Alright, I think I lost a few readers, but I'll keep pushing on. Here is
the next chapter, as promised. I hope that it meets everyone's
expectations! Be warned, though, this isn't an incredibly Rogue friendly
story. Sorry if that upsets anyone.
Also, yeah I know it's an obvious plug, but please also check out my new fic The Wolves. Thanks!
This is an AU fic for the X-men movie characters. I don't own any of the Marvel character. Though, I do own John's sister and dad. So, with no further ado, I'll let the story do the talking for me. Enjoy and review!
Chapter 4
I opened the door slowly. Storm was standing in front of Logan. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth. Understandable. There was a shallow cut over my right eye, just above the eyebrow and my lip bled sluggishly. My back burned from where his belt had fallen repeatedly.
"Who the hell is it?!?" My Dad shouted.
"I don't know." I answered, glaring at them. "They're just sellin' a load of crap."
"Then tell 'em to get lost! God, do I have to tell you how to do everything, you worthless little shit?!?"
"We don't want any." I murmured, pushing the door closed.
Logan stopped it with his foot. "Yeah, ya do." He growled and walked into the house.
Storm followed, but stayed close to me. She tried to place a hand on my shoulder, but I quickly shrugged it off. Sighing, the woman turned to face my Father.
"Mr. Allerdyce, we are representatives of Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and we would be honored if St. John would join us. We sent a letter, inviting him to visit our campus in New York. Did he tell you about that?"
"No." My Father's growl rivaled Logan's.
"Well, we did. And now we have come to take him to show him the facilities. The whole family is invited. Meals and housing are provided. I think it would be a great opportunity for St. John. The school will challenge him and give him a wonderful place to grow and mature."
"You really want him?"
"Yes, of course." Storm seemed surprised by the question.
"Then take 'im. I don't ever want to see him again, the good-for- nothin' son of a bitch. Get the hell out of my house! Now!!!"
Dad lunged at me, whipping his belt around. One final blow caught my left shoulder, making me grit my teeth in pain. I stumbled out the door, Logan and Storm not far behind. They hustled me into their truck and pulled out of the driveway. I could see my sister in the upstairs window, watching us. I waved at her until I couldn't see her anymore. Then I leaned my head on the cool glass of the window and fell asleep.
When I woke-up again, we were there. The truck wound up a driveway that was surrounded by trees, flowers, and statues. My eyes grew wide as the school building came into view. It was a huge mansion, decked out with all of the fineries. We parked out front and I followed Storm up the steps. Logan drove the car around back. A few students were hanging out on the stairs. They watched us go by, saying hi to Storm and staring at me. I glared back at them, daring them to try something.
We entered through a pair of huge wood doors. The entrance hall was bigger than my whole house, practically. Storm stopped to talk to a red headed woman. Even more kids milled around in here. A girl and boy off to the side looked deep in conversation. The chick had white streaks in the front of her hair and gloves on. She pointed at me as she spoke to the boy. I scowled and tried to distract myself with something else. I heard them stand up and walk over.
"Hi!"
I looked over and down slightly at the girl. She was smiling and had dragged the boy with her. The boy nodded to me, ice blue eyes intensely boring into my own.
"Hi." I finally mumbled, then looked away.
"I'm Rogue and this is Bobby. What's your name?"
I sighed, seeing that she wasn't going to just go away. "John."
"Nice to meet you, John. Are you going to school here?"
Shrugging, I returned "Bobby's" stare. "Don't know yet."
"You should! It's a really great place. Have you met the Professor yet? He's really nice."
Bobby tugged on Rogue's arm. "Come on. We're going to be late for English and you know how Mr. Summers gets. Good meeting you, John. I hope you decide to come here."
With that they walked off, Rogue waving until they turned down another hall. I quirked an eyebrow before turning to see if Storm was done. She stood watching me with an amused smile.
"Making friends already?" She asked.
"No."
Storm frowned slightly, but didn't add anything. Instead she started down a corridor that ended in a huge window. She stopped at the second door on the right and knocked.
"Come in." A voice called.
It was sophisticated, with what might have been a hint of a British accent. Storm opened the door and gestured for me to enter. I slowly complied, taking in every detail of the room that I could. The voice seemed to belong to a bald man sitting off to the side in a wheelchair. He set down his book and smiled up at us.
"Ah, Storm, I see you found him." His warm blue eyes sparkled as he looked at the woman.
"Yes, Professor. Logan found him actually."
"Very good." His response was hushed as he turned his gaze to me.
He gained a very probing look on his face as he inspected mine. I shifted uncomfortably, reaching for my lighter. I relaxed slightly when the cool metal was in my hand. I flicked it open once or twice, gaging their responses to it. The professor smiled faintly as I toyed with it.
"I don't mind you having that as long as you don't burn down my school. Please, have a seat."
"I'm good." I replied quickly, shifting my weight from foot to foot.
"Very well then. I assume you received my letter?"
"Yeah. I think you sent it to the wrong house. I ain't gifted or nothin' like that." I added the last part softly, but he still caught it.
