, and on the count of two, start unwrapping! Ready, One, Two and . Three!"
At first Kurt thought that this was mean, the kid Danny should be able to unwrap his own presents on his own birthday. But looking over the shrieking and the papers flowing this way and that Kurt saw a kid who didn't have a present to unwrap. He sat in a wheelchair, his spindle fingers fiddling with a pad to his side, drool hanging down the side of his chin, where a big grin smiled happily. His neck was hanging low, as if he couldn't support it, while his mother brought him his first gift. The boy laughed joyfully and tried to touch the soft material, but he kept missing. But he continued to try, until his mother just left some where he could reach it and brought the other half up to his cheek.
Nodding to himself, Kurt saw that this way the boy would be able to see all his presents with out getting frustrated at his own disabilities, his friends could have something to do, and the whole room would be filled with excitement and squeals of giddy reactions.
With that, each kid bounced and jumped trying to show Danny what they brought and picked out for him, each trying to present it in the most eye catching way, by dancing, and shaking the gift.
Erin saw all this, and was pleased. Together, her and all the helpers/ parents started to pick up, while Danny's mother just sat back and started silently crying to herself. Xavier made his way over to her and just held her hand, while she continued to cry her overjoyed tears. He felt the intense shock from her, that all these people really cared enough to throw her son a party. This was the first event like this that she had come too, the first time she actually trusted others to be around her son. And she could tell he was ecstatic, and was finally truly happy. She just kept on smiling as the tears continued to come down her face. Her son was finally accepted.
Kurt and Jean helped with the cleanup, putting themselves to work for the excellent food, while the others outside slowly started to pack things up to go home. The man who had first given them cake, just chuckled good naturally as he saw them cleaning. Together the three of them put away all the juice drinks the cups, the trash and the old games back into their proper places. And by the time they were done, only Erin and Xavier remained.
Xavier blocked Erin's path into the kitchen to finally talk with her. Reluctantly, Erin nodded and sat down on the couch and placed her hand over her eyes in exhaustion, " Fine, ask what you will."
"I'm not here to ask anything rather I'm here to talk about a girl under your care, a girl named Kelly."
Sitting up strait as a board, Erin looked at him "What do you want with her?" She asked defensively.
"Now Erin, lets hear the man out, I know for a fact that he isn't one of them damn jerks back in town, so lets hear him out." The man took his set next to Erin, beginning to massage her shoulders.
"We're here to give you options," Began Kitty as she took the seat adjacent to the two. "We know Kelly is a special girl." She looked at Kurt for some help with the rest of this, today was her first real recruitment mission, normally Jean and Scott do this sort of thing.
"Ja, see, we too are special individuals who all go to a special school just like this one."
"What my students are trying to say, is that we represent a school for gifted children with special talents from the rest of the world." Xavier put in calming, feeling the anger boiling in Erin. She hated their use of special, and hated their need to take Kelly away from them. She was hating Roger, her husband at he side, for trying to be civilized even after the last time something like this happened. *Kurt, I think its best if we show her what special means. *
Reluctantly, Kurt agreed, "What we mean to say is that, we, like Kelly all need to be with others like ourselves, others who have strange gifts that most people don't understand." With that he turned off his image enducer and appeared to the couple exposed as the furry blue creature that he truly is. "Before I went to this school, I was afraid to let anybody come close and see me as. this. But now, I have a girlfriend and tons of friends at school. Kelly is different from people, even from those that come here. But she doesn't have to be alone in her difference."
Kitty grabbed his hand during his speech, adding her own strength to his outpour of truth, and slowly phased in-between the cushions of the couch, demonstrating her own special difference to the two guardians. They both sat back in shock, looking at the mutants before them and trying to recover their manners. But to their credit, it didn't take them very long to realize that the people before them were getting the same treatment they battled against.
"She will have to decide herself you know, and of course I will have to check out this school of yours." Erin replied with her usual take charge nature.
