Authoress's notes: waah, not enough reviews. :::pouts::: Never mind. I've finished chapter 4, so I decided to post. :D
MacmuffL – glad you're havin' fun! Enjoy chapter four!
Pyro Lady – heh. Listen, I'm glad you're liking it, but I'm afraid I won't be having all those characters – I'm using the movieverse characters, and I'm creating my own. Other than that, I'm afraid it's a No Can Do. If you want Lance, Pietro, Fred, Wanda, and all the others, you'll have to go to the Cartoon or the Comics section – that's where they all are. I haven't read the comics or seen (much of) X-Men Evolution. Just the movies. So. Sorry. :::shrugs::: I do, however, plan to give Remy some fic time! ;) And the Brotherhood will all have their chance (Pyro included) – they're coming up, don't worry.
Chapter 4: Welcome to Mutant High.
"Where are we going?" Amanda asked from the back seat of the car once she had regained her breath.
"To the Institute," said Xavier. "You'll be safe there."
"Safe – from whom, exactly?" she demanded, buckling her seatbelt. "Who were those – the shapeshifter, the flame-kid, the magnet-man? I want answers, Xavier. Don't expect me to join any mutant mission group before I know exactly what's going on." Amanda was pissed.
"Hey –" Scott twisted around in the driver's seat to glare at her, but he was cut off by the professor.
"No, Scott, she's right. She does need to know. But know this also, Amanda –"
"I won't tell anybody." Amanda crossed her arms, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Talk."
Xavier frowned slightly. "Very well then. We are a mutant group called the X-Men. We operate in secret, mostly, but some do know that we –"
"Who exactly is 'we'?"
"We are myself, Scott, Logan, Ororo, Hank, Marie, Bobby, and also Kurt. You'll get to meet them soon enough," he added as she opened her mouth. "I promise I shall introduce you to each and every one of them."
"And what exactly do the X-Men do?" inquired Amanda.
"Most of the times, for the past few years, we've been setting out in groups of twos or threes to find new mutants – the events of Alkali Lake seemed to have triggered mutant genes all over the continent..." Xavier looked thoughtful, somewhat distant.
"What happened at Alkali Lake?"
Amanda cried out as the car veered dangerously to the side. She shot Scott an odd look. "Let me guess. This was exactly three years from yesterday. Has it by any chance been the three-year anniversary of a fellow X-Man – or dare I say Woman? – during a mission at this Alkali Lake place?"
"Yes, you are correct," said Xavier, laying a hand on Scott's shoulder. Amanda could practically see him sending the young man a comforting telepathic message. "Her name was Jean Grey. She was also a telekinetic, and a telepath. Extremely powerful – one of my best students. I was very happy when she informed me that she wished to stay and teach the younger mutants after her graduation..."
"I'm sorry for your loss." Amanda looked at Scott via the rear-view mirror, pondering on how to say this without sounding like a hypocrite. "If it's any comfort, I can honestly say I know how you feel. I also lost a loved one to the ... to the whatever it was that happened three years ago. I know your pain."
Scott kept his eyes on the road, but Amanda could see what he was thinking, and felt that if he could, Scott would have been crying.
"All right then." She sighed, and turned back to Xavier via the mirror. "Who were those three back in the café? Eric, you said, and John – or Pyro – and Mystique. Who are they?"
"Eric Lensherr. He has the ability to create magnetic fields and control metals. Hence his name Magneto."
"Magneto? Not the mutant who was arrested on Liberty Island over three years ago?"
"The very same."
"Ai, what've I gotten myself into?" Amanda put a hand over her face. "Okay. Why's he so ... snobbish?"
Xavier sighed. "He believes mutants are superior to normal human beings. Over three years ago – the incident at Liberty Island, yes – he tried to turn the rest of mankind into mutants. He failed, thanks to the X-Men. We stopped him, and he was arrested and imprisoned in a plastic prison. But, three years ago, he escaped. I'm still not sure how – but rest assured Mystique helped."
"Hold it." Amanda held up a hand. "Mystique. What's her story?"
Xavier sighed again. "I'm afraid I have no real idea. Her real name is Raven Darkholme; she has the ability to shapeshift, to take on the appearance of any living thing she sees. She can also imitate anybody's voice. I'm not exactly sure about anything when it comes to Mystique – she lives up to her name."
"Tell me about it," Amanda murmured. "Okay. Back to Magneto."
"Yes, Magneto... Eric escaped, but not before he was forced by a military scientist by the name of William Stryker to reveal that my school was truly a training facility for mutant children. He was forced to tell Stryker about Cerebro. He helped me build it, you see, and so he was also the only one who possessed a helmet that kept me from penetrating his mind."
