"Sarah," said Logan, cutting through the silence.
He, X23, and Professor Xavier had retired to his study after breakfast to discuss X23's formal transfer to the Institute as both resident and student. Though they'd spent a good deal of the time passing around the idea of names. Yuriko, Andrea, Elizabeth, Amiko, Rachel, even Deborah (Logan had said no to that practically before the last syllable left X23's mouth), and many others. Referring to someone by their weapon designation was beyond degrading, it was downright wrong. Professor X inquired if X23 had been given any real name, but she'd replied in the negative. Logan had even contacted SHIELD, and Deborah confirmed it. Hydra had never given her a real name.
It shocked Xavier to the core that people so cruel could live in the world. To not even give someone any form of personal identity like a name... it was too horrible to even think about.
"I like it," replied X23 after a moments thought. "Sarah..." she repeated softly.
"We shall need a last name," said Professor Xavier, as he scribbled down Sarah onto X23's forms. All the students had them, even those who had no past prior to coming to the Institute. For Xavier's records, if nothing else. Sarah glanced at Logan, who grumbled softly. Rogue's had been very hard to put together as well, up until a year ago, when she'd found out, rather painfully, her mother's last name. Rogue she may be to everyone else, but the Professor's files listed her true name: Marie Darkholme. No one else, save Rogue's mother and Rogue herself, knew about it.
"Howlett," he replied. "Name I picked up a while back while I was digging around my past... not sure if its mine, but you're more than welcome to it, kid," he explained after a moments hesitation.
"Stop calling me that," she replied. Then, her face lit up a little as she added "I do have a name now... isn't that the point of having one?"
"Sure thing, Sarah," Logan replied with a smirk.
Sarah Howlett. Newly arrived student at the Xavier Institute. One parent, Xavier decided, filling out the father's side with Logan's vital information, and of course the school's number. It was as close to a permanent residence as Logan ever kept.
"Very well," said Xavier, smiling as he shuffled through his paperwork. "I believe everything else will be in order shortly... Logan can show you to your new room," he said with a smile. Sarah smiled, slipping gracefully to her feet as she made her way to the door, followed by Logan, who glanced at Charles on the way out. His expression made it clear he didn't have the faintest idea of what he was doing, and inside Professor Xavier laughed. Wolverine would charge headlong into an armored car but he so rarely was able to handle children. And now he was the official parent of a teenaged girl who could slice through iron like butter, and a temper to rival Wolverine's own.
"May God have mercy on your soul," intoned Professor Xavier quietly, though he imagined Logan could hear him, even through the closed wooden door. He returned to his paperwork, filling out school applications, legal guardianship, and other such things.
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"This is yours," stated Logan as he opened the door. Sarah peered inside. The room was simple enough, four walls, window, bed and dresser, and a small desk with a chair. Everything was clean and well kept, but it thankfully lacked the sterile look of a laboratory. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped in, admiring the bed that Logan said was now hers.
"Originally this was a guest room," said Logan, standing by the doorway and letting her explore. "You'll have to head out to get some clothes later... I'm sure we can find you some decorations if you want to fancy up the room like the other girls in this hall do."
"Fancy up?" she asked, tilting her head as she glanced back at him. This was already fancier than anything she'd ever been given. And it was, more importantly, all hers.
"Mostly stickin' up pictures of boy bands on their walls," replied Logan, with a sour grimace. He never did understand Kitty and Jean's obsession with those silly groups. The noise alone was enough to make his ears ring.
"I see..." she replied. "I guess I will need new clothing... my uniform was destroyed in the blast," she added wistfully.
"I been meanin' to ask you about that," Logan said, making his way into the room and leaning on her dresser. "That wasn't just any ordinary fire, that was an explosion. Who was after you, Sarah?"
"I don't know," she replied quietly, glancing at him, her dark green eyes flashing with a new emotion. Fear. "I'd almost swear it was Hydra... but they're all gone."
"Kid, I gotta tell you... people like that don't die easily," he replied quietly, shaking his head. "And Hydra's name is well earned. Chop off one head, two more grow in its place?"
"Hmmm?" she asked.
"Nevermind... you'll learn the classics soon enough in school..." he added, as he made his way past her and started to leave. He stopped when he felt her, her body against his, her arms wrapped around his waist.
"Logan... thank you," she said, meaning every word of it. Smiling, he hugged her back, patting her head softly.
"You get settled," he replied. "I'll drop by in an hour, and we'll get everything taken care of."
