I have the next 5 days off from school! Boo yeah! 5 days of fic writing for me. Yay!
Thanks to LVM, Bant, and Lous-me fror reviewing. You guys are awesome.
Charlie turned to face the owner of the voice. Rolling into the entrance hall was a bald man in a wheel chair. She could see in his eyes that he was a kind man, even his scent was gentle when it reached her nose.
"Welcome to the institute," he said. "My name is Professor Charles Xavier."
"My name's Charlie," she said quietly.
The cat beside her yowled which to Charlie sounded like, "Oh, sure. Don't introduce the cat."
She rolled her eyes at the little mammal. "This is Captain, the trouble maker. Don't mind his meowing and yowls, he's only looking for attention."
Captain glared up at her with his yellow eyes. You b-" but Charlie tuned him out before he could finish.
The Professor seemed to laugh a little. "Will you both follow me to my office," he asked as he turned his wheelchair and headed back the way he came.
The two traveling companions followed the bald man down a hall and into a large office. There was a mahogany desk with matching bookshelves. Two large windows were behind the desk where the Professor wheeled himself. Charlie sat in the over stuffed leather chair, Captain on her lap.
"So, Charlie," said the Professor with a smile. "Tell me about yourself."
Charlie blinked a few times. "What exactly do you want me to tell you?"
The Professor leaned back in his wheelchair. "Anything you want. I need to get a feel for who you are before I decide if you can stay or not."
"He's a telepath," Captain said to Charlie while eyeing the Professor.
Charlie scratched behind the cat's ears to let him know that she had figuredit out on her own. She also wanted to make sure that the cat wasn't too suspicious of their host.
"Well," said Charlie. With one breath she said, "My full name is Charlotte Anne Hughes. I was born in the suburbs of Boston, I love animals, my favorite color is blue, my favorite foods are peanuts and rice, my favorite band is Queen, my favorite video game is Fable, I'm twenty-one, my last was job was at a Starbucks in New York, my best subjects in school were biology, English, and photography, my favorite animals are tigers, foxes, and owls, and I love my cat more than life itself."
"Aw, I love you too, Charlie. You're the one who feeds me," said Captain while he purred.
The Professor smiled again. "Alright. Now tell me about your mutation," he said leaning forward and resting his elbows on his desk.
Charlie took a deep breath, this would be the first time she told anyone about her abilities. "For as long as I remember I could communicate with animals and had heightened senses. When I was a very little girl my parents thought it was just part of imagination and that I'd grow out of it. When I was around six they talked to me about it, saying I had to stop because it wasn't "healthy." So I did, I stopped talking to the animals when I was around people. As I got older I heard them talking about mutants and how they were awful, terrible things. That was when I first realized how different I was and their hatred for mutants inspired me to keep my abilities even more secret.
"When I was nine my mother died in a car accident. That was the day I discovered there was even more to my mutation than I thought. I found that when my emotions were completely out of control I would transform into an animal of some sort. Again I managed to keep this hidden, all thanks to my laid-back attitude. To this day I still can't control it." Charlie paused to reflect for a moment before continuing.
"Anyway, I moved to New York with my dad and three olderbrothers when I was ten. The mutant controversy began to heat up but I was safe as long as I could keep hidden, keep my emotions in check. So that's the way I lived for eleven years, semi-normal but always in hiding."
"Until recently," added the Professor who had been hanging onto Charlie's every word.
Yeah," said Charlie. "It happened two weeks ago. I was playing Fable, sitting in my usual spot on the coffee table. My roommate came in and went to the kitchen, yelling at me for sitting on her table. I was so into my game that I ignored her and didn't realize I was getting dangerously close to the edge. Before I knew it I fell off the table and hit the floor pretty hard. I guess it somehow triggered my mutation because..."
Charlie pulled her hood back with her clawed hands and revealed her green cat eyes, ears, and striped skin. She slipped her tail out from under her sweatshirt and waved it around for the Professor to see.
"My roommate took one look at me and kicked me out. I didn't even bother going back to work. I slept in Central Park for a day before I remembered hearing about this place. So I walked up here, with Captain and nothing else."
He raised an eyebrow. "I see," he said in his gentle voice. "Well I've been reading your mind the entire time and everything you've told me seems to be true. You are more than welcome to stay with us Ms. Hughes but there is the matter of your job." Charlie's eyebrows raised. "You see, this is a school for mutants. Most of the students are runaways while some were sent here by unknowing parents and a small amount were sent here by parents who knew exactly what we do here."