"Ohh, so that's what it's for," said Amanda. She had wondered about that.
"It was the helmet he was wearing today, yes. Stryker kidnapped me and wanted to use me in order to kill all the mutants in the world."
Amanda paled slightly. "Can you do that?"
Xavier nodded grimly. "You see, while I am using Cerebro, my mind is connected to each and every human being on the planet. If I were to concentrate too hard on anybody in particular while using Cerebro, I could kill them. Stryker wanted me to concentrate on the mutants, and kill them. But then Eric escaped... He helped the X-Men find me, at the secret military base at Alkali Lake. He reversed Stryker's plan ... he nearly had me kill all the non-mutant humans in the world. But once again, the X-Men reached me, and they stopped me in time."
"Not in time," said Amanda coldly. "Gabby died."
Xavier nodded. "Yes, I suppose it really wasn't in time. Some died, and many others mutated. Like you."
"Like me," Amanda whispered.
"Ah, here we are," said Xavier, a small smile touching his lips. "Welcome to Mutant High, Amanda."
-X-
Amanda felt her eyes widening as they pulled up the longest driveway she had ever seen, gaping at the enormous mansion, its walls covered in creeping ivy. She blinked as Scott maneuvered the car into the largest garage she had ever seen, let alone been in. Cars of various years and models, all sizes and colours, surrounded them, as well as a small number of motorcycles. Amanda looked around in awe as Scott helped Xavier out of the car.
"Okay," she said faintly, turning to him, "I have one word: wow."
Xavier chuckled. "I didn't even have to read your mind. Remind me to arrange a tour for you once you're introduced; we don't want you to lose yourself all the time. The Institute is quite large."
"Whoa – all the time?" Amanda frowned as she followed him and Scott to a large door that lead into the building. "What do you mean? Exactly how long do you plan to have me stay here?"
"I think it would be best for you stay here for a while, yes."
"What –?!"
"Give us a chance, Amanda," said Scott, and Amanda suddenly realized it was the first time he had spoken since the car. He still looked sad, but he seemed more comfortable, it seemed, in the large mansion. "We're truly not that bad."
Amanda shook her head. "It's not that, I'm sure your all perfectly okay. It's just – this isn't what I'm used to. It's too... alien to me. I mean, look at this." She gestured around them at the entrance hall, at the rich carpet underneath, and the large, elegant staircase. She could see a long hallway after the stairs, and doors... "My whole apartment is half the size of this room, and judging by the outside, there's plenty more where this came from."
"As Scott said, give it a chance," said Xavier. "We do have plenty of rooms; you are welcome to see each and every one of them and then take your pick. I promise, we will do all we can to make you feel at home." Amanda bit her lip and looked around uneasily. She didn't belong in a house like this.
"Tell you what," said Scott. "Give us a week. If by then you still don't feel comfortable here, I promise I'll drive you home myself, and you'll never hear from us again." He held out his hand. "Deal?"
Amanda smiled and took it. "Deal."
"Excellent," said Xavier. "Now, as for a tour – ah, Ororo, Marie. You're both just in time."
Amanda turned to see two women descending the staircase. The older was African; her hair was completely white, but her face was young. She had an air of calm, collected control about her, both over those surrounding her and over herself, and Amanda found herself wondering what powers she possessed.
The other, younger woman – she looked to be younger than Amanda – had dark brown hair, with a streak of platinum white at the front. She seemed to have an older, more pained prospective of life despite her young age, and Amanda wondered if her gift was perhaps more of a burden.
"I would like to introduce Amanda Norron," said Xavier, smiling at the women. "She'll be staying with us for a week before she decides whether to stay longer or not. I trust you'll make her feel comfortable. Amanda, this is Ororo Munroe," he gestured at the African woman, "also known as Storm. This," he gestured at the other woman, "is Marie, but she prefers to be called Rogue. I'm sure you'll all get along quite well."
Both women smiled; Ororo Munroe – or rather, Storm – extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you," she said. Marie – Rogue – also held out a black-gloved hand. Amanda shook it, wondering about the gloves. She decided not to pry ... yet.
"Rogue, would you take Amanda on a tour of the Institute? And show her the spare rooms. I'm sure one will suit her... let her look around."
"Sure thing, Professor," said Rogue. Amanda detected a southern accent in her drawl. "Comin', Storm?"
Storm smiled. "Sure, why not? Come on, Amanda. Let's show you around."
The two of them pulled her up the staircase, each holding an arm. "Help!" she mouthed at Scott and Xavier, who only smiled back at her.
Authoress's notes: muahahaha, evil me, I've left you with another cliffie. Well, not really :::cheeky grin::: As always............ review! Reviews feed me and fuel me to write faster.