Sarah dropped onto the soft mattress of the bed, testing it, feeling its softness against her skin. It was like sleeping on a pillow, and infinitely preferable to lying on cold steel or rock. She was in paradise. But she'd lived long enough to know nothing came without a price, and she was still tense. She'd lived too long without trust. It was hard for her to learn to trust anyone, even Logan.
But she was trying.
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True to Logan's word, he returned in less than an hour, along with Professor Xavier, who had finished filling out her forms and sending them to the appropriate offices. Tomorrow, she'd be enrolled in Bayville High as a freshmen, to start classes the following Monday. True, her education was somewhat lacking, but she was mentally apt for someone her age. She would do fine. Professor Xavier had also called in to Bayville High and specifically requested that she be placed in classes with other Institute students for "psychological comfort" reasons.
The new principle at Bayville High, a quiet, unassuming individual, had gone along with Professor X's request. He bore no outright hatred for the mutant students under his control, as their last principle had, but he made it outright clear he didn't like them very much. Nor did he go out of his way to stop either the students or the teachers from making their lives miserable.
Xavier was confident that Sarah would manage fine with some guidance from the younger students.
"Sarah," he said, gaining the young girl's attention. "Everything has been taken with the schools, you begin classes Monday. Will you be having any problem with this?"
"No," she replied, after a moments though.
"Then again, welcome to the Institute," replied Professor Xavier, as he wheeled his chair out of the room. "I am sure Logan can help you gather some school supplies, and answer any other questions you may have. If not, you can find me in my office," he said.
Sarah nodded as Xavier left, leaving her alone with Logan, who looked just as awkward to be there as she was, though he hid it well.
"I was just about to head down to lunch, you wanna come?" he asked.
"Lunch? So soon?" she asked, genuinely surprised. She was lucky to get two meals within eight hours of one another. Logan's back was to Sarah, so she didn't notice his face twist into a grimace at her innocent question. A question brought about by an upbringing he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.
"Yeah," he managed to reply, keeping his back to her. "Breakfast, lunch, dinner... three meals a day, every day."
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Lunch was spent outside today, Sarah eating quietly by the gazebo. She wasn't yet comfortable in the kitchen with the other adults, even Ororo or Jean, who seemed like very friendly people. She kept expecting something horrible to happen. So she went outside, sitting at the gazebo, watching as the leaves of the nearby trees slowly, one by one, fell to the ground in a small shower of orange and red. Autumn had crept up early on the Institute, though most of the leaves refused to leave their homes up in the trees, and very few littered the ground. It would change soon enough in the future.
"Hey... this spot taken?" came a friendly voice to her left, and Sarah glanced back, tensing instinctively. To her relief, it was just Scott, holding his own lunch in hand. A subway sandwich and a coke can.
"Taken?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to one side.
"Taken. Is someone sitting here?" he asked, indicating the other side of the gazebo, across from the dark-haired girl. Sarah shook her head slowly, watching as the brown-haired boy slipped down into a relaxed, seated position, and proceeded to dig into his lunch with gusto. "Thanks... hope I'm not intruding," he said, after he finished his first mouthful.
"Not at all," she replied quietly, not really looking at him. "I'm, uh... sorry..." Sarah added, softly.
"For what?" he asked.
"Attacking you, earlier," she replied, still not facing him. "I... I'm sorry its... it was wrong of me..." she started to babble, not realizing it, until a comforting hand was laid on her shoulder, and she glanced up. His eyes were still hidden by his ever-present red sunglasses, but his smile was big and comforting.
"Its okay, I understand... but thanks for the apology," he said, sitting down next to her now. "I'm not mad at you or anything..."
"But I hurt you..." Sarah replied sullenly, not meeting his gaze. Her eyes wandered down, to the bay and its glistening blue waters.
"Its okay, really..." he replied, smiling pleasantly. "Listen, just don't do it again, alright?"
"Alright," she replied shyly, glancing up through her long dark hair at him finally, as she swept the dark brown locks behind her ear and regarded him thoughtfully. "Shouldn't you be in class with everyone else?"
"Things changed a lot since you were last here," he replied, chuckling softly. "I graduated last year... now I take college level courses here with Mr. McCoy. So does Jean."
"Oh," she replied, again digesting this new knowledge. Something occurred to her then, and she brightened, delighted to carry on conversation with the polite boy in the red shades. "Uhm... are you familiar with the, uh... classics?"
"Classics? What do you mean?"
"Logan said something about the Hydra... having... two heads for every one or something... something about the classics, said I'd learn eventually," she replied.
