Chapter 2
Kitty climbed up into the X-Van, a grin plastered on her face. "Alright! Lesson number three!" she cried as she slammed the van door shut. She pulled the seat belt across her shoulder and lap, then shoved the key into the ignition.
Logan wasn't so enthusiastic. After the last time he and Kitty were in the car together, he'd sworn to himself that he wouldn't do it again, not willingly, anyway. Bot no other adults were free at the moment, and Kitty's driver's test was next week.
"Ok kid, easy this time," Logan's gruff voice was almost the complete opposite of Kitty's valley girl talk. He too pulled the belt securely over his chest, giving it a strong pull, just to test it.
The X-Van roared to life, and to Logan's surprise, began to slowly roll down the drive, a vast improvement over last time. "Not bad, kid."
Kitty gave him a quick grin, then looked back to the road. The main gate opened wide and they passed through, heading towards the busy city.
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Shay stayed in the shadows as she left the Morlock tunnel. At first, she was doubtful of Callisto's words. Xavier would help her; he was nothing like her father. Callisto was lying to her… right?
With a sigh, Shay leaned against a brick wall, her wings like a mat behind her. Was this a mistake? Sadly, she did fit in with the Morlocks, a society where she didn't have to hide her face, hair or wings. But Xavier's Institute, that was public domain. Most if not all of those kids would never know the kind of brutality Shay had experienced in her short life.
Except Spyke, also known as Evan to a few. Shay had never talked to him, though she'd seen him once in the tunnels. She'd watched him wave goodbye, then walk to the one tunnel that would led you out of Morlockia, as Shay had nicknamed it.
Afterwards, she'd asked around about the boy that had left the day she had came. He was the nephew of a very powerful mutant named Storm, who lived at Xavier's Institute. Evan's mutation had been changing him for awhile. Large plates, like an armadillo, had been growing all over his body. Scared and confused, Evan had found some happiness with the Morlocks for awhile, though his love for his aunt and his friends at the Institute eventually stole him away from the Morlocks.
A noise down the alley caused Shay to lose her train of thought. She looked up and took a step back as she stared at a man that continued to approach her, despite her silver skin and large wings.
He wore an odd helmet, colored red and purple. It covered all but the very center on his face, his eyes gleaming out of the shadow. A cap hung down his back, a few inches short of the ground. All his clothing matched the same red and purple of his helmet.
"Hello my child," he British accent was obvious, giving his voice a comfortable feel. Shay relaxed for a second, then threw up her defenses again. What in the hell was going on?
"Who are you?" Shay asked quickly. She spread her wings, stretching them out just in case she needed to make a quick exit. Normally she wouldn't fly during the day, but if he meant trouble, she'd make an exception.
"A friend, I promise." He finally stopped a few feet away from her. He gently pulled the helmet off, revealing a head of thick white hair, steel blue eyes. "My name is Magneto and I only want to help you."
Help me how? His eyes reminded Shay of her father's, which wasn't a good thing, for him anyways.
His mile faded. "I know about your new mutation, your touch of life. I can help you control it, strengthen it."
Now Shay really didn't understand. "Wait. How did you know that?"
"Trust me," Magneto began, but Shay turned and began walking back down the alley, her voice calling over her shoulder.
"No thanks, buddy. I stopped trusting people a long time ago."
His next words stopped her dead in her tracks.
"Not everyone is as hateful as your father, Shay. Some people truly do want to help you."
Shay's blood ran cold and she closed her eyes for a second. In her mind she could remember his hands on her back, the knife… She blinked back her tears. "When I need help, I'll let you know."
"I think you do need help or you would not be seeking Charles Xavier."
Shay turned and looked at him. "How do you-." She sighed quietly and looked at the older man. "I know about Xavier. You, on the other hand, are a mystery to me."
Magneto held his arms open. "What can I say to gain your trust? I'm a mutant who believes the oppression of those like us is wrong and I want to change things." The old man's demeanor changed for a split second. His eyes hardened, his body tensed, then it was gone and he was Shay's newfound 'friend' again.
"Why do you want to help me?" Shay asked after a few silent seconds.
"Because the mutation you have, if you learn to control it and expand it, it can become an extraordinary gift. Shay, after time, you may hold the power to bring someone back to life."
A smirk appeared on Shay's face. "Yeah, I get it not. It'd be nice to have a little lifesaver on your side." Shay paused for a second and chewed her lip. "I don't know," she said to herself.
Shay stared at him for a few moments. "I still want to talk with Xavier," she finally said. "I've heard too many things, that Xavier can help me. You may be telling the truth, but I have to try this first."
It was Magneto's turn to smirk. "Xavier is not the one you need. He's not a help to mutants, but to our enemies, the humans who hate us. You of all people should know how much this hate hurts."
Shay hung her head and stood silent. How did he know so much about her? She looked up again. "I don't want the rest of my life to be shadowed by hate."
Magneto opened his mouth to reply when a from the end of the alley called his name. The owner of the voice came closer and Shay was a little surprised to see a young man step to Magneto's side. He wore a long trench coat, one hand hidden deep in the pocket. Short hair held back by one odd head-band, the thing Shay noticed first were his eyes. A light of burning red stared at her from under his brow. No doubt about it, he was a mutant.
After stopping at Magneto's side and whispered something to the older mutant. Even with her semi-heightened hearing Shay could only catch a few words that made no sense together.
Magneto looked back at her and gave her a sad smile, confusing Shay even more. "I must leave, but I want to tell you that there will be an open spot for you, if Xavier can not help you."
"Thank you," Shay said without thought. Magneto nodded and turned while placing the helmet back on his head. The boy gave her a wink and followed him back out of the alley.
****Notes****
Wow, I finally got chapter two up. And, what do you know, I'm listening to the Foo Fighters again. I really gotta go buy some more CDs. Anyways, the next chapter is actually going to start out with Shay still in the alley, but if I had left it all connected together, the chapter would have been ten pages long… and that's just too much. Oh yes, also, Gambit: the hardest X-Men character to write. So yeah, if he turns out to be really odd and not Gambit-like at all, I take full responsibility, cause that Cajun is hard to get right. Hmm… I know the part with Logan and Kitty was kinda random, but it'll make more sense in the next chapter, I promise. Oh, and may I say, the episode where Kitty and Logan actually got driving: One of the funniest Evo moments ever. Plus, I like the ending of that episode. Muah-ha-ha! Logan's Revenge!!!
