The day rose early at the Institute, and Jade was sleeping soundly when
there was a knock on the door. "Go away!" Jade mumbled, shoving a pillow
over her eyes.
"Come on, you have to get up!" Aaron called out. "The Professor wants to see you." Jade dressed lazily, barely combing her hair. She pulled open the wood door, and eyed the boy suspiciously.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Jesus Christ, don't you people have any respect for sleep?" Jade crawled downstairs, yawning the entire way. She paused when she reached the end of the stairs.
"Jade," announced the Professor. "Please follow me, I'd like to talk to you about your enrollment here. Now, we will provide for you here, but firstly, have you any contacts we are unaware of?"
Jade looked down slightly. "Nope."
"Any locations, an orphanage?"
"Nope."
"Any friends?"
"Nope. Now honestly, this questioning is getting rather silly, isn't it?" There was a touch of heat in Jade's voice, and face. "No contacts, no home, no friends, no memory. There. Understand? Just me." She looked abashed at her performance, and blushed. "Sorry."
"It's alright, everyone has outbursts. To be honest, I was trying not to pry into your mind, and your admittance is more helpful anyway," Professor Xavier conceded. "And you are not the only one with a buried past. Several students here have repressed or absent memories. In time, you will likely remember them. But that is not the point of my talk. So, the next step should be to outfit you with your course schedule."
"Professor, I'm 24. I don't really take classes anymore."
"Well, perhaps these are not the classes you're thinking of. Though I can't stress the importance of a classical education enough, at the age of 24, and without any guardian, you are relatively free to choose whatever you would wish. However if you wish to join our team, you must engage in some sort of physical training," the professor said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa.just hold on pal," Jade held up her hands. "I didn't say I was ready to join this 'team' just yet. You know, I'd prefer to keep my options open." Logan flicked a sideways glance toward the Professor, hearing himself inside, old desires to be on the road, _options open_. That said it all. "Now, Jade, that's perfectly understandable," the professor continued in his rational tone. "But you could see much more of the campus if you stay with us, explore the scenery perhaps?" Jade scowled at his condescending tone, but conceded defeat and followed the wheel-chaired genius and scruffy fighter down to the study halls.
The classrooms were full of eager students, and Logan flinched at the younger chirping voices. Jade smiled, easily recognizing a hangover when she saw one. The same platinum blonde Storm from before waved to the professor, and invited the three inside.
"Class," Storm announced. "I'd like to introduce you to Jade Morgan, a new student here."
"Well, uh, let's not be hasty," Jade cautioned, grinning at the young children below her. Without warning, dormant spirits reappeared around her and smiled teasingly. The small children gasped, and even Logan let a small laugh out. The trio left the room, and the professor made careful note of the way Jade seemed to enjoy teasing the children.
After touring through several more classes, getting furiously cold looks from Rogue, and nearly tripping over one of Aaron's animals, Jade seemed decidedly undecided as to her presence in the Institute. Eventually, she realized that she had nowhere to go. _Maybe it'll be nice, being part of a team and all_, Jade thought. She shook her head roughly, reminding herself that teams could always hurt their members.
A long day had finished, and Jade acknowledged she was now an X-Man. Still, seeing Logan's grin at the Professor's mention of "training" was in no way reassuring.
The sun rose the same way it had for every morning in the Institute for the Gifted. And like the morning before, Jade was rudely awakened by a knock on the door, this time that of her female welcomer, Erin.
Her eager British voice stunned Jade into awareness. "What time is it?" She grumbled.
"Seven o'clock," Erin replied, infuriatingly awake. "Time for a training session. Lucky you, you get to start off with the group-I suppose the Professor trusts you. Well, put on your uniform."
"Uniform?" Jade called out from behind the door.
"Yes, the Professor had one sent up to your room. It should be on your desk."
More mumbling escaped from Jade's room. "I have a desk?"
After several attempts to drag Jade from her room and some profoundly surprising British curses, Jade was finally underground with only Erin, Trent, Aaron, and the Professor.
"Alright, I had to take some breaks from my classes anyway, so I will be instructing you as to the use of this facility. Now, we'll start off with a simple simulation. Aaron here is trapped and guarded by Erin. You and Trent must find a way to release him without getting caught by Erin. Understood?" Professor Xavier asked.
The students nodded, and entered the chamber. Trent ran across the cold ground, searching out Erin. Jade placed a hand on the metal walls, and went invisible. She flew through the room, seeing Erin standing in front of her boyfriend. Metal tentacles swept across the ground, glistening dimly in the faint lighting. Jade grinned, and summoned three spirits to lift Aaron away. Trent emerged from behind a coil of wires, and before the swordmaster could stop him, she was still, frozen. The spirits raised Aaron high up and away before returning to Jade.
Trent smacked her on the back in the jovial manner only teenage boys had. "Nice work, Jade. You know, you need a codename too. Any ideas?"
