Disclaimer: I will never own the X-men or JT (JT belongs SOLEY to The Almighty JT Blade), But I do own Arya: she's my character!
Secrets of Silence
THREE
"Mystique…"
"Yes, Magneto?"
"What have you learned about the Institutes' new… acquisition since I have asked you to hack their systems?"
"Not much."
"There's more than that, isn't there?"
"The new border is a girl from Russia. Name of Arya."
"Yes? What else?"
"She's a mute, but she has an amazing ability."
"Tell me more."
"This girl can transform."
"Into what, pray tell?"
"Into any animal she wants to."
"Interesting…"
"But Xavier's database says that her abilities are just emerging and she hasn't learned to control it, yet."
"That could be useful to us."
"How? If she can't control her powers, how would we accomplish anything?"
Magneto smiled and muttered, "Complete chaos, and utter destruction…" After a pause, he continued giving orders, "Get those fools of yours to investigate and question this Arya further. Then, we'll see what we can do."
"Yes, Magneto."
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"Concentrate, Arya. You must concentrate."
Arya shook her head after a moment's silent concentration and began to scribble a reply, 'I cannot.'
"You must try harder, Arya."
The Professor and Arya were currently in training. The Professor was attempting to help Arya change her own form. In other words, he was trying to help her control her ability. So far, his method proved useless, and caused, to put it mildly, headaches for Arya.
"Try to envision the mouse in your mind as detailed as possible, so that your body can make that transformation. This may be the only way for you to learn to control your ability, Arya. You must try your hardest."
After a few minutes, Arya could take it no longer. The pain was too much. She almost collapsed from exhaustion. She staggered and Logan caught her before she fell to the floor.
"I think that's enough practice for today. We'll try again tomorrow."
"I'll take her up to her room, Charles."
"Good idea, Logan. You do that."
Logan turned to Arya, "Can you walk?"
Arya nodded and let Logan place her left arm over his shoulder so that he could help her balance her way out of the room. While watching Logan balance Arya, Storm spoke to Charles, "Maybe you were too hard on her, Charles."
"Maybe. But I believe that this is the only way for Arya to find control."
Storm looked after Arya worriedly.
MEANWHILE…
"Okay. Remind me again why Arya can't come to school with us." Kurt asked for the billionth time.
JT groaned at the question, "Oh c'mon, Kurt. We've told you a million times already…"
Kitty piped in, "Please, Kurt, not again…"
Jean and Scott just shook their heads.
Rogue let out an exasperated sigh. She hated when Kurt got like this. "Listen carefully, Kurt, 'cuz I don't want to tell you this again… Number one: she doesn't know much English. Number two: she can't talk. Number three: she can't control her powers."
"Oh. Right, I remember now."
While Arya and the Professor were in training, the others at the Institute were waking up. They were just starting to prepare breakfast when Logan, who was still supporting Arya, came through the kitchen, "A little help here would be appreciated."
Jean gasped when she saw Arya, "What happened, Logan?"
"We had a little accident at training today."
"Oh no, not again."
"I'll take her." Scott stepped forward to continue to support Arya so that Logan could rest a little. He then led Arya to the living room where he proceeded to help her sit down.
"What happened, Arya? Are you okay?"
Arya looked around for a minute, and not finding what she was looking for, she shrugged in response.
"Oh, that's right. You need paper and a pen, don't you?" Scott walked over to a desk and ruffled through the drawers, looking for paper. When he found a sheet, he began searching for a pen or any type of writing utensil. He couldn't find one. "I found paper, but no pen."
After a minute, "Wait here, I'll go get one."
'It's not like Arya could go anywhere without help; she looks tired.' He thought to himself.
Scott left the room in search of a pen, and Arya was left on the couch alone. But she wasn't alone for very long because JT walked in. He leaned against the opposite wall, "Headache again, huh?" Arya nodded in response. Ever since her little nightmare, JT had been the only one Arya had really opened up to so far.
"What was it this time?" JT asked this, and Arya began to try to gesture an explanation. JT furrowed his brow as he tried to interpret Arya's gestures. First, Arya held up her right hand and her two forefingers making a small space between her fingertips, 'Small.'
"Was it a small one?"
Arya nodded, 'Yes.' The next gesture consisted of Arya making points off of her head with one finger on each hand. 'What does that mean?' JT thought, 'It had horns? Or ears?'
"With horns?"
Arya shook her head, 'No.'
"With ears, then?"
Arya nodded, 'Yes.'
"What animal did you try?"
Arya continued her gestures. This one consisted of—JT never found out because Scott entered the room again. "Here, Arya use this." Scott handed Arya the pen he had found and pushed the sheet of paper toward her. Arya took them and began to write furiously…
'The Professor want me to learn to control my power. I always have to concentrate very hard on one animal. This time it is a mouse.'
"Oh, that's what you meant. A mouse." JT said, referring to the gestures Arya was making earlier. But since Scott had not been in the room then, he raised an eyebrow in perplexity.