"And what exactly would that be," asked Charlie as Captain sat up watch the Professor.
He smiled again. "We give the students an education and teach them how to control their abilities. You are twenty-one and therefore don't need to finish your education. However, in return for me teaching you control, you must teach the students something."
Charlie's jaw nearly hit the floor. "What do you mean teach? I don't know anything to teach."
Captain rolled onto his back, showing his belly. "Teach them to feed me," he said with a yowl.
"Quiet, you." Charlie turned her attention from the tabby to the Professor. "What could I possibly teach?"
The Professor wheeled around the desk to her. "You told me your favorite subjects were biology, English, and photography. You seemed to have excelled in photo. Why not teach that? I'm sure the students would love it."
Her green eyes blinked a few times. She had loved photo when she took it and she had hoped to become a professional. It had been the only talent that she had which didn't come from her mutation.
Charlie nodded. "Alright. You have yourself a deal, Professor."
He smiled at her again. "I'll get someone to show you around the mansion and get you settled in a room." He closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate.
The smell of sulfur filled the room with a small cloud of smoke and a Bamf! Charlie's eyes watered from the smell and the smoke which stung her eyes and assaulted her nose. Captain fell off her lap from the shock.
"Charlotte Hughes, meet Kurt Wagner," said the Professor making the introductions.
Charlie finished wiping her eyes and she got a good look at the guy in front of her. She had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Before her stood a man with blue skin, yellow eyes, dark blue hair, pointy elf ears, a long tail with an spearhead shape at the end. Surprisingly, he looked a lot like her only blue.
Kurt held out his three fingered hand. "Hallo," he said and Charlie detected a German accent. "In the Munich circus zey called me Ze Incredible Nightcrawler!"
"Hi," Charlie said, unsure of what say whileshaking his hand.
The Professor hadn't stopped smiling. "Ms. Hughes will be our new photography teacher," he said to Kurt. "Would you mind showing her to her room and helping her to get familiar with the mansion. Don't forget to introduce her to everyone you come across."
Kurt nodded and smiled at Charlie, revealing his pointy, pearly-white teeth. "Come fraulein," he said before turning and leaving the office, Charlie and Captain following. "Velcome to ze mansion," again he smiled at her and Charlie couldn't help but smile back.
Charlie felt her stomach grumble. "Uh... Kurt, is there anywhere to eat," she asked shyly.
Captain's ears pricked up. "Finally, you're speaking my language," said the little cat. "Take us to the caviar, blue boy!"
A blush crept up Charlie's cheeks as she was grateful only she could understand the cat. "It's just, we've been traveling for two weeks and we haven't eaten much an-" Kurt cut off when he held up a three fingered hand.
"Say no more fraulein," he said. "Ve have plenty of food in ze kitchen."
He began to walk down the hall, his tail swishing around behind him. Charlie took this opportunity to scold her cat.
"Captain, you need to mind your manners," she hissed at him. "You can't go around insulting people after they've taken us in."
"As far as I'm concerned," said the cat. "You're the one who took me in. Therefore you're the only one I have to be polite to. Besides, he can't understand me." She remembered the day, almost a year ago, when she found the slightly battered kitten and brought him home.
Charlie rolled her eyes at the tabby cat before looking to Kurt who walked slightly ahead. She could have sworn she saw him turn his head just as she looked up, almost as if he were listening to what she had been saying.
"Here ve are," he said as he opened a door. "Ze kitchen." They walked in and Charlie's nose was filled with the smell of food. "I'm afraid you missed dinner but I can cook you somsing if you vant."
Charlie began to protest but Kurt stopped her. "Don't vorry," he said with a smile. "I don't mind cooking, it gives me an excuse to eat."
Charlie and Captain sat at the breakfast bar while Kurt made his way around the kitchen, using his hands and tail to cook. The smell of the food drifted to Charlie's nose and she felt her mouth water.
Finally he was done and placed a plate in front of her. "Abendessen wird gedient. Dinner is served," he said.
At first Charlie was a bit hesitant about how fast she ate her food but when she looked up shehad to stifle her laughter. Kurt was scarfing his food as was her cat. With a smile Charlie followed their examples.
Soon the three were stuffed and Charlie sighed with contentment.
That was good, Kurt. Thank you," she said smiling at the blue mutant.
