I am so sorry it took me this long to update. My computer was on the fritz and would not let me access any of my writing and it was really ticking me off, but it's working once more and so here ya go, the latest chapter. Hope it was worth the wait.

Chapter Four

Opening her eyes slowly, the events of the past night came flooding back to Kylie's mind. The way her powers had spiraled out of control, the look of scorn on her father's face, the choke hold Brain had held around her throat, and finally running to Xavier's school to find refuge. Kylie had left behind everything she knew, everything she had when she ran from her home. All the money she had once possessed no longer was hers, nor were the things that she cherished the most. Her guitar would never be in her hands again and she didn't have the money to buy another. The loss of her music hit her harder than the loss of friends and family. It was strange.

Kylie sat up slowly in bed, her hair falling around her face in a disorderly mess.

" 'bout time you woke up." Rogue's voice said from beside the closet where she was pulling on a pair of gloves, "Breakfast is in ten minutes if you want to eat."

"Ok," Kylie said pushing the warm covers off of her. She looked down at the nightgown she wore.

"Here." Rogue said handing her a pair of jeans and a sky blue T-shirt.

"Thanks." She replied with a grateful smile. She took the clothes from Rogue, wondering why the other girl wore gloves in the mild mid-September weather. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked, pulling on the jeans.

"Because I know what it's like to run away from home." Rogue replied with a wistful look on her face. "I had to run too when my mutation happened. Left my family behind and all my friends. It's not like they miss me though." She sighed heavily. "My parents were disgusted when they found out I was a mutant. To be honest, I was disgusted too." Kylie looked away from Rogue as the girl stared out the window at nothing. She could sense her roommate's need for privacy. After a little while, Rogue turned back to her and smiled.

"We better get downstairs and eat before breakfast is over." She said leading Kylie out of the room.

The cafeteria, which was actually more like a glorified dining room, was loud and boisterous and filled to the brim with students. All of them like Kylie. All of them had a mutation or even many mutations, all of them had left their families to come here, and all of them were shunned by the outside world. It was then that Kylie realized just how much of a refuge the school was.

"Come on," Rogue said, pulling on Kylie's arm as she marveled at the room, "I want you to meet my friends." Kylie tried to resist Rogue's pulling, but the girl was strong, and Kylie didn't want to risk using her super strength and hurting the girl, so she just followed behind her. As they approached the table that was surrounded by four other individuals, Kylie's heart started to beat rapidly in her chest. These were the very teens that her "friends" had tormented the day before. What were they going to think when she sat down and ate with them? Would they welcome her into their circle as Rogue had done, or would they shun her? She didn't have long to wait to find out.

"Guys this is Kylie," Rogue said as soon as the two reached the table and placed their trays down on the white tablecloth that covered the round table, "She came in last night." Kylie didn't dare look up from her tray. She didn't want to see what they thought of her. She was scared. If these people rejected her she would have nowhere to go.

"Kylie this is Jubilee, Kitty, Bobby, and John." Rogue said. Kylie chanced a look at the group. Her eyes traveled from a dark skinned girl with black hair; to a slim, pale skinned girl with short brown hair. She looked over a boy with a kind smile and spiky blonde hair and ice blue eyes then at the boy beside him. Her breath caught in her throat. It was him, the boy that had been watching her yesterday; the boy that Brian had beat up on. His eyes were just as intense as that day, boring into her own and seeing into her soul. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. His gaze held hers in a hypnotic trance.

She sat down across from him, her eyes glued to the table. John felt slightly sorry for her. After all, he knew what it felt like to be thrown into a world you knew absolutely nothing about. It wasn't fun.

Her gaze traveled around the table as Rogue introduced her to everybody, and Kylie's eyes landed on his. He smiled slightly, startled to find himself nervous under her penetrating stare. It was too much for him though, and he had to look away.

John caught Bobby's eye. The blonde smirked slightly and John glared at him. It was as if his friend knew what was going through his mind. But how could he? John mentally shook all thought from his mind and turned his attention once again onto his breakfast. It was no use eating it now though. The eggs were cold and his cereal was soggy, and nobody wants to eat soggy cereal.

"This is the kitchen," Ororo Monroe said, leading Kylie into the kitchen. It had been about an hour since breakfast and since Miss Monroe had come to show Kylie around the mansion. Already they had covered the rec room, the library, and the outside grounds.

"The kitchen is always open, so whenever you get hungry just help yourself to whatever is in here." Miss Monroe continued. Kylie listened quietly, still too shocked to really take anything in. she just couldn't get past the fact that she was really here, that her family had really abandoned her. Storm took her out of the kitchen and through a series of hallways before stopping in front of yet another mahogany door.

"This is the music room," The older woman said opening the doors and leading Kylie into an average sized room that housed every musical instrument imaginable. From a Grand piano to a set of maracas. But it was the gleaming white guitar that sat at the opposite side of the room that caught the girl's attention. Her eyes were glued to it as Miss Monroe gave her little spiel about the room and how it was 'open whenever you want to use it.'

The older woman was in full speech mode when someone cleared their throat from the doorway behind them. Kylie whipped around and was nearly face to face with the man who had so nicely greeted her the night before.

"The professor wants to see her." he said to Storm, throwing a quick glance at Kylie. She felt his calculating stare on her. Kylie straightened her spine, this man was judging her, and she didn't want to be found wanting.