"Oh, he must've meant the Greek myth," replied Scott. Makes sense, he thought to himself. X23 wouldn't know about such things. Not when her daily life was being trained to take people out. He felt profound pity for the dark-haired girl sitting next to him, but it evaporated as she smiled up at him. Apparently such a hard life hadn't been able to completely crack the innocent little girl beneath her tough-as-adamantium exterior.
"Can you tell me then?" she asked softly.
"Sure, let me see if I remember," he replied, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Greek myths weren't exactly his forte, but he -was- codenamed after one of the Greek monsters of legend, after all. Jokes of a mythical nature had become commonplace concerning him. Kurt had even once compared his and Duncan's old rivalry to the same that brought about the Trojan war. All over a woman.
"If I remember correctly," Scott started. "The Hydra was a great serpent with... nine heads? Seven? Well it doesn't matter... more than it needed," he added with a soft laugh. Sarah shared it, smiling again. She didn't understand the joke, or even that it -was- a joke. But she smiled because she was happy. She was paying rapt attention to his every word. "Anyway, it was a royal pain, eating people and such in ancient Greece... where the uh, myth originates," he added. "Anyways, this great hero Hercules was sent to kill it, and he lopped off one of its heads with his sword. Problem is, when he did, two new heads grew in its place, and eventually he had to retreat. So, he figured out its weakness, and when he went in again, he had his friend and torchbearer come with him. Then, when he cut off a head he had his torchbearer seal up the neck with fire so it couldn't regrow, and Hercules finished off the beast."
"Wow... that's an interesting story," replied Sarah honestly. It was definitely more interesting than hearing reports about weapon supplies or assassination time schedules.
"Glad you think so..." he replied. "I rather prefer the tale of the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece, myself," he replied.
"Another.... er, myth?" she asked. Scott nodded in reply, sipping his soda. "Where do they come from?"
"Well, they're stories... they used to be passed on by word of mouth from one generation to the next, but nowadays you find them in books," he added dryly, thinking of the last book he'd had to read for class. McCoy may be as much a resident of the Institute as he was, but as a teacher, he made sure to do his job. Though he supposed it could've been worse than a work by Mary Shelley. Must've been Beast's personal choice. Rogue's too.
"Why do people tell such stories, if they weren't real?" asked Sarah curiously. Scott, stumped, took a few moments before answering that. He honestly wasn't sure.
"Well, I think they're supposed to teach you lessons... morals," he supplied, glad that living with Hank McCoy had, if nothing else, expanded his vocabulary.
"Morals..." said Sarah, puzzling over a little used word in her own vocabulary. She knew what it meant, but primarily in her education she'd been discouraged from having any. Weapons aren't supposed to have morals... angrily she pushed away the bitter memories.
"Uhm... listen...," he started softly, edging very slowly into uncharted waters. He wanted to help X23 if he could. She reminded him in many ways of Rogue. She just didn't know who to trust, and he was determined to help bring her over to the right side. By her own choice of course. "I teach her at the Institute... if you want I can give you some English tutoring once you start classes at Bayville High."
"But... I already speak English," replied Sarah. Scott, upon hearing this, and upon seeing her deadpan expression... burst out laughing. He nearly toppled off the railing of the gazebo and down to the same fate Mystique's stone statue had once shared.
"Hehe... oooh..." he said, managing to regain his breath. X23 had just continued to stare at him blankly, evidently not getting the joke. "English as a class doesn't mean the language... it means literature. Reading books and learning about how to read and write properly."
"Oh, I see... well then I'd like your help, Scott Summers, if you really want to..." she replied, feeling heat spread to her cheeks for some unknown reason. And also, her stomach was moving strangely, like there was a thousand butterflies trapped within. Perhaps she was ill. But how could that be? She could heal and recover from any sort of illness in moments. It must've been something else.
"I'd be glad to... uhm... I'm sorry, what should I call you?" he asked, again walking into delicate territory. He didn't want to be rude and call her a stupid number if she didn't want to be known as such, yet it was all he had.
"Sarah," she replied, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sure, Sarah... I'd be glad to," he said, gathering up the remains of his lunch and his now empty can and making his way back to the Institute, smiling back over his shoulder at her. "See you around."
More butterflies joined the first few, but Sarah ignored them and smiled back at Scott Summers. It was a very pleasant feeling, actually. If everyone here was as nice as him and Logan, she could definitely get used to staying here. Still, if they were as nice as him and Logan, she didn't want to see them get hurt.
