Hey, guys! I'm so happy that you like my fic! Okay, since you asked for more, here it is!
Chapter 3
It was close to dawn when the Blackbird reached the Institute. Most of the kids had fallen asleep, but Elizabeth had stayed awake, gazing out the window and thinking. Xavier wondered what she was thinking about and he could probably find out, but he wasn't going to use his own abilities to spy on her. One did not pry into one's student's thoughts. There were some things that conscientious educators did not do unless they were in very special circumstances.
"Is that it?" Elizabeth asked as they hovered over the Institute.
"That's it," Logan answered as he took the Blackbird down. "Whaddaya think?"
"It's big," she said, not taking her eyes away from it. "And it's pretty."
"You should see the back garden in the spring," Xavier told her, smiling. "It's full of roses, rhododendrons, lilies, morning glories, and even sweet peas. It's quite pleasant there."
"Who planted all of those?" she asked, amazed at the strange assortment.
"Oh, a person here and a person there," Beast said as they landed and Logan opened up the doors.
The other students roused at the noise and sleepily stumbled out of the jet, and Xavier sent them off to bed. Ororo showed Elizabeth to her room and promised her a full tour in the morning once she was rested and fed. "Would you like anything to eat now?" Ororo asked once she remembered that she may not have had a chance to eat regularly.
"No, thank you," Elizabeth said, dropping onto the bed, unable to remain politely standing. She hadn't known that it was possible to be so tired. "Is there a place where I can clean up? I kind of had to hide in a garbage can, and I feel kind of gross."
Ororo showed her where the nearest girls' bathroom was, gave her clean towels, lavender-scented soap, and shampoo, and made sure that she remembered the way back to her room. Elizabeth rejoiced at the sight of the bathtub and immediately ran a full bath of the hottest water she could stand. She soaked for a few minutes before scrubbing her skin to a bright pink and rubbing her scalp until it hurt. She ducked under the water to rinse, but came up feeling much cleaner. Pulling on the clean underwear and nightgown that Ororo had left for her, and sighing at the touch of the soft fabric, she wiped out the tub and mopped the water she left on the floor, depositing her towels in a hamper once she was finished. Suddenly unable to keep her eyes open, Elizabeth wandered back to her room and dropped into bed. After a few days of sleeping on the streets, in bus stations, and alleyways, this place was the height of luxury compared to them. Perhaps this was going to be a place where she could stay.
Noise woke her later that morning. Her eyes went to the alarm clock on the bedside table. 10:30. She leaped from bed, suddenly afraid that she would be in trouble for sleeping so late. Had she missed a waking call or something?
Someone knocked, startling him.
"C-come in?" she stammered, uncertain.
"Good morning," Ororo said, smiling as she came in. "How are you feeling? Would you like some breakfast, or would you like to get some more rest?"
"I'm not in trouble?"
"Not at all," she assured her.
Elizabeth sighed in relief. "Breakfast, please," she said, "once I'm dressed."
Ororo nodded. "All right, I'll meet you downstairs once you're ready. There are waffles this morning."
Elizabeth smiled at the thought of waffles as Ororo left. She reached for the clothes that some kind soul had set out for her, thinking that if this morning were any indication, she was going to like it here.