The sky was blue and without a blemish; not a single cloud or sign of rain could be seen. Jean could only widen her eyes in awe and breathe in a fresh breath while she looked at the stunning day that spring had given them. The breeze ruffled her hair like the wind in a movie. She smiled to herself, and looked behind her as Scott got off the X-jet as well. Smiling at Jean and putting his arm around his love's waist, he kissed her cheek adoringly. "Isn't it beautiful outside? It's like . . .. Heaven." It was better than Heaven, but Scott couldn't find any words within his vocabulary that would do justice to the beauty of the wilderness around them (though they were now in Upper New York). The two smiled back at each other, knowing that Scott had poorly described the beauty of the day, but knowing what he meant nevertheless.
The Professor wheeled himself down the ramp of the X-jet, a careful and controlled smile upon his face. Though he had little occasion to spend time outdoors, Xavier loved doing it. He sometimes grew weary of the sterile air of buildings, structures made of steel and iron, and the seemingly never-ending grind of paperwork and training. Even if he was outside only because they had to walk from the X-jet to the Academy, Charles was glad for it. Calmly inhaling the air of the day, he made his way to the Academy, enjoying the beautiful scene around him but not wasting any time either. Turning his head and using as much peripheral vision as he possibly could, Xavier could just see that, behind him, Scott and Jean were taking time to enjoy the outdoors . . .. as well as Rogue and Bobby.
Rogue couldn't look around her at the temperate weather and not remember her home. She was filled with homesickness in a moment, but then she felt the gentle caress of Bobby's hands around her waist. He kissed her briefly, and the thought of him willing to endure pain just to tell her how he felt clutched at her heart for just a moment. "Look," her accent even more apparent, as she pointed to get Bobby's attention. His careful blue eyes followed Rogue's fingertip, to a beautiful yellow dandelion. Smiling mischievously, Bobby plucked it out of the ground. She let out a little gasp, knowing that the flower would die, since Bobby had plucked it from the life-giving sustenance of the Earth. Then he surprised her; putting his hand around the flower, he encased it in a beautiful icy crystal. "For you, my dear," Bobby said, bowing a little bit in front of a simply delighted Rogue. She smiled and moved towards his hand to kiss it . . . but then she hesitated. Rogue cared about Bobby—more than anyone else she had ever cared about, and didn't want to do anything that would hurt him. But Bobby wanted to be close to Rogue, and didn't care about any pain he might have to endure. Leaning his face close to Rogue's and concentrating on his ability to freeze, he kissed her both chastely and passionately. Rogue pulled away gently, after two or three minutes of bliss, and exhaled a brilliantly blue breath. Smiling at Bobby, who smiled back, she tugged at his t-shirt, wanting him to follow her back to the Academy. Sadly, she remembered some homework that she needed to do, and knew that Bobby had the same waiting back in his room. They laughed together, feeling light and weightless in the spring weather.
Kurt smiled. He had already seen a few springs, but their beauty was still a miracle of Mother Nature in his eyes, compared to the harsh winters of Eastern Europe. As he teleported off the X-jet, he felt something stir within him as he saw the pairings of mutants in the fresh sunshine. Kurt felt that something from his past might have returned, or that some mystery might suddenly be solved today. Nevertheless, he followed the apparently chipper Professor Xavier back to the Academy. Smiling and feeling the warm spring air brush across his face, Kurt turned to see Storm.
She was carrying an assortment of bags and parcels. Storm hadn't been on a boring errand in the X-jet; she had just come back from a trip. While she had told all of the X-men she needed to go on a trip just to get away from all of the hustle and bustle, Storm went on a trip to sort out all of her feelings—especially her feelings for Kurt. She didn't know if they were friends, or if he wanted something more. Storm didn't even know if she really wanted something more—it was just that she couldn't stop looking at him, entranced by his startling features, when no one else was looking. The confused Storm had hoped to come to some resolution by making this leisure trip; alas, after the three weeks of soaking up the sun at a tropical resort in Cancun, Storm had come to no ultimate resolution.
Regardless, she knew only one thing—she and Kurt would always be friends, whether they wanted to pursue something further. Time would only tell if that would happen . . .
Storm smiled as she came into the view of the other X-men, waving and smiling broadly at their fresh-faced friend. Looking up into the sky as she approached Professor Xavier's surprisingly fast wheelchair, she decided that she would enjoy the bright spring
day, and leave all of her troubles on the backburner of her inner consciousness.
Logan found that he had dozed off for a bit; he had leaned forward and lay his head on the young girl's stomach, the only bit of smooth, uncovered flesh on her. Lifting his head, Logan smiled as he noticed that her breaths were becoming more noticeable. He could count the seconds as he saw her chest rise and fall with the sound of her breath. Looking at her face, he sighed as he thought of the charming beau she must have left behind, wherever this mysterious woman might have come from. His eyes traveled down from her face to her neck, where the two necklaces she wore had remained, as sturdy as a noose would have been around her neck.
