Authoress's notes: since I left you at a cliffie last time, I've decided to post this chapter earlier than I originally intended. Enjoy!
Reviewers' Response:
weirdsista – hope the wait wasn't too long ;)
OrLiRoXmYsOx55 – thank you. And don't worry -- there'll be plenty of Logan here :D I just love him also. Can't wait for X3 to come out...
HughloverX – have no fear, all the Hugh-huggers and the Wolverine-worshippers! He's coming up shortly!
MacmuffL – hehe, nice to have someone who's in for cliffies. :::evil grin::: And yes, I do pride myself on good grammar! ;))) Thank you! As for your writing ... I read your bio, and you said that you were more of a visual person. That means that you should work more on filming -- I'm sure you're great at that! Perhaps you should try script-writing? ;) Anyway, just don't ever give up! Grammar isn't everything.
Chapter 3: Of Coffee, Croissants, and Mutants.
"Stop!!
Amanda jerked back, panting, tears in her eyes.
"Stop," she whispered. The professor was sitting in front of her, eyes closed. Lowering his hands, his eyes twitched open, and he regarded her carefully.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm afraid I had to look a bit deeper than we agreed... I apologize."
She swallowed. "Well... Did you find anything?" she asked, massaging her temples lightly. That search better had been productive ... my head still feels like a file cabinet.
Xavier gave her a grim smile. "Yes, I was able do decipher a few memories of the times after the mutation –"
"Do you know what I can do or don't you?" she said. She was pissed; he had dug in her brain and she wanted a straight answer. Now.
Xavier stopped. "Straight and to the point, I see. Very well then. You posses some telekinetic gifts, as well as telepathy. These kinds of gifts are quite common among mutants, but there are many different types of telekinesis and telepathy. With the proper kind of training, you might be able to lift heavy objects using only your mind, communicate with people even when you are not face-to-face, and even manipulate their thoughts and actions –"
"Whoa." Amanda held up both hands. "Reverse there for a second. Proper training, move objects, manipulate peoples'... what are you talking about?"
"Scott told me he gave you our card. The Institute –"
Amanda slumped back in the couch. "The school? 'Gifted youngsters' ... mutants, you mean."
"Yes, mutants." Xavier gave her a hard look. "Would you be interested?"
Her head snapped up. "Interested? In what?"
"I suppose... you've completed your education, yes? Studying is out of the question, then. Would you perhaps be interested in teaching?"
"Teaching? Teaching what? I – I don't have a teaching degree or anything. I work at a bar, for crying out loud. What could I possible contribute to anyone at your school? Teach kids how to make cocktails?"
"I certainly hope not. You may come for a visit, if you wish. Get an impression of the place. You can then choose to stay and see what will turn out, or you can turn around and never think of it again. This is your life, and therefore your choice."
"And what about my ... my gifts?" she said faintly.
"I can help you develop and control them, should you wish," Xavier said. He looked hard into her eyes, and quite suddenly, she heard his voice in her mind. It will not be easy, but it will grant you some piece of mind ... as well as plenty of amusement, I'm sure.
Amanda grinned at the thought of doing the dishes by mind. Xavier smiled as well, and she realized he was still in her mind. She scowled at him and he retreated with an apologetic smile. "I'll have to think about it..."
"Of course," said Xavier, wheeling back. "In the meanwhile, would you be interested in joining Scott and myself for lunch?"
"Lunch?" Amanda checked her watch. The whole deal had only taken an hour. "Hmm. Twelve o'clock."
Xavier shrugged. "Early lunch."
Amanda smiled. "Okay. Sure, why the hell not? I might as well make the best of this..." She looked down at herself. "Heh. Hang on a few minuets while I get dressed." She turned to her small bedroom before he had any time to answer. She opened her closet. What do you wear to brunch with a telepath professor and a laser-shooting hottie? she thought to herself, studying the various garments hanging on the rod or half-folded and placed haphazardly on the shelves. She raised an eyebrow. Nothing from this dump... Hello. What's this?
