Dis: ION n. abreviation meaning I Own Nothing.
"Mama," I said, "I've made up my mind."
"About what, Sweetheart?" she asked.
"I want to stay at the Institute." I said with finality. My mother blinked.
"Are you sure, Sweetie?" she asked.
"Yes. I want to learn how to control my power, and it's hard if I have to go back and forth. If I live there, then it'll be easier." I said. "I'm going to go pack." With that, I went back upstairs and dragged out a duffel bag. I raided my wardrobe and, after a moment's hesitation, went around my room, collecting a few of my treasured possessions. My folder of stories, my favorite deck of trading cards, my Tarot deck, my laptop, and my handmade dream catcher all somehow got shoved into the duffel bag. I looked around my room one last time before I shut off my computer. The room looked almost sad. The light seemed dimmer, and the room seemed duller without the stuff I took.
I looked at my south wall, where I had taken a Sharpie and written quotes and sayings all over. Picking up my Sharpie one last time, I went over and wrote a stanza in big letters, big enough to be noticed at a glance:
I'll tell you when the heavens fall,
And shed my tears for you.
You took my trust and shattered it,
And my heart had broken, too.
That done, I went back downstairs with my bag over my shoulder.
Both of my parents were downstairs in the living room. My mother had obviously told my father about my decision. Both of them stood up and hugged me when I entered the room. My mother looked close to crying.
"We'll miss you. Don't forget, you can always come home if things don't work out right." My father said for the both of them.
"I'll miss you both, too, but I'll only be next door, so I'll be able to see you whenever I want to." I said, hugging them both. With that, I left.
Five minutes later, I was at the entrance of the Institute. I hesitated, my inferiority problem kicking in. I took a deep breath and gathered my courage, then I opened the door.
I looked around the main hall, looking for anyone who could help me. I was about to turn and walk back out the door when a voice in my head stopped me.
'Ah, welcome, Megan. I see you've decided to take up our offer. Please come to my office and we'll get things in order.' The Professor's voice told me. Startled by the sudden instructions, I followed them and headed to the Professor's office.
Outside the office, I hesitated again. I raised my hand to knock, but stopped. Gathering my courage, I was about to knock for real when a voice stopped me.
"Come in." the Professor's voice called from inside. I opened the door and quietly stepped in.
"Please, sit down." He said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "Now, what made you decide to come and board here?" he asked. I could feel the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes as I remembered what happened earlier.
"I-I… I'm sorry, but… it hurts too much to talk about it…" I said quietly, looking away from his face and letting my gaze fall to my lap.
"Would you mind if I looked for myself?" he asked gently. I looked up at him and shook my head. I closed my eyes and I could feel something poking around in my head. After a second, the feeling vanished.
"I see. Well, we have a room prepared for you, if you'd like to move in right away." He said, not asking about the memory he 'watched'. I nodded. "Very well. You will not have a roommate at the present, and your room is away from the boys' wing, so you can practice all you'd like. I'll have someone guide you there."
"Thank you, Professor." I replied. He smiled warmly at me. Then there was a knock at the office door. I stood up and picked up my bag from where I had put it down. The door opened to reveal Kurt. At first he looked confused, but then a look of understanding crossed his face.
"Come on," he said, "I'll take you to your room!" He grabbed my hand and dragged me out the door.
Half an hour later, I was stuffing the last of my clothes into the drawers in my room. I had already hung up my dream catcher and put everything else I bought into a good spot. My laptop was on my bed.
I was quietly singing Sheryl Crow's The First Cut is the Deepest when someone knocked on the door. I cut off the song as the door opened. An African American woman walked in. She had white hair, but she looked young, maybe thirty or so. She had a scarf around her head serving as a headband and she was wearing a long skirt and a simple sleeveless shirt.
"Hello. My name is Ororo. I'm going to be the one to help you control your gift. What is your name?" she asked in a quiet but kind voice.
"My name is Megan." I said. "Thank you for helping me learn to control this power."
"Come with me. There's a special room set up for our use." She said. I followed her. She led me through many corridors until we stopped at a door in what I could only guess was on the other side of the building. Inside the room were all sorts of instruments and there was a boom box next to stacks of CDs. There were a few chairs next to the instruments, as well as music stands.
"It's a music room!" I exclaimed.
"Yes," Ororo said, "and it's where you'll be learning to control your power from now on."
