Chapter 3
"That's right," Magneto said, smiling as he watched Jenevie successfully throw five metal pipes into five bottles ten feet away. Jenevie turned around and looked at Magneto with great intensity. The bottles disintegrated and faded as quickly as she turned around. Magneto took a step back, his smile quickly fading. Gradually, metal bars and pieces of metal fences surrounding the Brotherhood rose into the air. The metal bars spun rapidly from end to end and the pieces of the fences quickly sun around her. Magneto waved his hands to will the objects away, but it was useless. Jenevie's face slowly darkened to an almost dead state.
"Stop, Jenevie!" Magneto ordered, still backing away. But Jenevie kept on walking and the objects continued to swirl around her. When Magneto backed himself to a wall, he finally lost his temper.
"STOP!" he bellowed and the objects dropped abruptly. Jenevie's face returned to normal. She dropped on her knees and looked up at the man before him, his face twisted with anger.
"I'm sorry…" she pleaded, "I just can't control this power inside of me. I feel like every time I use my powers, it's just raring to break out." Magneto dropped to her side and stroked her bright colored blonde hair.
"It's all right," Magneto assured her, a smile slowly appearing on his face. Jenevie reluctantly turned to her side and gazed at her master's innocent face.
"This is my room?" Jacques asked, staring at the empty room. A suitcase lay on top of his green sheets. "This is too much! You are too kind to me!"
"It's okay, Phoenix dude. It's our pleasure," the teenager behind him said. He turned around to express his gratification and bowed before Bobby Drake, a fellow mutant. "Now, go unpack, dude. Professor X said that you'll be tested tomorrow." Jacques lifted his head.
"Tested?" he asked, puzzled. Bobby stared at him with the same expression.
"Didn't Professor tell you?" he asked, "You will be tested in the Danger Room. It's like a simulator to help you control your powers." Jacques rose up and leaned against the frame of his wide opened door.
"Well, see ya, dude," he said, waving a hand as he walked along the halls. He leaned on the frame for a couple of more minutes, about to go to sleep, until footsteps roused him. He fell on the floor. A woman with white, long flowing hair quickly darted to his side.
"Are you alright, child?" she asked, placing a lock of hair behind her ear. He rubbed the back of his head and stood up, along with the woman.
"Je ne sais pas…" he told her, unbeknownst to him that it came out in French.
"Oh," he blurted out, "I'm sorry…" The woman just smiled and placed a hand on his back.
"It's okay," she said, assisting him to walk inside his new room. As they sat on his bed, the woman looked at him with worry.
"Is something bothering you?" she asked, putting aside the suitcase beside her. He hesitated at first, but he finally answered.
"I'm afraid that I might hurt someone whenever I use these so-called 'powers'," he replied. "I feel like whenever I use my powers, there's a stronger force inside me, raring to break out. I feel scared, because I might not control this greater power." The woman sat closer to him. She placed an arm around his shoulders and allowed him to rest his head on her shoulder.
"You know, when I was younger, I thought I was a goddess," she started to tell him. "I had this… unique power of controlling the weather any way I wish." Jacques looked at her for a moment.
"I was able to bring rain to my land. I helped my people survive droughts. I was… how you say… mighty… to my people and they looked up to me," she continued. "But that was until Professor Xavier awakened me into reality. It turned out I wasn't a goddess. I was a mutant… just like you. Now, don't be afraid of your power. Here, at this institute, we do our very best to help young mutants like you--" she gestured at him, "—learn how to control your powers."
"But what if I can't?" he asked. The woman shook her head.
"Then we will try everything in our power to make sure you learn to control them," she answered diligently. She smiled and released Jacques. Slowly she made her way out of the door.
"Wait," Jacques called out. The woman stopped abruptly. "I don't know your name." She turned her head and smiled at him.
"Ororo Munroe," she said. "But you can call me Storm." And with that she left the room. Jacques smiled and slumped on his bed. Slowly his eyes began to close. Moments later he fell into deep slumber.
"Hey, wake up!" a voice demanded. Jenevie quickly opened her eyes. Slowly, she arched her back and looked up at the source of the voice. A woman with blue scaly skin and red hair stood erect before her.
"You?" she said, disgusted. Suddenly, two metal bars shot out from both sides of her bed. They twirled from end to end and swirled around her. The woman backed away.
"Put those things before you hurt yourself," the woman said, crossing her arms on her chest. Jenevie's face darkened the same way it did yesterday.
"Oh, believe me. It's not me who'll be hurt," she retorted, the bars spinning closer at the woman. A man appeared on the doorway.
"Jenevie," the man said. Her face returned to normal and the bars dropped. The woman turned her head and saw who it was.
"Magneto," Jenevie said, smiling.
"Who's Magneto," Jacques asked.
"He's a mutant, but a very dangerous one," the man on the wheelchair replied. "You see, he's the one responsible for your sister's kidnapping."
"What?" he said. Slowly, chairs around him started to rise. The spectators gasped. Gradually, his face darkened. The man placed a hand on his shoulder. The chairs suddenly dropped and his face turned normal.
"I'm sorry," Jacques beseeched, looking down.
"Are you ready to take on the Danger Room?" the man asked. Jacques nodded and walked inside the sliding doors. Slowly, the surroundings blurred and created a new place. He walked around for a bit, trying to get accustomed, until a loud crash erupted from behind him. He spun around and was greeted by a giant robot.
"Uh… Uh…" he stammered, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, it struck at him, knocking him to a car. As quickly as he was thrown the robot grabbed him and pulled him up. It looked at him face to face. Jacques struggled to break free, but the robot was too strong, far too strong. Moments later, he closed his eyes and thought of his sister being taken away right in front of him. He felt the robot's grip loosen. He quickly opened his eyes and his face darkened. He stared at the robot with great concentration and its head quickly crumpled as if it was a piece of paper. The head fell off and the rest of it disintegrated. He quickly dropped and rapidly regained control over his body. He hovered in midair as his aura pulsated with great intensity. His aura became more and more intense until it formed the shape of a phoenix. Everything around him disintegrated and burned into ashes.
"Professor," the man with the adamantium claws started. "I think you need to pull him out of there now!" Suddenly, the place blurred and returned to its original state.
"Professor," Jean Grey said. "Do you think he'll control the Fake Phoenix?" The man on the wheelchair stared at the Fake Phoenix with great concentration. Slowly, the image of Jacques aura faltered.
"Only time will tell, Jean…" he replied as he gazed at Jacques trembling body lying on the middle of the room.