'I could not do it. I try to tell the Professor, but he did not listen. He asked me to try again, harder. But there were too many others there.'
"What do you mean by: too many others there?" –Scott
'Too many other animals.'
"I still don't get it." –Scott
"I don't either." –JT
'I cannot explain any more. I don't know how to say.'
"What are you guys doing? Arya needs to rest. She shouldn't write right now." The boys and Arya turned find Jean standing in the doorway, with hands on her hips.
"We were just—um…" –Scott
"Finding out what happened." –JT
"Arya still shouldn't be trying to write."
'I feel fine enough to write.' Arya wrote this and Scott handed the paper to Jean, who read the whole sheet quickly.
"Are you sure, Arya?"
Arya nodded, 'Yes.'
Kitty walked in, carrying a glass of water, "Here's that glass of water you wanted me to bring Arya, Jean."
Since she did not currently have the sheet of paper, Arya fervently shook her head in refusal of the water, 'No, thank you. I do not want it.'
"Arya, you should try to drink something."
Still, 'No, thank you.'
Seeing Arya's reaction, Kitty said, "I'll leave it here on the table, just in case."
"So she's not thirsty. What's the big deal?" –Scott
"The Professor said that when she gets like this Arya should really try to drink a glass of water."
"But look at her. She doesn't want it."
"Scott, I left it on the table; just in case she wants it later."
"Fine. We'll do this your way."
'Again!' he thought.
Scott stormed from the room. Arya watched him leave and tried to get up to follow, but JT stopped her, "I don't think you should walk, Arya."
"What's his problem?" Kitty asked this openly. JT and Jean just shrugged.
Arya didn't know what to do, so she gestured for Jean to give her the sheet of paper again. "What's she doing?" Jean asked in confusion.
"I think she wants to write something. Give the paper back." JT explained.
Jean then handed the paper back to Arya, who proceeded to write, 'It is good that you brought me this water. Thank you. But I am not thirsty right now. I may drink it later.'
"Okay, Arya. It's right there on the table if you want it. Now, get some rest. The Professor would think you need it." Jean and Kitty left the room to finish their breakfast.
Once they had left, JT proceeded to talk to Arya, "Wow, I didn't know Scott was so protective."
'What do you mean?'
"What do you mean, what do I mean? Did you not just see what happened?"
'You talk of the glass of water?'
"Yeah! What else would I be talking about?"
'I do not know. That is for you to know.'
There was a moment of silence before JT continued on a new topic, "Jean's right. You should get a little rest. It's not that I don't think that you're fine now; it's just that you might feel worse later on without it. So get some rest. See 'ya later." JT then left Arya to herself.
Once JT was gone, Arya hastily scribbled something on the other side of the sheet of paper. Going against JT's advice, Arya lifted herself off of the couch and stood there, swaying, for a few moments before she felt fine enough to begin walking. She picked up the sheet of paper and left the room quietly. She did not want to attract any unwanted attention from the others in the kitchen.
Before proceeding up the stairs, Arya heard a small piece of conversation between Jean and the others in the kitchen:
"Man, I hate it when Arya gets like this." –Kitty's voice
"I know. I do too. I wish the Professor wouldn't push her so hard." –Jean's voice
"The Professor obviously thinks it's crucial that Arya learn to control her powers right away." –Kurt's voice
"But why does he have to do it this way? You saw the way Arya looked. She was in pain." –JT's voice
"Yeah. And it's not good for her." –Jean's voice
"And why would Scott act to so weird?" –Kitty's voice
"I have no idea. He's been acting weird ever since she showed up here." Arya's facial expression fell when she heard this and she continued, sadly, up the stairs.
'So they think that all of this is my fault? Why?' she thought as she strode down the hallway to Scott's door, 'I have not done anything wrong… but then, I am not sure. They seem to think that I cause all this trouble. I do not try to… but trouble always seems to happen wherever I am…' Arya glanced down at her feet, and knocked on the door to Scott's room.
Scott opened the door to unexpectedly find Arya standing there, "Arya! What are you doing up here? You should be downstairs, resting!"
Arya held up the sheet of paper. Scott read what she had written there, 'What is wrong?'
"Nothing's wrong…" Scott knew this wasn't true but he said it anyway.
It appeared that Arya saw this as well, and proceeded to write something else, 'I am sorry. This is my fault that you are angry.'
Scott was shocked to find this out. He couldn't believe that Arya thought that this was her fault. Which it wasn't, "Arya, it's not your fault…" Scott couldn't find anything else to say except, "Now go back downstairs and rest." He didn't want to, but he closed the door on Arya.
Arya hung her head in disappointment and thought, 'All this is my fault. Then… why am I here?'
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Author's note: Hello everyone. I have returned! I had been traveling for the past month but I'm back! I know that nothing very exciting happened in this chapter but I thought I might as well include it in this story. It helps some of the plot development. I would love to know what you think about it. Reviews are most definitely welcome! Ciao, everyone! (That's Italian for good-bye!)