Xavier just raised an eyebrow, "Of course."
Professor Xavier glanced over his shoulder, quickly finding and dismissing the students who would go with him to Kelly's last known presence. His mind worked overtime as he recalled the thoughts from the jet. And frankly, he was not pleased with all of them.
As a mutant, any one of the students could be grouped into the same category as Kelly. As a freak, as a person unfit to share the same table with "regular" people, as something not quite human.
The whole concept behind the Institute wasn't just trying to hide mutants from the world, or just to train the students how to develop their talents, but to make them feel comfortable and acceptable with non-mutants. And one- day maybe even living out in the world, as any "normal" citizen. Not in some cult, or brotherhood bent on ruining anyone without a mutant genome.
In a way, he was just like any special education teacher, for they too want their charges to be accepted by others.
"So Chuck, who's going with ya?
"Kurt, Kitty, and Jean come with me. *Jean and Evan, we will have to talk later. * Rouge and Scott, I will want the two of you to be ready for backup if needed. Other then that, Logan you have full reign. We will converge back here in two hours."
* * *
Raising a perfect manicured hand to the oak door, Jean knocked.
The sound quickly fading to the regular noises that night brings, chirping of nearby crickets, a car's motor passing down the quite suburbia street, a humming of the street light next to a well maintained sidewalk, complete with tons of chalk drawings, and a few toys scattered over the lawn.
It was almost normal. and Jean could almost believe that this was just a normal recruiting mission, with any other normal newbie.
But as soon as the door opened, that little dream was squashed flat.
A boy looked out, a really tall boy, and frankly quite fat to boot. The rest of the house was completely hidden from view from his balk, and as Jean scrunched her nose in disdain, he broke out in a wide grin, displaying horrible uncorrected rows of teeth.
Grimacing, she turned away, and began hard mental exercises almost missing Kitty's opening remark.
"Hi!" she started, using her happy go lucky nature to start up the formalities.
"You're here for the party aren't you?" the kid's childlike voice asked. One could even be deaf and hear the joy and happiness expressed in his voice, like a kid getting more gifts at Christmas.
Before Jean or the others respond, a smaller woman opened up the door fully, laughing good naturally at the boy's question.
"Well let's invite these unexpected guests in, shall we Isaac?" The woman's friendly warmth was much appreciated. Her good natured eyes ran quick look over the X-Men before waving them in.
Xavier nodded his head in thanks and started to wheel his chair forward. The boy Isaac couldn't contain the enthusiasm anymore, and in a huge bellow sure to draw attention from the neighbors, yelled "Hey guys, more friends!"
* * * Already, Kurt liked the place. Just from the quick glimpse of the yard, he knew that the kids here were happy. How could they not be, what kid's dream did this not look like? Balls and plastic bats lay on the mowed grass; chalk drawings beautified the sidewalk, handmade wind chimes trilling on the many trees. And with his private look in the back, which was huge, he could see many slides, gardens, and porch swings.
Plus, by judging from the Isaac's immediate liking toward them, the students weren't disliked by the neighbors either.
And that was only the outside.
Kurt's mouth just hung open, as the delighted Isaac led him and the others to the party. It's not that the inside was huge, or as plush as the Institute, it's just that this place had a warm and fuzzy feeling to it.
The walls just screamed love and happiness. Pictures colored with marker, crayon, and paint were pinned up everywhere; very little wall space still remained unopened. All happy smiling rainbows/bunnies style was depicted by the artists complete with giant happy faces. Other arts and crafts were hanging on the walls or resting on the table provided, along with a few awards. One such award, for a Miss Alison, for the prettiest smile, or even one for a happy greeting each and every school day present, for a Greg.
And Kurt smiled at that. They were getting attention, for all things that came best to kids like them. They may not be the smartest pupil with a great GPA, or an awesome athlete with a scholarship, but they tend to be the nicest. The ones that greet you each morning, or those who give you hugs when you think the whole world is against you.