"It wasn't caviar," said the tabby cat. "But it was good."
Charlie laughed. "Captain says thank you."
The two mutants began to clean the dishes. Charlie washing while Kurt dried them and put them away.
"So," said Kurt as he put a plate away. "You talk to animals?"
Charlie nodded. "Yeah, and sometimes I can turn into them which is what the Professor wants to teach me to control." She thought for a moment. "What about you?"
Kurt finished drying the dishes. "I can teleport," he said with his German accent.
Suddenly he bamfed away, leaving the acrid smelling cloud. With another bamf and sulfurous cloud, he was on the opposite side of the kitchen.
Charlie smiled as she wiped her watering eyes. "So all you have to do is think abut where you want to go and you're there?"
Kurt nodded. "nein," he said. "I have to see vhere I'm going or I could end up in a vall. Vhat does it sound like vhen ze animals speak to you?"
Charlie thought for a minute. "Well," she began. "It sounds like people talking though there's a hint of what normal people hear. It's like talking to someone while a recording of an animal is playing quietly in the background."
"So ze cat says 'meow' and you hear 'feed me,'" Kurt asked. "And zey understand you vhen you talk like a person?"
Charlie looked at Captain and said "Yup. Sometimes I can make noises like them but its easier just to talk."
"Can you get him to say somesing to you?" Kurt's yellow eyes shone with curiosity.
Captain stopped licking his paw and stared at Charlie. "What am I, a zoo exhibit," he asked crossly. Charlie only raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Fine! Tell him he's an ugly bastard."
Charlie gasped. "Captain! That was mean,"Charlie mewed causingKurt's eyes to widen.
Captain's yellow eyes glared at her. "Why do you care?" Charlie's green and yellow eyes glared right back. "Okay, Okay. I'm sorry. Don't go in a tizzy." The cat stretched out on the chair and meowed, saying, "Tell him I like his tattoo things."
Charlie smiled at the cat and said to Kurt,"He says he likes your um... markings."
"Zey are angelic symbols," said Kurt. "I havevone for every sin. Charlie nodded.She had to look away from the raised markings that covered the blue mutant's face. "You're stripes arebeautiful. Zey remind me of a tiger."
Charlie could feel the German's yellow eyes on her as he gazed at her black stripes. Again she could feel her face grow hot and she looked to Captain. The tabby cat had noticed Kurt's eyes on Charlie and he couldn't help but grow protective.
"If he ogles at you anymore his eyes are gonna be torn to shreds," he growled loudly while his tail twirched.
"What are you my, over-bearing father," Charliesnapped atthe cat before she could stop herself. The cat glared at her while Kurt looked confused. Charlie put a clawed hand on the tabby's head for reassurance. "It's okay, Cap," shemewed. "He's probably just never seen anyonewho looks even remotely like him."
The cat's yellowwidened. "Charlie are you feeling alright," he asked with concern. "You've never stood for anyone looking at you before." Charlie could feel her face grow even hotter. "You like him!" The exclamation came out as a loud yowl.
"I do not," shouted Charlie. Her hand clapped over mouth when she realized she'd said it so Kurt could understand.
Her green cat eyes shifted to Kurt whowas looking from her to Captain with a bemused smile. "Vhat vere you talking about," asked the blue German mutant.
Uh... nothing," said Charlie quietly while Captain sang in a purr.
"Charlie likes the blue guy," he said in a singsong voice.
"That's real mature, Captain," said Charlie out loud.
Kurt shook his head. "Mein Gott," he said. "You two are confusing. Come, let me show you your room."
Charlie and Captain followed him through the mansion again. All the way down the hall the cat sang, "Charlie and the blue mutant sitting in a tree." He trotted along at Charlie's heels and she was constantly hissing at him to shut up.
After going up the stairs and down another hall they stopped in front of a door. "Zis is your room, fraulein,"Kurt said. "My room is across ze hall if you need me. Tomorrow I vill give you a tour of ze mansion."
"Thanks, Kurt," said Charlie with a smile.
The blue mutant smiled in return as he bowed low. "Gute nacht, fraulein."
"Good night." Charlie turned to her door as Kurt bamfed away.
"Well," said Charlie to the cat who sat on the floor. "This is it."
Her clawed hand turned the silver doorknob and the door slowly swung open.
This has to be the longest chapter I've made EVER! Sorry if the German is off, the translators aren't reliable.