"Guten Tag." The demon said.
Wolfgang struggled to maintain visibility. "uh....Hi." He said as he scrambled off the couch. Not only was this strange figure completely blue, he had a long tail and pointed ears.
"Are you new here?" He said with a thick German accent.
Just play along Wolfgang thought. "Yes, Yes I am new."
The blue man held out a 3-fingered hand "My names Kurt Wagner, but in the Munich Circus I was known as the Incredible Nightcrawler."
"I'm Wolfgang," he said, shaking Kurt's hand.
"Why were you sleeping on the couch?"
"I..I got lost, last night. Couldn't find my room."
"I see." Kurt said, nodding his head. "A big place like this, it happens all the time. Who do you room with?"
"I room with..um..John." Wolfgang said, hoping he picked a common enough name that there was at least one John here.
"Pyro?" Kurt asked
"Yea, him."
Kurt paused for a moment, as if he was listening to something no one else could hear. He nodded and said something under his breath.
"What'd you say?" Wolfgang asked.
"Nothing, nothing. Come on, I will show the way."
Wolfgang picked up his backpack and followed Kurt down the long maze of hallways. This place seemed even bigger than it had looked from the outside.
Taking a second look at the blue fellow walking next to him, Wolfgang realized that he had to be a mutant too.
"So," Wolfgang said, "What do you do here?"
"I am a teacher." Kurt said stopping in front of a large oak door. "The professor would like to speak with you."
"The professor?"
"Yes, Professor Xavier, this is his office. You can wait inside and he will be there shortly."
"Oh. Okay." Wolfgang recognized the name from the sign on the gate. He went into the office and Kurt shut the door behind him. He looked around the elegantly decorated office. It looked exactly like you would expect any private school headmaster's office to be complete with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with first editions, a large mahogany desk, and a chalkboard with what looked like physics written on it. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He could go invisible and sneak out. On the other hand, if they accepted one mutant here as a teacher, why not another as a student? He certainly couldn't afford whatever tuition was, but maybe he could arrange some kind of work-study thing. Just the thought of being able to go to school again and lead some semblance of a normal life filled him with hope for the future.
Choosing the latter course of action, he put his backpack down near the door and went over to one of the bookshelves. He picked a random book off one of the shelves. According to the cover, it was The Once and Future King by T.H.White. They had just started to read it in English class right before he had to drop out. Opening it to the place he remembered leaving off, he started reading. "Hello Wolfgang." Someone said behind him.
Startled, Wolfgang spun around, dropping the book and turning invisible. Cursing silently, he returned to visibility and picked up the book, hoping the Professor hadn't noticed.
"I'm Professor Charles Xavier. Welcome to my school." He said, now sitting behind the desk. He was an impressive figure in a blue suit sitting in a motorized wheelchair. "Please, have a seat." He motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk
Wolfgang put the book back on the shelf and went over to the desk. "I w....was..um..I wondered..um.." Wolfgang stuttered. He was trying his best to stay visible, but he always had trouble with it when he got nervous. Looking down at his hands, he realized he was blinking. At least his control was getting better, last year at this time he wouldn't have been able to stay even partially visible.
"You were wondering about attending school here." The Professor said.
"Well, yeah." Wolfgang liked this guy almost immediately. He could tell he was a very powerful man, and yet there was an almost grandfatherly quality about him, like you could trust him with anything. Best of all, he didn't seem to care about Wolfgang's flickering.
"We would be glad to have you here."
"Really? I..I can't afford.."
The Professor cut him off with a wave of his hand, "You don't have to worry about that."
Wolfgang looked at him skeptically. "Also, you should know.." He didn't want to tell him about his mutation, but if he didn't know now he would find out soon. If he was going to get kicked out, better it be before he got settled in. "In case you can't already tell, I'm..I'm a mutant."
"I know. Everyone here is."
"Everyone?"
"Yes, this school is specifically for mutants."
Could it be true? A school for mutants? A broad smile crept across his face.
"Furthermore," the Professor continued, "Your father is here."
Wolfgang stared at him for a moment in complete shock.
"My..my father? How do you know about my father?"
"The dog tag you have. It once belonged to him."
Wolfgang pulled the chain with the old tag attached out from under his shirt and over his head. He held it in his hand tracing the single word on it with his thumb as he had done many times before. WOLVERINE. His mother had given it to him when he was little and had asked about his father. "How did you know about this?" he asked
"I'm psychic." Wolfgang heard the Professor say, only he didn't exactly hear it. It was like the Professor was speaking directly into his head. "He's telepathic" Wolfgang thought, "that must be his mutation." The Professor confirmed that thought without making a sound. Wolfgang wasn't sure if he liked some old guy poking around in his head, but for a chance not only to live a normal life again, but also to finally meet his father, he could get used to almost anything.
"So, my father, who is he? When could I meet him?" he asked, his excitement growing. Ever since his mother died, he had been thinking more and more about the father he never knew.
"You'll meet him shortly. First, let's get you settled in." he said and started toward the door. Wolfgang grabbed his backpack and followed.