His hand soundlessly moved from his lap to her neck, as he fingered the first of the two necklaces. It was comprised of three pendants; one of them was a daunting white wolf with red ruby eyes, another was a black rose made out of iron in three-dimensional fashion, and the other was of a remarkably small violin. The violin even had a small bow and strings that squeaked when he tried to play the small instrument.
When Logan was fooling with the toy violin, however, the young girl stirred. She lifted one of her hands to rub her eyes, and her mouth opened to yawn. Logan let go of her necklaces, regretting that he had never had the chance to examine the second one, and stepped back to let her find her bearings in a new and strange place. However, Logan was utterly confused as he heard her call, like a child with a thick British accent, calling a friend's name, "Professor Xavier Are you here? I must be inside the Academy by now . . . the last thing I remember is collapsing at the door." Her eyes were still closed, but when she opened them, Logan was horrified to see that her eyes were black with startling red rims around the pupil. Instinctively, the claws that lay in wait within his hands deftly slid out. "Who are you?" Logan said, with a bit of anger and disbelief in his voice.
The young girl started to stretch her body out, feeling as if she had left her body and just now returned to her familiar skin. Noting with embarrassment the blankets that had been used to cover her unclothed body, she turned towards Logan. Without fear in her strange eyes, the girl pondered Logan's claws, which were ready to strike at any time if she did anything that would suggest she was an enemy. Smiling, she said, "You must be Wolverine—I mean Logan. Professor Xavier and my father have both told me a lot about you." Reaching out with her left hand, she gently touched the blades in Logan's left hand. "Cool." She said, a childish excitement pulsing through her veins.
Logan brushed away her gentle touch, so like a child's, and repeated his question, with a bit more annoyance in his voice, "Who the hell are you?"
Amusement fluttered through the eyes of the young girl, as she tilted her head to one side playfully, and responded, "The name's Athena. My father is a great friend of Professor Xavier, and I came here to ask him a few questions, and get some help . . . which is none of your business, as of yet. I would offer you my hand in a handshake, but those claws can really cut flesh . . . as I know from experience." With that, she punched the empty air . . . and claws that were almost identical to Logan's sprung from the hands of Athena. Almost as quickly as she had unsheathed them, Athena then slid them back into her hand.
"What the . . .?" Logan was astonished. He hardly knew what to say, and almost as if Fate was playing with him that day, Kurt, Storm, Scott, Jean, Bobby, Rogue, and Professor Xavier came into the medical bay, having heard Logan's voice and its characteristically rough tone. However, rather than mass confusion upon all of their faces, an amused and welcoming smile spread across Professor Xavier's face. Wheeling himself over to Athena so that he was right next to her table, Xavier took her hand in a manner that was not unlike that of a father's. "Why, Athena, this is a surprise. I didn't expect you for several more months. Lupin only called me two months ago, saying to expect you around winter!" Xavier's face spread into a friendly grin, as he remembered the truly childlike girl he had met so long ago— and how much she had changed within to become this truly remarkable woman lying before him.
Athena slid off the medical table, careful to leave all of the blankets that were covering her body perfectly in place. "Professor, you forget that it's been a long time since I've seen you last. As well as the fact that my father tends to be a bit forgetful." she spoke in a playful tone, smiling brightly at the Professor, who she saw almost like a distant uncle across the great pond of the Atlantic Ocean. "I actually left a little less than six months ago. You would be appalled at all the people who choose to ignore and deny assistance to someone like me. I had to go the whole way in wolf form—except for the boat ride, of course." Xavier was warmed by Athena's radiant enthusiasm, as well as the adorable British voice, and remembered his great friendship with her father, and how much this girl was like his niece or something of the like.
"Come," Xavier said, "let me get you some clothes— I believe your things came just yesterday. Of course, you'll need time to rest, and Goddess forbid we forget to feed you, poor girl." She smiled at him, but she quickly bit her lip and turned back to the stunned X-men, saying meekly, "Don't you think you should introduce me to everyone else, first? I would feel terrible if I were staying in such a mansion as this and not be acquainted with all of the people who live in it." Athena said in a proper British manner, but she soon found that Kurt had ran towards her in a friendly manner and started to hug her. "ATHENA-SAMA!" Kurt said, with his thick German accent. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since you came to Munich!" Athena was as thrilled to see Kurt as he had initially been astonished to see her. Hugging him tightly, she cooed," Oh, Kurt, I'm so glad to see you again, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to get back to Germany for so long. Things have just been so crazy at Xaphania . . . what with grading papers, and maintaining my rank as well. You know how things are."