She scratched her short black hair in confusion, then looked at the Professor. "Specter," she decided.
"Come on, you have to get up!" Aaron called out. "The Professor wants to see you." Jade dressed lazily, barely combing her hair. She pulled open the wood door, and eyed the boy suspiciously.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Jesus Christ, don't you people have any respect for sleep?" Jade crawled downstairs, yawning the entire way. She paused when she reached the end of the stairs.
"Jade," announced the Professor. "Please follow me, I'd like to talk to you about your enrollment here. Now, we will provide for you here, but firstly, have you any contacts we are unaware of?"
Jade looked down slightly. "Nope."
"Any locations, an orphanage?"
"Nope."
"Any friends?"
"Nope. Now honestly, this questioning is getting rather silly, isn't it?" There was a touch of heat in Jade's voice, and face. "No contacts, no home, no friends, no memory. There. Understand? Just me." She looked abashed at her performance, and blushed. "Sorry."
"It's alright, everyone has outbursts. To be honest, I was trying not to pry into your mind, and your admittance is more helpful anyway," Professor Xavier conceded. "And you are not the only one with a buried past. Several students here have repressed or absent memories. In time, you will likely remember them. But that is not the point of my talk. So, the next step should be to outfit you with your course schedule."
"Professor, I'm 24. I don't really take classes anymore."
"Well, perhaps these are not the classes you're thinking of. Though I can't stress the importance of a classical education enough, at the age of 24, and without any guardian, you are relatively free to choose whatever you would wish. However if you wish to join our team, you must engage in some sort of physical training," the professor said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa.just hold on pal," Jade held up her hands. "I didn't say I was ready to join this 'team' just yet. You know, I'd prefer to keep my options open." Logan flicked a sideways glance toward the Professor, hearing himself inside, old desires to be on the road, _options open_. That said it all. "Now, Jade, that's perfectly understandable," the professor continued in his rational tone. "But you could see much more of the campus if you stay with us, explore the scenery perhaps?" Jade scowled at his condescending tone, but conceded defeat and followed the wheel-chaired genius and scruffy fighter down to the study halls.
The classrooms were full of eager students, and Logan flinched at the younger chirping voices. Jade smiled, easily recognizing a hangover when she saw one. The same platinum blonde Storm from before waved to the professor, and invited the three inside.
"Class," Storm announced. "I'd like to introduce you to Jade Morgan, a new student here."
"Well, uh, let's not be hasty," Jade cautioned, grinning at the young children below her. Without warning, dormant spirits reappeared around her and smiled teasingly. The small children gasped, and even Logan let a small laugh out. The trio left the room, and the professor made careful note of the way Jade seemed to enjoy teasing the children.
After touring through several more classes, getting furiously cold looks from Rogue, and nearly tripping over one of Aaron's animals, Jade seemed decidedly undecided as to her presence in the Institute. Eventually, she realized that she had nowhere to go. _Maybe it'll be nice, being part of a team and all_, Jade thought. She shook her head roughly, reminding herself that teams could always hurt their members.
A long day had finished, and Jade acknowledged she was now an X-Man. Still, seeing Logan's grin at the Professor's mention of "training" was in no way reassuring.
The sun rose the same way it had for every morning in the Institute for the Gifted. And like the morning before, Jade was rudely awakened by a knock on the door, this time that of her female welcomer, Erin.
Her eager British voice stunned Jade into awareness. "What time is it?" She grumbled.
"Seven o'clock," Erin replied, infuriatingly awake. "Time for a training session. Lucky you, you get to start off with the group-I suppose the Professor trusts you. Well, put on your uniform."
"Uniform?" Jade called out from behind the door.
"Yes, the Professor had one sent up to your room. It should be on your desk."
More mumbling escaped from Jade's room. "I have a desk?"
After several attempts to drag Jade from her room and some profoundly surprising British curses, Jade was finally underground with only Erin, Trent, Aaron, and the Professor.
"Alright, I had to take some breaks from my classes anyway, so I will be instructing you as to the use of this facility. Now, we'll start off with a simple simulation. Aaron here is trapped and guarded by Erin. You and Trent must find a way to release him without getting caught by Erin. Understood?" Professor Xavier asked.
The students nodded, and entered the chamber. Trent ran across the cold ground, searching out Erin. Jade placed a hand on the metal walls, and went invisible. She flew through the room, seeing Erin standing in front of her boyfriend. Metal tentacles swept across the ground, glistening dimly in the faint lighting. Jade grinned, and summoned three spirits to lift Aaron away. Trent emerged from behind a coil of wires, and before the swordmaster could stop him, she was still, frozen. The spirits raised Aaron high up and away before returning to Jade.
Trent smacked her on the back in the jovial manner only teenage boys had. "Nice work, Jade. You know, you need a codename too. Any ideas?"
She scratched her short black hair in confusion, then looked at the Professor. "Specter," she decided.
