Will walked hesitantly into Bayville High School, wondering if her fellow students had noticed the change in her. Was the word 'mutant' stamped on her forehead? She looked like the Will they met yesterday, but in truth, she wasn't. She discovered a secret that changed her life.

Well not really, Will thought dryly. I mean I was a freak long before I discovered that I was a mutant. For the first time in her life, she felt alone.

How can you feel alone? the words traced along her mind. We're here with you.

"Excuse me?" Will asked.

"I didn't say anything," said the boy whose locker was next to hers.

The girl grabbed her backpack and ran into the gym, heart pounding with every footfall. Was she really not the only mutant? Did someone else have powers just like hers? "Answer me!" she called as if a spoken command would have made the strange voice in her head answer. As she expected, there was nothing. She vented her frustration on a basketball. Within seconds, it was reduced to strips of rubber.

Then something extraordinary happened. The remnants of the basketball floated lazily and dropped themselves into a trashcan by the gym door.

"Whoa," Will breathed. Was this another one of her powers?

"Nope. It's mine."

Will looked up and saw Jean Grey lounging almost peacefully on the top bleacher. Will clicked her tongue nervously; it was a bad habit of hers. "You're a mutant too?" she asked.

"That's right," Jean flipped her long luxiurious red hair over her shoulder. "And whether or not you believe it, our powers can be a great asset."

"Yeah? Not mine." Will slumped unhappily on the bleacher, fingering her navel peircing. "Whenever I get mad, something explodes. Whenever I get panicked time stops."

Jean put a hand on the girl's shoulder and touched the blue streaks in her hair. "You can learn how to control them," Jean replied. "I live at an Institute where I'm made to practice with my powers everyday. You won't believe what had happened before I met Professor Xavier. He helped a lot. Think about it."

She left Will with her very confused thoughts.

"Thank you again for coming over, Charles," Mrs. Turner said, pouring a cup of tea for her paralyzed friend. "David and I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, Tracy," Professor Xavier replied. "Willow is frustrated, I can tell. Hers is a very confusing gift."

"What is it?"

"Well, it works both ways. She can speed up molecules and explode objects or slow molecules down, literally freezing time for her."

The front door swung open and slammed closed. "Mom, Mom! You won't believe what happened at school today!" Will stumbled on the flourescent blue laces of her black combat boots but she didn't care. "I--" she cut off abruptly when she saw Professor Xavier. Mrs. Turner guessed that her daughter wasn't ready to share her gift with anyone else right now.

"Willow, this is my good friend Charles Xavier. He's the head of the Xavier's Institute for the Gifted. Charles, this is my daughter Will."

Will paled. "Are you going to take me away?"

"Not if you don't want to," the man sipped his tea leisurely and set it down before speaking again. "We give you a choice. Will, yours is a wonderful gift and it would help a lot if you could control it. The Institute is only several blocks away from school and I believe you've already met some of my students."

"Jean."

"Yes. Well, you don't have to decide now. Thank you for the tea, Tracy. Good-bye Willow." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Will said suddenly. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life living in fear that I would kill someone." She took a deep breath. "I'll go."