Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men
characters. Also thank you to my good friend Corrinth for the use of her
creation Ilehana Xavier, aka Vixen.
A/N: All reviews very much appreciated, thanks : )
Scene Four
"Her improvement is impressive. I see no reason to keep her in the infirmary any longer. Its time she had her own room and some privacy. And was out from under my feet." Dr. Ilehana Xavier delivered her final report to her father. Blaze grinned from ear to ear, finally! But, like a rumble of thunder on a fine summer's afternoon, she could feel an itch in her palms, fire in her belly, and she wondered if perhaps the decision was a safe one.
"Very well." The Professor smiled kindly at his daughter, before turning to Blaze. "Storm has already been busy preparing a room and a wardrobe for you, I will have her show you them both later."
"Thank you," Blaze stuttered, these people gave her so much, and she didn't even know them. "I don't know how to repay you for all of this..."
"Blaze, you are not the first mutant to arrive at this school with nothing but the clothes you were wearing. Nor, I fear, shall you be the last. All I ask in return is that you come with me now, and we shall begin our lessons." The Professor turned to leave, and dutifully Blaze followed him though a little confused.
"Lessons?" She left the snide comment that she was a little old for history or economics unsaid.
"You did ask me to help you, didn't you Blaze?" There was a touch of a naughty schoolboy in the Professor's tone. "I am planning to help you learn to control your mutant ability."
Blaze's belly tightened and all her hopes dropped like bricks on her soul. Did he think she had never tried to learn? The denial she had built up, all the walls that usually kept her powers under control were her own hard work. But at the same time, surely the Professor in his years as head of this amazing school had come across mutants like her before? Maybe he had a trick up his sleeve that could solve her problems once and for all...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"What you must realise Blaze is that every single mutant on this planet is different. Whilst superficially two powers may appear very similar, the nature of this next step in human evolution is variability. As any normal human is different from any other, so every mutant is equally different from any other mutant at the most basic genetic level."
Blaze's skin crawled, was this man trying to get himself killed? The more he talked about how arduous this learning process was going to be for the both of them, the more she internally writhed under the pressure. They both knew one little slip would send the school up in flames. But Xavier seemed so confident, so trusting in the skills she had already developed. The more time she spent in the Professor's company, the more she wanted desperately to trust him in return.
"Blaze, I know how much you fear this, I can feel it. But this is the only way to get through this, to make sure you never lose control again."
Slowly, she nodded, and closed her big, brown eyes. Parting her lips slightly she exhaled, placing her hands on her lap and leaning back into the large, comfy chair. Outside the open window children giggled and played, whilst the Wolverine kept watch. In the corridor Rogue was asking Kitty if she had seen the bracelet Bobby had gotten her for her birthday, it had been misplaced. Blaze pushed all these distractions away and tried to relax.
Suddenly, with an ease that was breathtaking Xavier was inside her mind again. Through the telepathic contact he poured confidence, calm and most of all trust. Verbally, he began to instruct her.
"First of all, Blaze, check your controls. Make sure your walls and barriers are strong."
**Like this? **
**Yes, just like that. ** She could feel his pride; normally mutants came to him with no control at all. That Blaze could completely stifle her powers for long periods of time was an impressive achievement.
"But your very over-control of your powers may be what has caused you to lose control. That night, you knew it would not take very much to push you to break you barriers"
"Yes," Blaze nodded. "I had been feeling it building up, like too much water behind a dam, for a while. But I couldn't let go. Now, it's different. It feels like the fire is just under the surface, trying to get out in little bits and pieces."
"That's good." Xavier was so calm, so placid. Blaze could almost see his smile even though she had her eyes tight shut. "Look inside yourself. Try and focus on one of those sparks."
In her mind, he showed her what he meant. He took her deep inside herself to a point where a ball of electric bright light throbbed and pulsed, her own power. For a second she held that image, being sure she would never forget where it was inside her. Then as a small tendril of her power crept towards her, she grabbed at it.