"Aren't you? My school is not specifically for the academically gifted, St. John. It's more for children like yourself. Children with special abilities."
I looked over at him, studying him again. "Whadda ya mean, special abilities?"
"Well . . . to put it simply, I mean mutants. Humans who have an advanced gene in their make-up. Everyone here has one. Storm," He gestured to the woman still standing at the door, "can control the weather. Logan has incredible regenerative capabilities. I myself am telepathic."
"So why am I here? I ain't a mutant. Am I?"
The man smiled. "What do you think?"
I opened my mouth to respond and then closed it. Maybe he's right. This would explain all of the weird things that keep happening to me. How whenever I get really mad, any fires around go haywire. Even Logan's cigar. I sat down hard on a window seat. I looked at the professor and he nodded.
"Yes. Even the cigar. You were angry enough that you excited your power. It needed a release that could only be found in the embers of Logan's cigar."
"So . . . I do fire?" I asked, trying to make sense of all of this.
"Yes, I believe you have the ability to control and manipulate fire."
I bit my lip, considering the possibilities. Click, clack. Click, clack. Click, clack. Click . . . I paused, looking at the flame dancing on the lighter's tip. I glanced at the professor, then back at the fire. Furrowing my brow, I opened my left hand and stared at the fire. Come on. Jump over. I concentrated. Calling the flame to my hand. Please? With one final push, the fire flew to my waiting palm, forming a ball. It burned in a ball the size of an apple. I closed the lighter, but the flame in my hand didn't disappear. It danced merrily. I could feel the heat, but it didn't hurt, even though the flame was less than an inch from my skin. My mouth hung open in awe. I can really do this?
Concentrating again, I made the ball grow and shrink. Finally, I made a ball shrink so much that it disappeared. I closed my hand and stared up at Xavier. He smiled.
"It seems you have quite a natural talent for this. Your control is amazing, especially for someone who just found out about their power. Here, at my school, we teach the students how to control their powers and develop them. They learn to live with their gifts. They are accepted here. Sheltered somewhat from the rest of the world. I would be very happy if you agreed to stay and learn with us, St. John. What do you say?"
I was still staring at him. All I could manage was a nod. The idea of this . . . it was blowing my mind. I had to sit somewhere for a while and piece it all together. Charles chuckled softly.
"Storm, why don't you show our new student to his room. That way you will have time to settle in before supper."
Storm placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and guided me out of the room.
"It's a lot to take in all at once." She started, breaking the silence.
"I'm fine." I quickly interrupted her, moving away from her hand.
"Very well. This is to be your room. I will come by later to show you the dining hall." With that, she left.
Also, yeah I know it's an obvious plug, but please also check out my new fic The Wolves. Thanks!
This is an AU fic for the X-men movie characters. I don't own any of the Marvel character. Though, I do own John's sister and dad. So, with no further ado, I'll let the story do the talking for me. Enjoy and review!
Chapter 4
I opened the door slowly. Storm was standing in front of Logan. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth. Understandable. There was a shallow cut over my right eye, just above the eyebrow and my lip bled sluggishly. My back burned from where his belt had fallen repeatedly.
"Who the hell is it?!?" My Dad shouted.
"I don't know." I answered, glaring at them. "They're just sellin' a load of crap."
"Then tell 'em to get lost! God, do I have to tell you how to do everything, you worthless little shit?!?"
"We don't want any." I murmured, pushing the door closed.
Logan stopped it with his foot. "Yeah, ya do." He growled and walked into the house.
Storm followed, but stayed close to me. She tried to place a hand on my shoulder, but I quickly shrugged it off. Sighing, the woman turned to face my Father.
"Mr. Allerdyce, we are representatives of Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and we would be honored if St. John would join us. We sent a letter, inviting him to visit our campus in New York. Did he tell you about that?"
"No." My Father's growl rivaled Logan's.
"Well, we did. And now we have come to take him to show him the facilities. The whole family is invited. Meals and housing are provided. I think it would be a great opportunity for St. John. The school will challenge him and give him a wonderful place to grow and mature."
"You really want him?"
"Yes, of course." Storm seemed surprised by the question.
"Then take 'im. I don't ever want to see him again, the good-for- nothin' son of a bitch. Get the hell out of my house! Now!!!"
Dad lunged at me, whipping his belt around. One final blow caught my left shoulder, making me grit my teeth in pain. I stumbled out the door, Logan and Storm not far behind. They hustled me into their truck and pulled out of the driveway. I could see my sister in the upstairs window, watching us. I waved at her until I couldn't see her anymore. Then I leaned my head on the cool glass of the window and fell asleep.
When I woke-up again, we were there. The truck wound up a driveway that was surrounded by trees, flowers, and statues. My eyes grew wide as the school building came into view. It was a huge mansion, decked out with all of the fineries. We parked out front and I followed Storm up the steps. Logan drove the car around back. A few students were hanging out on the stairs. They watched us go by, saying hi to Storm and staring at me. I glared back at them, daring them to try something.