Simple stuff, with a whole lot of Love.
Entering the room where the party was being held, Kurt was almost trampled for people coming up to him and giving him hugs, and their names. Those that couldn't reach him, or leave their seats without help, waved excitably with grins that matched Isaac's, and tried yelling over the din their own names.
Caught up in all the hugging, and the contagious happiness, Kitty glanced his way and then at Jean. Catching her meaning, he glanced Jean's way. The girl herself was stiff as a board as the kids crowded to give hugs to her. Carefully extracting him from the throng of arms, he made his way to Jean.
"Lighten up, even the fuzzy dude is getting hugged." Jean looked up at him, and understood his meaning. As a furry mutant, he tried not to touch anybody, in fear that they would feel his unprotected skin.
But, with the suit on, and the kindness given in the quick hugs, he could tolerate the touch. But only for a while, the many students who gave the hugs and repeated hugs, and repeated hugs, got a little hard to be totally comfortable with.
Seeing that the hugging was still going, the same lady that greeted them called for her charges attention by clapping her hands. As soon as the signal was given, the standing students scurried for their seats and got quite, clapping around with her in an easy beat. They all looked at the others grinning widely, but still respecting the silent part of the clap. Only a few giggles escaped the joyful teens as their teacher looked over all of them. Smiling to them, she stopped and turned to the X-men.
"We hug are friends, to show that we like you, and to show that we trust you." While specking, she signed, her hands creating the gestures in time with each and every word spoken. "Hello my name is Erin."
As the adult in charge, Xavier responded in turn. "Hello, and thank you for that warm greeting, my name is Charles, and this is Kurt, Kitty, and Jean."
"I have a kitty! Her name's Pretty. But she's at home, chasing mice." Said a girl in the back
"No, sweetie. Her name is short for Katherine, like yours is short for Jennifer" answered her caregiver. Looking around to the students and the adjacent room, Xavier noted those parents and helpers were supervising the students. With nametags that read, "Hi I'm Bill's dad," or "Hello I'm Kimmy's Mommy" adorning their jackets, the eager parents whisked back and forth preparing drinks, grabbing napkins for spills, and being at their child's side.
Smiling at the thoroughness and simple answer given, Erin turned to face her new quests. "Won't you stay for cake, we have plenty here, and from the kid's approval I'd say it was pretty good too."
"We wouldn't want to intrude on anything, but actually we have come to talk to you about a student." Xavier states, his own mind a whirl with the "quietness" of the room. Most of the children present don't have the capacity to "think" to themselves, instead whatever they want or need they ask out loud, but at the same time, those who can not speak have minds that are poweful at keeping his simple telepathic probes out.
Erin's face turned hard at this, and began saying something, but another helper spoke up. "It would be our pleasure to help you, but pleasure before business if you will" He said this with a wink, and began giving the X-men plates full of cake.
Indeed it was delicious, and from the icing, Kitty could just make out the letters i-r-t-h, which she was hoping was part of a birthday. Smiling, while filling herself with the confection masterpiece, Kitty looked around for the birthday kid. A boy, sitting in a wheelchair with drool coming down his cheek was the one given the most attention to, with his friends talking to him from across the room, or people showing him the pretty wrapping designs on their gifts to him.
Kitty glanced over to Xavier, really noticing for the first time that he too was in a wheelchair. She hadn't really ever noticed it before. He was always such an imposing figure and one full of life that the wheelchair just faded into the background, like the color suit he wore that day or some pen in his coat pocket. She cocked her head at this thought, it really didn't matter to the children in this room that some were in wheelchairs, and some were in braces and some were covered in burns or other such skin problems. They all talked with each other, still goofed off, still got in the others faces and would laugh their childish laugh.
Erin's voice quickly brought her out of wonderment "Alright, everybody get their present for Danny, and on the count of two, start unwrapping! Ready, One, Two and . Three!"