It disappeared. Growling, Blaze dived again towards the well of power and tried to grab the next tendril. It too disappeared. Xavier pushed encouragement and hope through the telepathic bond, but for two hours Blaze could not hang onto a single thread of her power for more than a second. Drained and frustrated, and not entirely sure what she would do with a tendril if she could hold onto it, Blaze opened her eyes.
"This is useless!" She had cramp in her neck, and pins and needles in her feet. She felt hungry, sweaty, and not very appreciative. Xavier let her leave, breaking the telepathic link and hoping she would soon cool off.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blaze stormed outside, desperate for some fresh air. A cool autumnal breeze blew through the grounds, dislodging the first yellowing leaves from the many tall trees. She ignored Bobby's friendly holler of "Hey Blaze!" from the basketball court, instead heading out away from the house to find some peace for herself. Taking a winding path past an old gazebo, she found a small lawn, almost surrounded by fragrant bushes and ancient trees. Standing in the centre of the grass she looked back the way she had come. Good, she couldn't even see the house for all the foliage. With a deep sigh she sat down against a tree trunk.
Tired as she suddenly was, she knew what she had to do. All this unsuccessful work with her power had weakened her control. She could feel the flames creeping up her spine, making her afraid. Blaze had killed too many people, some she cared about and some she did not, because she had lost control. She would not harm her new friends if she could help it.
Her tiredness seemed to aid the necessary meditative trance. She was too tired to care about being hungry, or about the insects buzzing around her head, so the distractions were easily overcome. Quicker than Blaze thought possible she had rebuilt her defences, imagining herself surrounded by adimantium walls on all sides. Then she could relax.
The sun was beginning to set, casting everything into golden hues, when she opened her eyes from her meditation. She was not alone. The strangest creature sat opposite her, blue and elfin. He sat like she did, cross- legged and open armed, in meditation, she realised. Not wanting to disturb him, she waited for him to open his eyes by himself.
"I am sorry, very sorry." The blue man seemed quite upset when he finally opened his eyes to find her sat looking at him. His accent was profoundly European, and he had beautiful tattoos all over his face and arms. "You looked so peaceful, I could not help but join you..."
"Who are you?" Questioned Blaze. She had never seen a mutant so extreme in appearance, but there seemed to be nothing unpleasant about him.
"I am the Amazing Nightcrawler!" He announced with a bow, a strange motion for a man sat cross-legged on a lawn. Then as if embarrassed he added, "Kurt. My name is Kurt."
"Guten Tag, Kurt. Ich heisse Blaze." She smiled, and he smiled back, pleased that she would attempt to greet him in his own tongue.
"You speak many languages?" He asked as she stood, brushing grass off of her clothes.
"A few. I've travelled a fair bit so..."
"Oh?"
"Spent time in Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Montreal, Cape Town..." Nightcrawler nodded, impressed despite his own meandering adventures. Demonstrating his powers for the first time, he teleported to a standing position, making Blaze both jump and laugh. "You know, you'd make a fine thief!"
Nightcrawler looked as though she had hit him in the face.
"Why would you say such a thing? I have done nothing to offend you."
Mentally Blaze cursed herself, way to blow her cover!
"I'm so sorry, Kurt, I didn't mean it as an insult, really I didn't." He looked at her curiously, frowning. There was nothing for it, she had too many enemies in the world to risk making another one here. Surely such a peaceful man would keep her secret? Blaze took a deep breath.
"I am a thief. At least, I was before I came here. I ran away from home at fifteen and the only way I could survive was to steal what I needed. Please don't judge me, Kurt, I didn't even know places like this existed when I found out I was a mutant. Being a thief, a criminal, a murderer is all I have ever known..."
Logan hadn't meant to overhear the conversation between Kurt and Blaze; he just couldn't help it. A heightened sense of hearing means you overhear all sorts of stuff you don't wanna know. But as he stood hidden in the shadow of a tree, listening to the new kid spilling her criminal guts to Nightcrawler, he was increasingly glad he had never even started to trust her...
