Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men; Marvel and the brilliant mind of Stan Lee do. I only own my creativity andsanity.)
The Xavier Mansion, New York, USA
"I'm sure you will find your stay with us most pleasant, Miss Roberts," Ororo Munroe was saying to her newest charge.
Gwyna looked around her new room. It was simply furnished with a twin bed, dresser, vanity, and desk. She placed her suitcase on the bed and moved to the window. Outside she could see many others her age enjoying themselves in the snow. They were all students, as she was now, at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning.
"Thank you, Miss Munroe. But please, call me Gwyna. Miss Roberts died a long time ago," Gwyna explained.
Ororo a.k.a. Storm nodded. "As you wish, Gwyna. Once you're done unpacking you can come downstairs. There are a lot of people that would like to meet you."
It was Gwyna's turn to nod. As Storm left, Gwyna let out a sigh of exasperation. All of this had happened so quickly. Her father had explained very vaguely that he had been receiving letters from a Professor Charles Xavier for some time. The professor had wanted Miss Reese Roberts to attend his school. Her father continually replied that she was dead. Then a gruff looking man and a young, white haired woman had showed up at his office. They were there to collect Renee.
After putting her things away, Gwyna cautiously made her way downstairs. Her tail flicked nervously behind her; she had yet to bring out her wings. After peeking around a bit, she found Storm with other people, including the man who had come to get her.
"Ah, here she is now," Storm said. She beckoned the girl to come closer. "Gwyna, I'd like to introduce you to Professor Xavier. It was he that requested you attend this school."
An older looking bald man in a wheel chair came forward. "It is very nice to finally meet you, Miss Roberts," he said extending his hand.
Gwyna shook it. "Thank you, but 'tis just Gwyna. Miss Roberts died a long time ago," she clarified.
There was an awkward silence. Then Gwyna asked the question that had been lingering in the back of her mind.
"Why me? Stars above, how on earth did you find me?" she asked.
"Do you know what we are at this school, Gwyna," Professor X asked her. She thought for a moment.
"A school for those o' higher intelligence?" she ventured.
"That is correct. That is what we are to the public. But if you look around you will see that we are quite different from your average citizens. Take yourself for example. Does the average student, walking around at his or her school have a tail?"
Gwyna blinked in surprise. "Well, no, not at all."
"You see Gwyna, this school is also a refuge for mutants. I, for example, am a telepath. My mutant abilities allow me to read the minds of others and communicate mentally with them. With the aid of my machine, Cerebro, which amplifies my powers, I sensed you. You have very potent mutant power, my child."
She was dumbstruck. "What powers?" she asked and then turned almost as red as her tail.
"We, that is, the X-Men and I believe that you have untapped powers that are very strong. Therefore, we must protect you."
Gwyna looked disbelievingly at Professor X. This was far too much. The first time she left her home, she crossed an ocean and entered a different country. Now she was told that she could possibly have amazing mutant powers.
"Certainly you've heard about the growing pressure on the government to'secure' mutants, Gwyna?" a brown haired man asked. He wore sunglasses, even though he was indoors.
"To tell you the truth sir, I'd not left my home 'til Miss Munroe came and fetched me with…I'm sorry. I don't know your name, sir," she said, glancing over at the gruff looking man.
"That is Logan, Gwyna. Also known as Wolverine," Professor X explained. "And this is Scott Summers, alias Cyclops." He gestured to the man wearing sunglasses. "There is also Miss Jean Grey, or Phoenix." A red-headed woman nodded towards Gwyna. "Ah, and here is Mr. Kurt Wagner, our very own Nightcrawler."
Gwyna turned around to see one of the strangest creatures she'd ever laid eyes on, apart from herself of course. His skin was blue and he had yellow eyes. Each hand had three fingers and each foot had two toes. And he had a tail.
"A pleasure to meet you," he said bowing. He had a very thick German accent as well. "I see ve are somevat the same, Miss."
"Gwyna," she supplied and looked at her own tail. "Yes, I guess. But ye most likely are not hiding these under you're jacket."
He raised an eyebrow as she removed her brown jacket. He looked in surprise as huge, red wings stretched out behind the small child.
"No, child, I do not posses that mode of flight," Nightcrawler replied.
"Kurt has the power of teleportation, Gwyna," explained Professor X. "As I was going to say, we would like to help you develop and hone whatever powers lie beneath the surface. That is, if you are willing to."
"But why in the bloody world would you want to train me?" she asked.
"If you discovered your powers on your own, the effects could be disastrous. If you were to fall into the wrong hands, the effects of that would be disastrous," Jean told her.
"And who exactly are the 'wrong hands'," she asked shrewdly.
"There are some mutants that believe that they to be superior to normal human beings. They feel that they should dominate the non-mutant race and use violence towards them," Professor X said.
"We believe that humans and mutants can live together without having to hurt each other," Cyclops added. "That's been Professor X's dream for a long time."