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From the shadows of a nearby building, just down the street from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, a dark figure was watching. NV binoculars weren't needed. He could see from this distance X23 and another, identified male in a blue sweater and khaki's. The male was leaving, and X23 was alone for the moment.
"Normally I'd love to just end this right here and now," intoned the dark figure, hissing in irritation. "But it seems you've found one place I'm not likely to get into easily. Seems your blood-donor's been busy since your last attack. Pity."
Orders were to obtain X23 by any means necessary. But the agent was unable to comply, and thus he had to return back to his commanders and report a failure. He'd be beaten for his failure, but he was too useful to them to be outright killed. And pain was nothing new to his existence. He'd get another shot at her though. He was their best agent now, and they wanted X23. They'd get her.
A nearby truck passed underneath the roof of the building and the dark figure leapt down onto the top as quiet and as unobtrusive as a shadow. Despite the height, his boots made only the faintest of noise, as he rode his newly acquired vehicle farther from the city. Once they were safely out of the view of other civilians, he'd kill the driver and take it for himself.
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The afternoon passed quickly enough for Sarah, as she finished her lunch and decided to explore her new home, the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Logan was busy in the lowers levels, helping Hank move equipment for some experiment or another. Since Sarah had no desire to wander down the lower levels alone (they reminded her too much of the hallways in Hydra) she decided to wander the upper levels of the mansion, admiring the priceless collection of Xavier's artwork.
Little deal she realize most of them were tasteful fakes. As if Xavier would put any valuable art in a place where mutant teenagers could destroy them so easily. Sarah had no clue of this, however, and admired their craftsmanship.
It was when Jean's SUV pulled up into the garage with the other students that the fun really began.
Sarah had already resigned herself to the fact that she was going to have to get used to a lot of new things living here, but the one thing she definitely wasn't prepared for was women's fashion. To her, clothing should be practical, and thus her chosen color was black, allowing her to blend into the shadows of the night. But Kitty, Tabitha, and Jubilee would have none of that, as they dragged her off to Kitty's room and immediately started outfitting her with some of their old things. And all this -before- they want to the mall to buy her something.
"Ooooh, here, why not this?" said Kitty, bounding over to her and holding up a green t-shirt about Sarah's size. Her idea was quickly shot down by the other two girls.
"Oh please, if anything our gloomy friend here needs something better than that...!" replied Tabitha, rummaging through Kitty's clothes as she was. The petite brown-haired girl was one of the few who's size matched Sarah, despite their age difference.
"Uhm... just asking but..." said Sarah, gaining the other's attention. "We're going to the mall in a short while anyway... does it really matter what I wear just to go there?"
The three of them just stared at her like she'd grown a second -and- third head, and Sarah just sighed and stood still. She supposed they knew what they were talking about, and bowed to their superior knowledge and experience in the field of women's fashion. Finally, after another twenty minutes or so, Sarah was deemed ready. She was in a dark navy blue t-shirt of Kitty's, as well as some of Jubilee's dark pants and a pair of sandals loaned to her by Jean. The overall look would suit her for now, the girls deemed, but once they reached the mall they'd just start over again.
Sarah reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged along to Jean's SUV, as the girls joined Jean and Ororo, and they went on their trip to the commerce center of Bayville's teenage population.
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Author's Notes:
Most of the above name choices for X23 were drawn from ironic sources. Two of Logan's former wives/girlfriends (and now bitter enemies), his mother's name, Silver Spider's idea (also good name), and the last I'll leave a mystery. Deborah, of course, refers to the scientist who created X23. Greek myth varies, some tell the Hydra had five, seven, or as many as nine heads. I honestly don't know which is right. But the organization Hydra was so-named because it was difficult to destroy. A nice bit of foreshadowing of things to come. X23's having a crush on Scott should not surprise anyone. Or have you not noticed how every single x-girl (Jean, Rogue, Kitty) have or have had a crush on him at one point or another?
Kinomi: Much more to come. Sorry again for the fangirl comment, you know I'm just joking. You're a talented and very skilled writer. You created the wonderful character Torrent, something I could never do.
Elrohirthewriter: Thank you, I am trying to keep X23 in character even as I help her grow and develop.
Jennifer Stills: Oh, I think my name is appropriate without being something silly, exotic, or ancient. X23 strikes me as a Sarah, even when I first saw her. Hope you liked the choice, and always more to come.
DoWriter12: Not exactly, but yes something akin to that.
Zoken: Well pointed out, how foolish of me. I shall endeavor not to perform similar mistake in future.