The hitchhiker was not particularly remarkable, except for the fact that she was hitchhiking. Small oval glasses perched on her face, and her black hair was pulled back into a disheveled ponytail. She carried a dusty cardboard sign with her destination written on it, and a backpack with the necessities of life stuffed in.

A red pickup truck came zooming down the road, and she stuck out her thumb and held out her sign. The car slowed slightly, the passenger side window rolled down, and a few coins were tossed out. The window rolled up again and the car zoomed away.

The hitchhiker sighed and collected the money - A whopping 75 cents. She rolled her eyes. Some people just didn't get the difference between a hitchhiker and a panhandler.

Another car, blue and sporty, came down the road. She held up her sign and waved. The car slowed to a halt beside her, and she jogged up to it, a triumphant smile on her face. Finally!

"Need a lift?" Asked the driver.

"Yes, please."

"Where you headed?"



"Xavier's School for the Gifted. Can you take me there?"

The man was evidently surprised. "Yeah, sure. I'm heading there myself. Hop in."

"Really? Sweet."

She pulled open the back door and slid into air-conditioned comfort. She let out a deep sigh of relief. The young man driving smiled as he gunned the engine. "Been standing there long?"

"An hour or two, I think. I've had worse." She sat up straight and buckled her seatbelt, leaning forward to talk to the driver. "My name's Jessie Roper, but my friends call me Jess. Thanks for the lift."

"I'm Scott Summers. Nice to meet you."

There was a moment of silence, then Jess asked, "So, what brings you to Xavier's?"

"Oh, I work there. I teach. What about you?"

"I'm hoping to get a job there. I've taught before - well, okay, tutored - and I was wondering if they had need of a chemistry teacher. Would you know?"

Scott considered. "I'm not sure . . . Ororo teaches math and physics, and I teach shop. Jean used to do a little science, but she's not so into that anymore. Yeah, we could probably use you."

"Sweet!" Jess leaned back. "By the way, nice glasses."

"Oh, um . . . thanks," Scott said, slightly uncomfortable.

Jessie picked up on his emotions and leaned forward again. "I'm sorry, did I offend you? I seem to do that sometimes without realizing."

"No, it's just . . . well, I've got an eye problem, and that's why I've got to wear them. I'm not fond of them."

"Oh." Jess shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry."

Scott smiled gamely. "Not your fault. Don't let it bother you."

The rest of the trip passed in easygoing conversation.





Scott drove through an ornate stone gate and pulled up in front of the school. Scott glanced at Jess over the top of the car. "Um, Jessie? Before you go in, I've gotta ask you - do you know what this school is?"

"What do you mean? I mean, I know that Xavier is a mutant supporter. So'm I. That's one of the reasons I wanted to come here - to work with Xavier."

"Okay . . . I guess that's good enough."

Jess looked at him quizzically, but didn't press the matter. She got her answer quickly enough.

Stepping into the school, she stopped and stared, rubbed her eyes, stared some more, and finally, sheepishly, shut her mouth. Young mutant children walked around nonchalantly, as if this were any other school in the world. Over there was a young woman with coral and seaweed growing over her head, and incredible swirly eyes. Over here was a young man with an orange glow from his mouth all the way down his torso.

Jess shook herself. Yes, it was amazing, but that was no reason for staring and being rude. She was incredibly self-conscious of her disheveled appearance from the road, but no one seemed concerned about it.

"Surprised?" Said a voice behind her. She turned around. Scott had followed her in.

"Just a bit," she laughed. "How do I get to Xavier's office?"

"Go up this flight of stairs and take the first right. It's down the hall on the left - his name's on the door. By the way, you should probably call him Professor while you're here."

"Up the stairs, first right, down the hall on the left. Got it. Again, thanks for the ride." She stuck out her hand, and they shook.

Jess climbed the stairs, stopping into a bathroom she passed to straighten herself up. Resuming her original course, she gazed intently at the numbers on the doors until she came to 24 - Charles Xavier. Taking a deep breath, she raised a hand to knock.

Before her knuckles could touch the wood, a kindly voice inside called, "Come in." Jess blinked, wrinkled her forehead in confusion, and turned the knob.

The room was spacious and finely decorated. A desk sat at the other end, with windows surrounding it to let in light. A man - Jessie would judge him in his mid-fifties - was working at the desk. He had put down his work as Jessie entered, and smiled at her. Later, Jess would often remember that first smile - so warm and enveloping that you felt momentarily serene, no matter what was going on around you.

Jess approached the desk and nodded politely. "Professor Xavier?" He nodded in return. "My name's Jessie Roper. Um . . . well, to put it bluntly, I was wondering if you could give me a job here. Maybe as a tutor or something? I've got references, if you need them." She had already unslung the backpack and was beginning to unzip it.

The Professor held up a hand. "Wait, wait, Miss Roper. Let's slow down a bit. You say you need a job?"

Jess nodded. "Yessir. I love teaching, and I heard through the grapevine that you run a school. I've seen you on TV, and I agree with your views on mutants and humans coexisting. I'd love to be able to work with you."

"I see. And are you human or mutant?"

She smiled. "Pure bred homo sapiens, I think. I've certainly shown no signs of a mutation, and I'm already twenty-three."

"Ah. Now then, what sort of job were you looking for? We may have an opening or two you'd be able to fill."

"Well, sir, I'm a chemistry major, and I've done a lot of tutoring. I thought maybe as a science teacher . . . ?"

Xavier considered this. "I'm afraid at the moment, a science teacher isn't particularly necessary" - Jess slumped - "but a private tutor would be very handy, I think. In fact, I'm sure. Would you be willing to work with some of our students to bring their grades up?"

Jessie's face brightened. "Sir, I'd be honored!"

Xavier smiled again. "Very well then. When would you be able to start?"

"Whenever you need me."

They arranged particulars of pay, hours, room and board, and suchlike, and then Jess left the office - to enter one of the most extraordinary schools in the world.