A/N Woohooo! I got reviews! Thanks, all! But sorry, Wolverine isn't Jimmy. You won't find out who Jimmy is yet, though. You will, however, get some clues as to who Butcher is. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All the X-Men and the universe this fic is set in are owned by Marvel. No profit is being made from this work.
Chapter Three.
Storm muddled through the day as best she could, trying to keep tabs on all the students. Butcher was great with the younger kids, but Storm watched her anxiously. She didn't trust her to keep them safe. And the older children might find it distressing that their 'teacher' looked no older than they did…
It was with great relief that she found a reply from Hank waiting on her computer.
Dear StormAn intriguing development. I have pulled strings and had the databases searched, but I can find no information on a Sophie Taylor. Nor has the name Butcher produced results. In the absence of any telepath to give us some surety, I suggest you ask Butcher herself for some personal history. If she can be trusted, she could be exceedingly helpful. You can't do this by yourself, Storm, and while the Wolverine may be an adult presence, he is far from a reliable teacher.
Keep in touch
Hank.
Storm sighed. She needed help, it was true, but she didn't like the thought of letting strangers into the school. Still less a stranger who had let herself in.
Well, I'll get some answers from her tonight, once the kids are settled. She can't expect me to be satisfied with nothing but a fake name.
Later, after dinner had been consumed and the floor liberally covered with brownie crumbs, the children were in the common room, filling a wet evening with games of one sort and another. At some point they got to telling jokes, and soon everyone had joined in.
"What to you call a woman with a coat on her head?"
"I don't know."
"Peg!"
"Alright then, what do you call a man with a seagull on his head?
"Go on…"
"Cliff."
"That's rubbish. Why did the chicken cross the road?"
"He felt like it."
"No, to get to the other side. Why did the sheep cross the road?"
"To talk to the chicken."
"To get to the other side. Why did the cow cross the road?"
"To get to the other side?"
"Right. Why did the farmer cross the road?"
"To get his animals back!"
"No fair, you've heard it before!"
"I have not! Not my fault you tell rubbish jokes!"
"Yeah, why is that better than my joke?"
"Doctor, doctor, I think I'm turning invisible! Next, please."
"Go on Butcher, tell us a joke."
"I don't know any good jokes."
"So tell us a bad one."
"Well…there is the Cornflake Joke."
"What's the Cornflake Joke?"
"Be quiet long enough and you'll find out. Once upon a time, there was a cornflake. He was a very adventurous cornflake-"
"An adventurous cornflake?"
"Yes, an adventurous cornflake. Now this cornflake got bored of living in a box, so he decided to go and explore the big wide kitchen. So he climbed up the inside of the inside packet, down the outside of the inside packet, up the inside of the outside packet and down the outside of the outside packet, and he walked across the worktop until he reached the edge. But when he got the edge he couldn't get down. So he thought 'I know! I'll get some of my friends to help me.' So he climbed up the outside of the outside packet, down the inside of the outside packet, up the outside of the inside packet and down the inside of the inside packet to reach his friends. They agreed to help him reach the floor, so they all climbed-"
"Oh, no…"
"Up the inside of the inside packet, down the outside of the inside packet, up the outside of the outside packet, down the outside of the outside packet and onto the worktop."
By this point people were starting to giggle at the sheer silliness of the story.
"But when they reached the edge, and formed a cornflake chain, the adventurous cornflake was nowhere near the bottom, and they realised they would need all the other cornflakes they had left in the packet. So they chose a messenger, and he went up the outside of the outside packet,"
The children had started to join in.
"Down the inside of the outside packet, up the outside of the inside packet, down the inside of the inside packet and into the box. And after some considerable persuasion, because cornflakes are stubborn and they didn't think it was a good idea, all but one of the cornflakes agreed to come and help the adventurous cornflake. So a whole crowd of cornflakes climbed…"
The children chanted gleefully along, "Up the inside of the inside packet, down the outside of the inside packet, up the inside of the outside packet, down the outside of the outside packet,"
"And onto the worktop. And they trekked across the worktop to the edge. When they looked down, some of them really didn't think this was a good idea, because it was an awfully long way down. But the adventurous cornflake talked them round, and they formed a very long cornflake chain down to the floor. But when the adventurous cornflake climbed down, he was still too far from the bottom. The chain was one cornflake short. So they all clambered back up to the worktop, very irritated, and chose one of the younger cornflakes as a messenger. And he ran across the worktop to the box, and he climbed,"
"Up the outside of the outside packet, down the inside of the outside packet, up the outside of the inside packet, down the inside of the inside packet!"
"And into the box. And he found the last cornflake hiding in a corner. And they argued about whether the cornflake should come and help, and eventually he agreed, not because he wanted to help but because none of the other cornflakes would speak to him if the didn't. And together he and the messenger cornflake climbed…"
"Up the inside of the inside packet! Down the outside of the inside packet! Up the inside of the outside packet! Down the outside of the outside packet!"
"And when they reached the bottom they stopped to get their breath back, because it was a long climb up and down all those packets, and the messenger cornflake had done it twice, and when they had their breath back they trekked across the worktop to the edge. And they all formed a cornflake chain, and the single, adventurous cornflake climbed down it, and finally it was long enough and he reached…the Kitchen Floor."
The children waited with bated breath.
"And so the adventurous cornflake waved at his friends, and even some enemies who had helped because the messenger hadn't told them who they were helping, and he set off across the kitchen floor. And as he crept around the corner, very quietly because the world was bigger than he'd thought and he was getting a bit nervous, he came face to face with – a Mouse!"
The more excitable youngsters gasped.
"But I can't tell you the rest, because it's a serial."
The children burst into shocked laughter.
"That's it? That's dreadful!" accused Katie, giggling.
"Well of course it's dreadful. I told you it was."
"Have you got any others like that?"
"Only the Dracula Joke, and I refuse to sully my lips with a joke of that quality."
"You just told the Cornflake Joke!"
"Good point. I refuse to sully my lips again with a joke of that quality."
"Oh, go on, it was good."
"No, not tonight. Lights out is in ten minutes. And I'm sure some of you still aren't ready for dorm inspection...?"
"I am ready, sort of."
"I'll tell you the Dracula Joke tomorrow. Unless you keep pestering, in which case I won't tell you at all. Bed! Now!"
They did go, with some persuasion. Butcher stretched the kinks out of her back, and turned at the soft sound from the doorway. Storm was smiling.
"That is a very bad joke."
"Gets a laugh, though."
"I want to talk to you. If you're going to stay, there are some things I need to know."
They talked for some time about Butcher's past, but she wouldn't say much.
"I wish I could tell you, Storm, but I can't. It isn't safe, I can't give you details."
"So give me a summary."
"OK…I grew up as part of a scientific study. There were several of us, all with different mutations. They were studying the effect of mutation on the body. They gave us a pretty good education, treated us pretty well for the most part. About a year ago the study ended and the centre we lived at was shut down, and we've had to fend for ourselves. I can't tell you who the others are or where they are, because there are some people who'd quite like to get their hands on us, but the others are nowhere near here. I'm the only one around here, and I'm here for the reasons I gave – these children need a teacher and I can help."
"My friend couldn't find any records on you."
"There aren't any, I don't think. The Centre didn't officially exist, we probably don't either."
Storm sighed. "OK. I believe you, for now. But I'll be keeping an eye on you. This is still not a permanent arrangement. Dorm inspection is at eight tomorrow, before breakfast."
"I'll be there. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
A/N Next time: Wolverine finally meets our girl, inspection turns up a surprise, and Jimmy and Mac…are mentioned. Please review!
