"Dr. Stephen Strange," Zira said, her face a mask of horror and fury. The man looked confused, and his green eyes narrowed.

"I see you know my name, but I'm afraid that I don't know yours," he said, confirming Zira's call. He moved towards her, ready to greet her.

"Moran," Zira replied. Stephen stopped dead in his tracks, his green eyes going wide.

"That night at the hospital," he said softly, taking a step back. "That was you?"

"You mean the night you let my mom die?" Zira growled. The same orange-gold energy that Stephen had used to make his portal began to form around Zira's hands. Her long silver hair began to move slightly with the energy she was giving off.

"Zira," Logan warned, trying to get close to her.

"He wouldn't even see her," Zira snarled, ignoring her mentor. "You didn't even come into her room when she coded. You walked right past her and me, and you let her die!" With a scream, she launched a stream of energy at Stephen, who blocked it easily. Despite that, he still looked scared.

"Zira, stop it!" Logan called, not stopping his advance.

"Get back, Logan!" Zira snapped at him, her silver eyes wild with anger. "This doesn't involve you." He tried to take another step, and she let loose another stream of energy like a whip, throwing him back. Suddenly, the energy around her faded and she fell to her knees with a small whimper. Her eyes closed slightly, and she took a few deep breaths. Logan immediately looked at Charles, who was focused on Zira with a sad look on his face. He knew the older mutant hated using his powers on his students, especially without their consent. But sometimes, it was completely necessary. Logan didn't like it either, but he agreed with Charles' actions.

Zira looked at her teacher and immediately realized what she had done, and what he had been forced to do.

"I'm sorry, professor," she said, slowly getting up. "I don't know what came over me."

"I think I do," Charles said. "I believe we found your barrier...and the man to help you."

"He can't help me," Zira replied, glaring at Stephen, who had backed up from the girl. "He's the whole reason I'm an orphan."

"Zira, you know that's not completely true," Charles scolded her, his voice getting sharper than normal. "You cannot blame doctors for everything. We know full well why your mother died, and there's a good chance Dr. Strange couldn't have done anything to help her."

"If he'd seen her earlier, maybe he could have," she replied. "We had so many referrals from so many neurologists, and you still didn't even bother to let her schedule an appointment! Every doctor we went to said you were her best hope, and you still didn't see her."

"I'm sure the situation," Charles began.

"No," Stephen interjected. "She's right, Charles. I was...arrogant, and kind of a dick. Okay, I was a dick," he added after a cocked eyebrow from the 18-year-old girl in front of him. "Things are different, now. I've changed...maybe not completely, but I realize what I was, and I'm trying not to be that anymore."

Zira regarded him. The look in his eyes was genuine remorse, but she was still having a hard time getting over her emotions.

"What you did was magic...Zira, was it? You definitely have a penchant for it, at least as natural as my teachers said I was."

"Magic? Like...Harry Potter?" Zira asked, skeptical.

"Absolutely not," Stephen scoffed. "No silly names for things. There are words and tools sometimes, but not like those wannabe books. This is real, unadulterated magic." He waved his hands in a specific pattern, showing her one of the first spells he learned from the Ancient One. Without any power behind it, it merely shone as an intricate pattern in front of him, before he waved it away. When he looked at Zira, her silver eyes were wide with amazement, sparkling with curiosity.

"And you think I can do that?" she asked quietly, still looking at the now-empty spot.

"I'm certain you can do that," Stephen insisted. "Come with me to Kamar Taj, and I can teach you that, and so much more. Most importantly, I can teach you control." She looked as though she was seriously considering it...but that little bit of resentment and anger still lingered in her silver eyes.

"One year," said a voice behind them. Everyone turned and looked at Logan.

"What?" Zira asked.

"Go with this guy for one year. After that, if you don't like what he has to say, leave. Come back here," Logan said.

"Logan, you can't be serious," Zira said, frowning.

"Kid, it's one thing to hurt me," he continued. Zira's eyes guiltily flicked to the blood on his right shoulder, leftover from a cut that had healed moments before. "The last thing I want you to do is to hurt someone that can't take it as I can. I get it, you think this guy's a dick, but if he's offering you your best hope, I'd take him up on it." Zira looked at her surrogate father, then back at Stephen.

"Professor, do you believe this is the best course of action for me?" she asked, not taking her silver eyes from Stephen's green ones.

"I do," Charles answered. She heaved a heavy sigh, then pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Stephen asked. Zira ignored him, fiddling with the device in her hand. Once done, she held it up to him. The calendar app was displayed, showing the same date and time one year later.

"One year," she said and pressed save.