Kurt smiled brightly and as widely as he could. "Of course, Athena. Don't you worry about a thing. You probably want your things, right? I could get them . . . " Kurt stole a glance at Xavier, asking in a non-verbal manner if he could go up to the Professor's office and get Athena's clothing bag and her other bag. The Professor smiled slightly, nodding in the affirmative. With that, Kurt raced upstairs in an excited hurry, teleporting as fast as he could, making Athena remember her old friendship with the German mutant that she hadn't seen for so many years. Xavier echoed Athena's smile in his face, and continued, "Well then. Let me introduce you to everyone. We'll be delighted to have you, and I know you'll love it here." As the Professor proceeded to introduce all of the X-men, they each stepped forward when their name was called, shaking Athena's hand warmly and offering their welcome. "This is Storm, who can control the weather; Jean, who has telepathic powers; Bobby, who can create and manipulate the cold and ice; Rogue, who can borrow powers; Logan, who you already have met; and Scott, who—" Not wanting to embarrass Scott, because she knew that his power was at the expense of natural vision, Athena said, "Professor, my father never said that you liked to show off your students. If you don't mind, I'd like to know more about the people, and even less about the powers." Xavier smiled as Athena stepped forward of her own will, and introduced herself to her various hosts, making eye contact with all of them. "Well, I just want to say thanks for all the hospitality. The name's Athena and I'm a teacher at the Xaphania Academy near London. We don't deal with mutants, but certainly not with humans. My father, Lupin Solcannis, is a great friend of the Professor's. Lupin. . he's a werewolf, and the good Professor helped him see his condition as a blessing rather than a burden. It's because of him that I'm here, successful in ways that I could not have foreseen. So, please, if there's anything I can do to help, I would be happy to help." As she finished that sentence, Athena looked last at Logan, who seemed to capture her with his smoky brown eyes. Swallowing nervously, Athena managed to draw her gaze back to the rest of the X-men. She waited for some gesture from her new hosts that would help her feel more welcome. Jean stood forward first, smiling, and hugging the young girl as if they had been friends for ages. "Welcome to Professor Xavier's Academy. Hope you like breakfast . . . that's the one meal we always have around here. Mutants love their breakfast, don't you know?" Athena giggled along with Jean, which made all the rest giggle in turn. But as Jean placed her hand on Athena's bare and cold shoulder in a friendly gesture, Jean almost jumped back at what she saw.
It was the voice from her dream . . . and a brief glimpse of the terrible dreams that she had been having over the last few days.
"Something is coming..."
Jean gasped and stepped back from Athena, letting go of the young girl's shoulder. She had to blink a few times to gain her bearings again, and the new guest at the Academy was the first to notice Jean's troubles. "Jean?" Athena said, in a concerned tone. "Are you alright?" Athena also noticed that Scott's face had suddenly been lined with feelings of worry in its wrinkles. Gently holding her new acquaintance by the shoulders, Athena said her name reassuringly. "Jean."
"I'm just fine. Just a headache . . . " Jean said, smiling uneasily. Athena smiled, almost like a sister to Jean already, saying, "Well then, we better get you some Advil or Tylenol. But we'd probably be better off giving you Advil. Tylenol is bad for the liver." Almost as if she lived there, Athena proceeded to walk off to the upstairs rooms. Just as she reached the bottom of the staircase, Logan grinned as he threw Athena a nicely crafted leather jacket that would keep her decently covered from the prying eyes of Xavier's newest students. Almost simultaneously, Kurt had finally teleported back with Athena's bags, which had been delivered the previous day or so. Smiling and thanking Kurt, Athena took her bags with ease, also helping Jean up the stairs to get some medicine. She's strong, Logan remarked to himself as he followed the rest of the X-men as they went back to their rooms, and to help Jean—if she needed any other person's help besides Athena's.
Jean looked to the charitable woman helping her with a bit of uneasiness in her telepathy, and pulled both her mouth and spirit into a smile, if such a feat was possible. But she couldn't help but think—she had gotten that wretched vision when touching that girl. And, after all, the vision had said that 'Something was coming'. No one—or no thing—like Athena was liable to ever come to the Academy again. So . . . was it possible that this girl could be her salvation? Could Athena be the reason that she suffered . .. . could she be the one causing the dreams?
But as Jean looked into the warm, however marginally demonic, eyes of this apparently young girl, she couldn't see any way that this girl could cause anyone pain. She was too innocent—too full of kindness. I'm being excessively paranoid . . . Jean thought to herself. My dreams are probably just that. . Dreams. I'm being sillier than the children are at breakfast. Smiling mildly to herself and letting Athena help her up the stairs, Jean thought of the new friendship that would surely blossom between she and this woman. I haven't had a girlfriend in so long . . . I wonder how she likes to have fun? Jean thought of all the fun and memories they would likely have together, even if Athena's real home was near London. They could have a long-distance friendship . . .. but Jean knew she had to know this young girl better before making her a best friend forever. She decided to just conquer the long set of stairs first.
Professor Xavier watched as Athena was followed by the rest of the X-men as she walked up the long stairs, helping Jean, and holding her two bags as well. Though his heart was warmed by the sight, he was terrified by the question that popped into his mind:
Where is that poor girl going to sleep?