Wolfgang struggled to maintain visibility. "uh....Hi." He said as he scrambled off the couch. Not only was this strange figure completely blue, he had a long tail and pointed ears.
"Are you new here?" He said with a thick German accent.
Just play along Wolfgang thought. "Yes, Yes I am new."
The blue man held out a 3-fingered hand "My names Kurt Wagner, but in the Munich Circus I was known as the Incredible Nightcrawler."
"I'm Wolfgang," he said, shaking Kurt's hand.
"Why were you sleeping on the couch?"
"I..I got lost, last night. Couldn't find my room."
"I see." Kurt said, nodding his head. "A big place like this, it happens all the time. Who do you room with?"
"I room with..um..John." Wolfgang said, hoping he picked a common enough name that there was at least one John here.
"Pyro?" Kurt asked
"Yea, him."
Kurt paused for a moment, as if he was listening to something no one else could hear. He nodded and said something under his breath.
"What'd you say?" Wolfgang asked.
"Nothing, nothing. Come on, I will show the way."
Wolfgang picked up his backpack and followed Kurt down the long maze of hallways. This place seemed even bigger than it had looked from the outside.
Taking a second look at the blue fellow walking next to him, Wolfgang realized that he had to be a mutant too.
"So," Wolfgang said, "What do you do here?"
"I am a teacher." Kurt said stopping in front of a large oak door. "The professor would like to speak with you."
"The professor?"
"Yes, Professor Xavier, this is his office. You can wait inside and he will be there shortly."
"Oh. Okay." Wolfgang recognized the name from the sign on the gate. He went into the office and Kurt shut the door behind him. He looked around the elegantly decorated office. It looked exactly like you would expect any private school headmaster's office to be complete with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with first editions, a large mahogany desk, and a chalkboard with what looked like physics written on it. He stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. He could go invisible and sneak out. On the other hand, if they accepted one mutant here as a teacher, why not another as a student? He certainly couldn't afford whatever tuition was, but maybe he could arrange some kind of work-study thing. Just the thought of being able to go to school again and lead some semblance of a normal life filled him with hope for the future.
Choosing the latter course of action, he put his backpack down near the door and went over to one of the bookshelves. He picked a random book off one of the shelves. According to the cover, it was The Once and Future King by T.H.White. They had just started to read it in English class right before he had to drop out. Opening it to the place he remembered leaving off, he started reading. "Hello Wolfgang." Someone said behind him.
Startled, Wolfgang spun around, dropping the book and turning invisible. Cursing silently, he returned to visibility and picked up the book, hoping the Professor hadn't noticed.
"I'm Professor Charles Xavier. Welcome to my school." He said, now sitting behind the desk. He was an impressive figure in a blue suit sitting in a motorized wheelchair. "Please, have a seat." He motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk
Wolfgang put the book back on the shelf and went over to the desk. "I w....was..um..I wondered..um.." Wolfgang stuttered. He was trying his best to stay visible, but he always had trouble with it when he got nervous. Looking down at his hands, he realized he was blinking. At least his control was getting better, last year at this time he wouldn't have been able to stay even partially visible.
"You were wondering about attending school here." The Professor said.
"Well, yeah." Wolfgang liked this guy almost immediately. He could tell he was a very powerful man, and yet there was an almost grandfatherly quality about him, like you could trust him with anything. Best of all, he didn't seem to care about Wolfgang's flickering.
"We would be glad to have you here."
"Really? I..I can't afford.."
The Professor cut him off with a wave of his hand, "You don't have to worry about that."
Wolfgang looked at him skeptically. "Also, you should know.." He didn't want to tell him about his mutation, but if he didn't know now he would find out soon. If he was going to get kicked out, better it be before he got settled in. "In case you can't already tell, I'm..I'm a mutant."
"I know. Everyone here is."
"Everyone?"
"Yes, this school is specifically for mutants."
Could it be true? A school for mutants? A broad smile crept across his face.
"Furthermore," the Professor continued, "Your father is here."
Wolfgang stared at him for a moment in complete shock.
"My..my father? How do you know about my father?"
"The dog tag you have. It once belonged to him."
Wolfgang pulled the chain with the old tag attached out from under his shirt and over his head. He held it in his hand tracing the single word on it with his thumb as he had done many times before. WOLVERINE. His mother had given it to him when he was little and had asked about his father. "How did you know about this?" he asked
"I'm psychic." Wolfgang heard the Professor say, only he didn't exactly hear it. It was like the Professor was speaking directly into his head. "He's telepathic" Wolfgang thought, "that must be his mutation." The Professor confirmed that thought without making a sound. Wolfgang wasn't sure if he liked some old guy poking around in his head, but for a chance not only to live a normal life again, but also to finally meet his father, he could get used to almost anything.
"So, my father, who is he? When could I meet him?" he asked, his excitement growing. Ever since his mother died, he had been thinking more and more about the father he never knew.
"You'll meet him shortly. First, let's get you settled in." he said and started toward the door. Wolfgang grabbed his backpack and followed.