A/N: All reviews very much appreciated, thanks : )
Scene Four
"Her improvement is impressive. I see no reason to keep her in the infirmary any longer. Its time she had her own room and some privacy. And was out from under my feet." Dr. Ilehana Xavier delivered her final report to her father. Blaze grinned from ear to ear, finally! But, like a rumble of thunder on a fine summer's afternoon, she could feel an itch in her palms, fire in her belly, and she wondered if perhaps the decision was a safe one.
"Very well." The Professor smiled kindly at his daughter, before turning to Blaze. "Storm has already been busy preparing a room and a wardrobe for you, I will have her show you them both later."
"Thank you," Blaze stuttered, these people gave her so much, and she didn't even know them. "I don't know how to repay you for all of this..."
"Blaze, you are not the first mutant to arrive at this school with nothing but the clothes you were wearing. Nor, I fear, shall you be the last. All I ask in return is that you come with me now, and we shall begin our lessons." The Professor turned to leave, and dutifully Blaze followed him though a little confused.
"Lessons?" She left the snide comment that she was a little old for history or economics unsaid.
"You did ask me to help you, didn't you Blaze?" There was a touch of a naughty schoolboy in the Professor's tone. "I am planning to help you learn to control your mutant ability."
Blaze's belly tightened and all her hopes dropped like bricks on her soul. Did he think she had never tried to learn? The denial she had built up, all the walls that usually kept her powers under control were her own hard work. But at the same time, surely the Professor in his years as head of this amazing school had come across mutants like her before? Maybe he had a trick up his sleeve that could solve her problems once and for all...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"What you must realise Blaze is that every single mutant on this planet is different. Whilst superficially two powers may appear very similar, the nature of this next step in human evolution is variability. As any normal human is different from any other, so every mutant is equally different from any other mutant at the most basic genetic level."
Blaze's skin crawled, was this man trying to get himself killed? The more he talked about how arduous this learning process was going to be for the both of them, the more she internally writhed under the pressure. They both knew one little slip would send the school up in flames. But Xavier seemed so confident, so trusting in the skills she had already developed. The more time she spent in the Professor's company, the more she wanted desperately to trust him in return.
"Blaze, I know how much you fear this, I can feel it. But this is the only way to get through this, to make sure you never lose control again."
Slowly, she nodded, and closed her big, brown eyes. Parting her lips slightly she exhaled, placing her hands on her lap and leaning back into the large, comfy chair. Outside the open window children giggled and played, whilst the Wolverine kept watch. In the corridor Rogue was asking Kitty if she had seen the bracelet Bobby had gotten her for her birthday, it had been misplaced. Blaze pushed all these distractions away and tried to relax.
Suddenly, with an ease that was breathtaking Xavier was inside her mind again. Through the telepathic contact he poured confidence, calm and most of all trust. Verbally, he began to instruct her.
"First of all, Blaze, check your controls. Make sure your walls and barriers are strong."
**Like this? **
**Yes, just like that. ** She could feel his pride; normally mutants came to him with no control at all. That Blaze could completely stifle her powers for long periods of time was an impressive achievement.
"But your very over-control of your powers may be what has caused you to lose control. That night, you knew it would not take very much to push you to break you barriers"
"Yes," Blaze nodded. "I had been feeling it building up, like too much water behind a dam, for a while. But I couldn't let go. Now, it's different. It feels like the fire is just under the surface, trying to get out in little bits and pieces."
"That's good." Xavier was so calm, so placid. Blaze could almost see his smile even though she had her eyes tight shut. "Look inside yourself. Try and focus on one of those sparks."
In her mind, he showed her what he meant. He took her deep inside herself to a point where a ball of electric bright light throbbed and pulsed, her own power. For a second she held that image, being sure she would never forget where it was inside her. Then as a small tendril of her power crept towards her, she grabbed at it.