At first Kurt thought that this was mean, the kid Danny should be able to unwrap his own presents on his own birthday. But looking over the shrieking and the papers flowing this way and that Kurt saw a kid who didn't have a present to unwrap. He sat in a wheelchair, his spindle fingers fiddling with a pad to his side, drool hanging down the side of his chin, where a big grin smiled happily. His neck was hanging low, as if he couldn't support it, while his mother brought him his first gift. The boy laughed joyfully and tried to touch the soft material, but he kept missing. But he continued to try, until his mother just left some where he could reach it and brought the other half up to his cheek.
Nodding to himself, Kurt saw that this way the boy would be able to see all his presents with out getting frustrated at his own disabilities, his friends could have something to do, and the whole room would be filled with excitement and squeals of giddy reactions.
With that, each kid bounced and jumped trying to show Danny what they brought and picked out for him, each trying to present it in the most eye catching way, by dancing, and shaking the gift.
Erin saw all this, and was pleased. Together, her and all the helpers/ parents started to pick up, while Danny's mother just sat back and started silently crying to herself. Xavier made his way over to her and just held her hand, while she continued to cry her overjoyed tears. He felt the intense shock from her, that all these people really cared enough to throw her son a party. This was the first event like this that she had come too, the first time she actually trusted others to be around her son. And she could tell he was ecstatic, and was finally truly happy. She just kept on smiling as the tears continued to come down her face. Her son was finally accepted.
Kurt and Jean helped with the cleanup, putting themselves to work for the excellent food, while the others outside slowly started to pack things up to go home. The man who had first given them cake, just chuckled good naturally as he saw them cleaning. Together the three of them put away all the juice drinks the cups, the trash and the old games back into their proper places. And by the time they were done, only Erin and Xavier remained.
Xavier blocked Erin's path into the kitchen to finally talk with her. Reluctantly, Erin nodded and sat down on the couch and placed her hand over her eyes in exhaustion, " Fine, ask what you will."
"I'm not here to ask anything rather I'm here to talk about a girl under your care, a girl named Kelly."
Sitting up strait as a board, Erin looked at him "What do you want with her?" She asked defensively.
"Now Erin, lets hear the man out, I know for a fact that he isn't one of them damn jerks back in town, so lets hear him out." The man took his set next to Erin, beginning to massage her shoulders.
"We're here to give you options," Began Kitty as she took the seat adjacent to the two. "We know Kelly is a special girl." She looked at Kurt for some help with the rest of this, today was her first real recruitment mission, normally Jean and Scott do this sort of thing.
"Ja, see, we too are special individuals who all go to a special school just like this one."
"What my students are trying to say, is that we represent a school for gifted children with special talents from the rest of the world." Xavier put in calming, feeling the anger boiling in Erin. She hated their use of special, and hated their need to take Kelly away from them. She was hating Roger, her husband at he side, for trying to be civilized even after the last time something like this happened. *Kurt, I think its best if we show her what special means. *
Reluctantly, Kurt agreed, "What we mean to say is that, we, like Kelly all need to be with others like ourselves, others who have strange gifts that most people don't understand." With that he turned off his image enducer and appeared to the couple exposed as the furry blue creature that he truly is. "Before I went to this school, I was afraid to let anybody come close and see me as. this. But now, I have a girlfriend and tons of friends at school. Kelly is different from people, even from those that come here. But she doesn't have to be alone in her difference."
Kitty grabbed his hand during his speech, adding her own strength to his outpour of truth, and slowly phased in-between the cushions of the couch, demonstrating her own special difference to the two guardians. They both sat back in shock, looking at the mutants before them and trying to recover their manners. But to their credit, it didn't take them very long to realize that the people before them were getting the same treatment they battled against.
"She will have to decide herself you know, and of course I will have to check out this school of yours." Erin replied with her usual take charge nature.
Xavier just raised an eyebrow, "Of course."