"But sadly there are those humans that vant nothing to do vith us as vell, mein herr," Kurt said sadly.
"And now they are pushing the government even more to restrain mutants," an unfamiliar voice added form the doorway.
Another blue furred creature entered the room. However, he was very apelike as Kurt was fairly human-like, in size and shape at any rate.
"Gwyna, meet Dr. Hank McCoy or Beast," Professor X
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss," Beast said politely. Then he turned to Professor X. "I fear the government may be starting something."
Gwyna took this as her cue to leave. Bidding the adults good-day, she slipped into the hallway and began exploring. She had never left her home, as she mentioned before and this was an exciting, enthralling new experience. She found a door with buttons and pushed the one with a down-facing arrow. To her great surprise, the door opened itself. She stepped into the little room and the doors closed behind her. She whipped around. All of a sudden the room began to move, down she supposed. When it stopped, she stepped out.
Now she was in a strange hallway. Everything looked metallic and very clean. She went into the first door she came upon. It was like an indoor balcony, overlooking an even stranger room than the hallway.
Below her three students around her age were battling huge robots. Had anyone been with her, they could have told her that she was looking at the Danger Room and that the students were training. But no one was there.
Think, lass, think.
She looked around at the confusing mass of buttons and screens. She glanced at one and saw that the robots weren't touching the students at all. They seemed to be doing fine on their own. That is, until the tall, dark one threw a card at one of the robots and made it fall towards the girl. Just in time, she flew out and began scolding the boy.
"Mission failed," a cool, female voice announced.
The three students headed up on a platform to the room Gwyna occupied.
"The Gambit's truly sorry, chère," the tall boy said.
"Look, Cajun," the girl began, sweeping her white bangs out of her face. "Ah've told ya once and Ah'll tell ya agin: Ah don't want yer apologies. Ah just want ya t' go away!"
At that moment, the formerly snow-covered boy spotted Gwyna. "Uh, Rogue, uh—"
"What Bobby?" Rogue asked turning around.
"Er, hi," Gwyna said, waving. Her tail twitched.
"Mon chère, I do not think I have made your acquaintance," the Cajun said coming forward. He took Gwyna's hand and raised it to his lips. The color gathered in her cheeks.
"Leave th' poor gal alone, Gambit," Rogue snapped, smacking him in the back of the head. She smiled at Gwyna. "Ah'm Rogue. And this annoying swamp rat'd be Gambit."
"I'm Gwyna," she replied, shaking Rogue's gloved hand.
"I'm Bobby, or Iceman," the other boy said. "You new?"
"Yes, actually. I just arrived today."
"You a Scot?" Bobby asked, surprising her.
"Well, not exactly. But when you're raised by two you kinda pick up their dialect. I'm a bit o' all the U.K.," Gwyna explained.
"Well this is hardly the place t' talk," Rogue said. "Let's go up t' the kitchen an' fix ourselves somethin' hot."
"The Gambit thinks that idea is merveilleux," he said as they went up.
"Mah mutant powers are certainly not the greatest," Rogue was saying ruefully several days later. "Any skin contact Ah make with another'll make meh sap their mem'ries and their powers if they've got any." She smiled wryly. "Usually it only lasts fer, at the most an hour, but Ah have retained Miss Marvel's powers. So now Ah can fly and have superhuman strength."
"Mine're loads simpler," Bobby started. "I'm pretty much a humane icicle, as you saw before. Lately I've been working with the Professor to make my snowy state a bit icier."
"I, chère, can charge anything with kinetic energy," Gambit said. He looked at her. "And what of you?"
"Well, I don't know exactly," she said truthfully. "I've only my tail and wings so far. But the Professor said I might have something else."
"We could find out," Bobby said quietly.
"Now hang on, Ice pop. That wouldn't be a good way to find out!" Rogue cried as Bobby dragged Gwyna out of the room.
"Rogue! Where's he taking me?" Gwyna called over her shoulder.
"Hang on, sugah," Rogue replied. "Cajun, go get Professor X. Ah'll try and get the Human Snowball t' stop. Just 'cause Alison found 'er powers under pressure, don't mean Gwyna should."
"Professor X?" Gambit called into his office.
"Beast and Wolverine are on their way, Remy," he said.
"Right," the boy replied and dashed off to the Danger Room.
When he reached the Danger Room, Beast was carrying Gwyna's limp form in his arm. Wolverine was lecturing, more like yelling, at Bobby. Rogue was in hysterics. He went to her first.
"You gon' be alright, chère?" he asked softly.
"Ah'll be fine in a while," she replied. "But…Ah can't believe him. Magma and Ah were such good friends. Why'd he want t' hurt her mem'ry like that?"
"I don' think he was trying to hurt her memory. We were all good friends. I think maybe he's still hurting and thought he might find comfort in the new fille," Gambit said, pulling her into a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder as new tears surfaced.