It disappeared. Growling, Blaze dived again towards the well of power and tried to grab the next tendril. It too disappeared. Xavier pushed encouragement and hope through the telepathic bond, but for two hours Blaze could not hang onto a single thread of her power for more than a second. Drained and frustrated, and not entirely sure what she would do with a tendril if she could hold onto it, Blaze opened her eyes.
"This is useless!" She had cramp in her neck, and pins and needles in her feet. She felt hungry, sweaty, and not very appreciative. Xavier let her leave, breaking the telepathic link and hoping she would soon cool off.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Blaze stormed outside, desperate for some fresh air. A cool autumnal breeze blew through the grounds, dislodging the first yellowing leaves from the many tall trees. She ignored Bobby's friendly holler of "Hey Blaze!" from the basketball court, instead heading out away from the house to find some peace for herself. Taking a winding path past an old gazebo, she found a small lawn, almost surrounded by fragrant bushes and ancient trees. Standing in the centre of the grass she looked back the way she had come. Good, she couldn't even see the house for all the foliage. With a deep sigh she sat down against a tree trunk.
Tired as she suddenly was, she knew what she had to do. All this unsuccessful work with her power had weakened her control. She could feel the flames creeping up her spine, making her afraid. Blaze had killed too many people, some she cared about and some she did not, because she had lost control. She would not harm her new friends if she could help it.
Her tiredness seemed to aid the necessary meditative trance. She was too tired to care about being hungry, or about the insects buzzing around her head, so the distractions were easily overcome. Quicker than Blaze thought possible she had rebuilt her defences, imagining herself surrounded by adimantium walls on all sides. Then she could relax.
The sun was beginning to set, casting everything into golden hues, when she opened her eyes from her meditation. She was not alone. The strangest creature sat opposite her, blue and elfin. He sat like she did, cross- legged and open armed, in meditation, she realised. Not wanting to disturb him, she waited for him to open his eyes by himself.
"I am sorry, very sorry." The blue man seemed quite upset when he finally opened his eyes to find her sat looking at him. His accent was profoundly European, and he had beautiful tattoos all over his face and arms. "You looked so peaceful, I could not help but join you..."
"Who are you?" Questioned Blaze. She had never seen a mutant so extreme in appearance, but there seemed to be nothing unpleasant about him.
"I am the Amazing Nightcrawler!" He announced with a bow, a strange motion for a man sat cross-legged on a lawn. Then as if embarrassed he added, "Kurt. My name is Kurt."
"Guten Tag, Kurt. Ich heisse Blaze." She smiled, and he smiled back, pleased that she would attempt to greet him in his own tongue.
"You speak many languages?" He asked as she stood, brushing grass off of her clothes.
"A few. I've travelled a fair bit so..."
"Oh?"
"Spent time in Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Montreal, Cape Town..." Nightcrawler nodded, impressed despite his own meandering adventures. Demonstrating his powers for the first time, he teleported to a standing position, making Blaze both jump and laugh. "You know, you'd make a fine thief!"
Nightcrawler looked as though she had hit him in the face.
"Why would you say such a thing? I have done nothing to offend you."
Mentally Blaze cursed herself, way to blow her cover!
"I'm so sorry, Kurt, I didn't mean it as an insult, really I didn't." He looked at her curiously, frowning. There was nothing for it, she had too many enemies in the world to risk making another one here. Surely such a peaceful man would keep her secret? Blaze took a deep breath.
"I am a thief. At least, I was before I came here. I ran away from home at fifteen and the only way I could survive was to steal what I needed. Please don't judge me, Kurt, I didn't even know places like this existed when I found out I was a mutant. Being a thief, a criminal, a murderer is all I have ever known..."
Logan hadn't meant to overhear the conversation between Kurt and Blaze; he just couldn't help it. A heightened sense of hearing means you overhear all sorts of stuff you don't wanna know. But as he stood hidden in the shadow of a tree, listening to the new kid spilling her criminal guts to Nightcrawler, he was increasingly glad he had never even started to trust her...