"We're coming," Ororo said. She placed a gentle hand on Kylie's shoulder and steered her out of the music room.

Professor Xavier looked every bit as distinguished as he had the previous night. He sat in his wheelchair in front of a large picture window that overlooked the immaculate grounds of the school.

"Please have a seat," He said as Kylie followed Storm and Logan into the room. He smiled kindly at her, in a clear attempt to calm her frazzled nerves. Kylie was grateful for the gentle and fatherly tone he used. She took the seat he indicated, and noticed that there were two others in the room with them.

One of them, a man with short brown hair and red glasses hiding his eyes, sat behind the Professor. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he was staring out the window, his mouth in a hard line. Kylie sensed something about him, a deep sadness, one that everybody in the room seemed to carry. But his was so much stronger.

The second man was hidden in the far corner of the room, the sun casting a shadow on his face. There was something odd about him though. And that's when she noticed it, the tail that came up from under his long trench coat. Though it should have frightened her, it didn't. It wasn't everyday Kylie came across someone with a tail, but it just seemed to fit with the school and its occupants.

Her eyes drifted back to the Professor. He smiled at her once more.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I wanted to see you." He said, reaching over to the end table beside him and picking up a china cup, the contents of which he stirred with a small silver spoon.

"That thought has crossed my mind." Kylie replied, somewhat sarcastically. It was her defense mechanism, sarcasm. She was always sarcastic when she was uncomfortable or out of her element or simply not in control of a situation.

"I am quite sure that you know this is a school for young mutants, such as yourself, why else would you be here." Professor Xavier said. He put the cup back down after taking a quick sip. "What we want to know," he looked around at the other four adults in the room, "is exactly what type of mutation you posses so that we may teach you to control it."

"I can control my powers just fine." Kylie snapped. Why did she so suddenly feel defensive about herself and her mutations?

Calm down Kylie, the voice resounded in her head. She looked at the Professor startled, his eyes met hers. He was inside her head!

There is nothing to fear here, you're safe. Slowly, Kylie felt herself relaxing. Her muscles became less tensed, and she slid further back in her chair. But she wasn't controlling any of her movements.

What are you doing to me? Her mind screamed at him, their eyes still locked.

You are going to have to calm down if we are going to help you, the voice replied. The Professor blinked and Kylie felt her body come back under her control.

"Allow me to introduce Scott Summers and Kurt Wagner," he said, abruptly changing the subject, "they teach here along with Ororo and Logan." The man at the window turned to look at her. Even though he wore sunglasses, Kylie could tell he wasn't really seeing her, just simply looking. He inclined his head slightly in her direction. The man with the tail stepped out of the shadows, revealing his blue skin and odd shaped hands and feet. He smiled at her and bowed low to the ground. Kylie couldn't help but smile back at him. Under his strange exterior, she could sense a warm and caring heart. And that was really all she needed to know about him.

"You're not afraid of Kurt." the Professor stated, eyeing Kylie, "Not many people accept him as easily as you do."

"Yeah well I'm not most people," Kylie shrugged.

"Indeed you're not." He replied, reaching once more for the teacup. "Can I interest you in something to drink?"

"Don't bother," Kylie said, "I can get it." She looked at the teapot and the extra cup sitting beside it. She imagined she was picking up the teapot, feeling its cool porcelain handle against her palm. In her mind she poured tea into the cup, then carried it over to her chair.

"A telekinetic," the Professor said, mostly to himself, as the teacup levitated across the floor towards Kylie.

"Along with other things." She replied. His eyebrows rose slightly in question. She sighed.

I'm telepathic as well, she said in her mind, keeping careful eye contact with Xavier. And those are only two of my mutations.

What else? He asked.

"Does it freak you out too when he has conversations in peoples' heads?" Kylie could hear Logan whisper to Storm. She shushed him.

"I also posses the ability to fly, I can also become invisible, I can lift things that weigh over a hundred times my weight, and not to mention I can heal myself." Kylie said, deciding that she didn't want to "freak" people out anymore than she already did. "And recently I found that I posses the ability to manipulate the weather." she looked down at her feet and added in a more quiet voice, "That's what drove me here." She looked up at the Professor. His eyes crinkled at the edges as he watched her. After watching her for awhile, Kylie didn't know how long, he nodded, as if he had found something he wanted.

"You can go." he said. Confused, Kylie stood and walked towards the door. "Miss Masterson," his voice stopped her hand from turning the knob. She turned around to face him. "Welcome to my school."

Well I hope this chapter was worth the wait and I hope that I was able to keep everybody in character. I watched X2 yesterday just to make sure that I still had all my facts and stuff straight. Anyway, please review.

Lady-Snape7: What did you mean by 'projective empathy'?

TheAlmightyMasterT-Chan: I must say that you are one of my favorite reviewers. You always give such great criticism, which I greatly appreciate, and you write really long reviews, which I love. Of course people room thier characters with Rogue, I mean who wouldn't want her as a roommate, that would be totally awesome. Anyway, keep those beautifully long reviews coming.

The Contessa, Silverone3, stay in shadow, melodie568, Ms. Vaughn, and preciousbabyblue: Thank you all so much for reviewing this story. Reviews are the life force of a story and I appreciate that you all would take the time to tell me your honest opinions of my work.