It was an old pair of jeans... dark blue, embroidered with pink and green and yellow and purple flowers here and there. She hadn't worn it in years... It would be just perfect. She quickly pulled off her grey sweats and pulled the jeans on. They still fit, she thought, smiling. She slid out of the faded red T-shirt, recognizing it vaguely as Gabriel's favorite one. She sniffled once before standing there in her bra, looking for a decent top. She decided on a long shirt, almost a tunic, coloured a light shade of purple that would match the flowers. She walked over to the bathroom to sort her hair out. It was, as usual, all over the place. Why can't I ever wear it down? she thought sourly. Unless recently washed, her hair usually pooffed out when let loose of its hairband. So, she kept it up.
Raising an eyebrow, she decided to be creative today, and arranged it up in two cheery, white-and-blue-striped chopsticks. There. Not too bad, she thought to herself, admiring her work in the mirror.
Not bad indeed, an amused voice said in her mind, and Amanda whirled around before recognizing it as Professor Xavier's. Are you quite ready?
"I will never be ready to hear your voice in my head while I'm doing my hair," she said out loud as she walked back to the living room, wearing an amused smile and picking up her bag. "And you'd better get ready to never do it again. Arranging one's hair is a dangerous, delicate process, and usually involves nasty consequences when interrupted."
Xavier raised an eyebrow.
"My hair gets cranky," she shrugged, opening the door. "After you." She locked up, slipped the key into her bag, along with her wallet – she didn't believe in purses – and followed him to the old elevator.
-X-
Amanda grinned at Scott as she and Xavier came up to him. "Shades!" she clapped him on the shoulder. "How are we? Still light-sensitive?"
Scott shook his head sadly. "Why did I have to go get drunk at your bar?" he said, looking skywards. "Why couldn't I have just found a nice, mutant-free bar, where the bartender only serves drinks and keeps quiet?"
"Am I that annoying?" Amanda winked.
"That annoying," agreed Scott.
Amanda feigned a hurt look. "Aww... I'm hurt. Don't you like me?"
"I think she'll get along quite nicely with Logan, don't you, Scott?" Xavier smiled at them.
"Oh yeah," Scott raised an eyebrow at the thought of the pair of them together. "Fun," he said sarcastically.
"So then, Miss Norron," Xavier turned to her. "Is there any nice place nearby?"
"Mm, there's a really good coffee bar a few blocks down. They have this amazing chocolate croissant... absolutely heavenly. I'm quit addicted to them, as a matter of fact. Their coffee's also excellent. And –" she added, raising a finger, "it's Amanda."
"All right then." Scott raked a hand through his hair. "Let's go."
-X-
"What can I getcha?"
Amanda didn't even glance at the menu card. "One chocolate croissant ... and a hot chocolate. I don't think my body can take any more coffee today."
"Large cappuccino," said Scott.
"Just an espresso, thank you," said Xavier.
"Comin' right up."
"So, what exactly do you do at this school?" asked Amanda after their orders had arrived, save for the professor's espresso, which the waitress informed them would take a bit longer. "I don't suppose you all do quantum physics..."
"No, just the normal, elementary through high-school things," said Xavier. "Mathematics, chemistry, normal physics. Geography. Biology, history. Nothing special. We do need to keep the children educated." Amanda raised an eyebrow.
"How so?"
"Most are runaways," Xavier explained. "Running away as soon as their families discovered their gifts. Some parents simply think their children are attending a private school. Others – though very few – actually know that their children are mutants, and that they are both learning to control their gifts and are properly educated."
"I see. Kind of a mutant-haven, huh?"
"In a way, I suppose so," said Xavier. "Scott, what is the matter?"
For Scott had been glancing around for the last few minuets. "I'm not sure... I've just got a bad feeling in my gut..."