We entered through a pair of huge wood doors. The entrance hall was bigger than my whole house, practically. Storm stopped to talk to a red headed woman. Even more kids milled around in here. A girl and boy off to the side looked deep in conversation. The chick had white streaks in the front of her hair and gloves on. She pointed at me as she spoke to the boy. I scowled and tried to distract myself with something else. I heard them stand up and walk over.
"Hi!"
I looked over and down slightly at the girl. She was smiling and had dragged the boy with her. The boy nodded to me, ice blue eyes intensely boring into my own.
"Hi." I finally mumbled, then looked away.
"I'm Rogue and this is Bobby. What's your name?"
I sighed, seeing that she wasn't going to just go away. "John."
"Nice to meet you, John. Are you going to school here?"
Shrugging, I returned "Bobby's" stare. "Don't know yet."
"You should! It's a really great place. Have you met the Professor yet? He's really nice."
Bobby tugged on Rogue's arm. "Come on. We're going to be late for English and you know how Mr. Summers gets. Good meeting you, John. I hope you decide to come here."
With that they walked off, Rogue waving until they turned down another hall. I quirked an eyebrow before turning to see if Storm was done. She stood watching me with an amused smile.
"Making friends already?" She asked.
"No."
Storm frowned slightly, but didn't add anything. Instead she started down a corridor that ended in a huge window. She stopped at the second door on the right and knocked.
"Come in." A voice called.
It was sophisticated, with what might have been a hint of a British accent. Storm opened the door and gestured for me to enter. I slowly complied, taking in every detail of the room that I could. The voice seemed to belong to a bald man sitting off to the side in a wheelchair. He set down his book and smiled up at us.
"Ah, Storm, I see you found him." His warm blue eyes sparkled as he looked at the woman.
"Yes, Professor. Logan found him actually."
"Very good." His response was hushed as he turned his gaze to me.
He gained a very probing look on his face as he inspected mine. I shifted uncomfortably, reaching for my lighter. I relaxed slightly when the cool metal was in my hand. I flicked it open once or twice, gaging their responses to it. The professor smiled faintly as I toyed with it.
"I don't mind you having that as long as you don't burn down my school. Please, have a seat."
"I'm good." I replied quickly, shifting my weight from foot to foot.
"Very well then. I assume you received my letter?"
"Yeah. I think you sent it to the wrong house. I ain't gifted or nothin' like that." I added the last part softly, but he still caught it.
"Aren't you? My school is not specifically for the academically gifted, St. John. It's more for children like yourself. Children with special abilities."
I looked over at him, studying him again. "Whadda ya mean, special abilities?"
"Well . . . to put it simply, I mean mutants. Humans who have an advanced gene in their make-up. Everyone here has one. Storm," He gestured to the woman still standing at the door, "can control the weather. Logan has incredible regenerative capabilities. I myself am telepathic."
"So why am I here? I ain't a mutant. Am I?"
The man smiled. "What do you think?"
I opened my mouth to respond and then closed it. Maybe he's right. This would explain all of the weird things that keep happening to me. How whenever I get really mad, any fires around go haywire. Even Logan's cigar. I sat down hard on a window seat. I looked at the professor and he nodded.
"Yes. Even the cigar. You were angry enough that you excited your power. It needed a release that could only be found in the embers of Logan's cigar."
"So . . . I do fire?" I asked, trying to make sense of all of this.
"Yes, I believe you have the ability to control and manipulate fire."
I bit my lip, considering the possibilities. Click, clack. Click, clack. Click, clack. Click . . . I paused, looking at the flame dancing on the lighter's tip. I glanced at the professor, then back at the fire. Furrowing my brow, I opened my left hand and stared at the fire. Come on. Jump over. I concentrated. Calling the flame to my hand. Please? With one final push, the fire flew to my waiting palm, forming a ball. It burned in a ball the size of an apple. I closed the lighter, but the flame in my hand didn't disappear. It danced merrily. I could feel the heat, but it didn't hurt, even though the flame was less than an inch from my skin. My mouth hung open in awe. I can really do this?
Concentrating again, I made the ball grow and shrink. Finally, I made a ball shrink so much that it disappeared. I closed my hand and stared up at Xavier. He smiled.
"It seems you have quite a natural talent for this. Your control is amazing, especially for someone who just found out about their power. Here, at my school, we teach the students how to control their powers and develop them. They learn to live with their gifts. They are accepted here. Sheltered somewhat from the rest of the world. I would be very happy if you agreed to stay and learn with us, St. John. What do you say?"
I was still staring at him. All I could manage was a nod. The idea of this . . . it was blowing my mind. I had to sit somewhere for a while and piece it all together. Charles chuckled softly.
"Storm, why don't you show our new student to his room. That way you will have time to settle in before supper."
Storm placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and guided me out of the room.
"It's a lot to take in all at once." She started, breaking the silence.
"I'm fine." I quickly interrupted her, moving away from her hand.
"Very well. This is to be your room. I will come by later to show you the dining hall." With that, she left.