And then Amanda felt it, too: like something was going to happen. Something bad. She had no clue as to what it was so far, but she could tell, it would not be good. Something to do with the professor and Scott and her... Perhaps somebody was watching them?
"Here you go, sir." The waitress laid a small cup of dark coffee in front of the professor. Xavier looked thoughtfully at the young woman, her slim body, auburn hair. Blue eye-shadow... His eyes widened as he hastened to warn Scott –
Too late: she tripped – or at least to anybody else it would seem as though she'd tripped. The tray she was holding collided heavily with Scott's head, jarring his glasses so that a long beam of bright-red energy was released. Simultaneously, a shout was heard from the kitchen: fire spread throughout the coffee-house. Metal objects, from spoons to knives to tables, were spinning around the room. People around them screamed, abandoning their tables and their drinks, scrambling for the door in wild panic.
And then Amanda saw something that made her eyes widen to the size of dinner-plates. The waitress's uniform-dress faded, and bright-blue scales seemed to be spreading over her back, across her chest, over her arms and face. She stood up, and Amanda gasped as she saw her. She was completely naked, but her skin was indeed blue scales. Her eyes were yellow, with pupils like a cat's, and her auburn hair was slicked back.
"Mystique!" she heard Scott yell; he'd gotten his glasses back on. The woman – the shapeshifter? – Mystique – smiled maliciously before bending over and flipping backwards like a practiced gymnast: all that could be seen was a blue blur moving through the coffee-house.
And then a man appeared by her side: a tall, grey-haired man wearing black garments and a crimson cloak, as well as a red helmet on his head. He carried himself as though he were royalty. He seemed to be controlling all the metal objects, for as he raised a hand they all froze in midair. Then a young man appeared by his side. He looked to be around twenty years of age, dressed in simple clothes but wearing such a look of superiority that Amanda felt sick. At a nod from the older man, he released a bolt of fire from his hands. Then he held a hand out, and the fireball stopped – a mere few feet from Amanda. He seemed to be controlling it; he was smiling.
"John," she heard Scott say, staring at the younger man, who retorted hotly,
"It's Pyro!"
Meanwhile, Xavier was looking at the older man. "Eric," he said, "what are you doing here?" His voice sounded harsh, cold.
The man, Eric, smirked. "Not happy to see me, Charles?" he said, his deep voice sending a shiver down Amanda's spine.
"No, actually," replied Xavier. He wheeled his chair closer to the man. To Amanda, both seemed the same height; in fact, it seemed that, had the professor the ability to stand, he would have towered over Eric. In a way, she reflected, he still did. She wondered about their familiarity; obviously they had once been friends, if they were on first-name terms. "What do you think you're doing?"
Eric looked around. "I was simply amusing myself, Charles."
"In a public café?" said Xavier, gesturing around them, at the empty, half-ruined coffee-house. The fire was still burning, steadily destroying everything in its path, but John – or Pyro, as Amanda reminded herself he'd rather be called – protected them from the flames. That didn't, however, block out the heat. "Why not just say, 'I felt like planning a terror attack,' Eric?!"
"I shall say it again, Charles: I was simply amusing myself. I find these Homosapiens to be highly amusing to watch in an emergency."
"I do not. Might I remind you, Eric, that we are also humans?"
Eric shook his head fiercely. "We are not normal humans, Charles. The sooner you realize this, the better." With that, he strode out of the ruined doors, head high. Mystique and Pyro followed him. Xavier looked at their retreating forms sadly.
"Professor? We ought to get going." Scott was clearing a path between the rubble and destruction. The fire was still raging, and they didn't want to be there when the police and fire departments got there.
"What? – Oh, yes. Amanda? Follow me."
Authoress's notes: well. I managed to get the Brotherhood in here on the third chapter, huh? Not bad, if I do say so myself. But the thing is, it's not me who decides if it's good. That is YOUR job. So what do YOU think?