Chapter 1: Start from the Beginning

Author's Notes: Welp, nothing much to say except that this is the first chapter and I hope you enjoyed the prologue. :3 Anyways, this is mostly an explaining chapter, hopefully it'll answer all your questions if you have any this early in the story.

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Arowl: Glad to see you're gonna be reading this story too, Arowl. :3 Tell me whenever you think something needs improving.

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Disclaimer: Any X-Men characters that shall appear in this chapter, as well as story, do not belong to me. They belong to their proper owners, creators, and users.

For those of you familiar with the X-Men's many comics as well as cartoon series you know their uniforms tend to change, so to make things simpler on you all uniforms shall be in the Ultimate X-Men style. So if you want to see Colossus' ultimate uniform just go to a site like Wikipedia and type in Ultimate Colossus and you might have to scroll down the page, but you'll see it.

(Noticed there was a mix up in Mockingbird's name so I fixed it)

Here goes. :3

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I sighed, checking my watch once again. Twenty three minutes, I thought. Almost an entire half hour to do…what, exactly? I shrugged. Free time was free time, none the less, so why complain? I stood up from my bed, stretching, before observing myself in the mirror. This was me. Tall, around six foot three, with my legs being the tallest part of my body. My hair, a deep black, was kept short because long hair was too much of a hassle and my eyebrows were trimmed occasionally due to them growing together if left to their own business. The last thing I needed was a uni-brow… For as long as I was in the institute I had been wearing the X-men uniform and today was no different considering I had training right after my meeting with Professor Storm. I had to admit, it looked an awful lot like Colossus', what with there being no sleeves and made to fit me snugly, but there was reason to it. I found it ironic, though, since Beast's uniform was likely more suited to me…

Oh yes, I've forgotten to introduce myself. I'm Lex, otherwise known as Bear in the institute. Why do they call me that? It's actually pretty obvious. I can transform myself into a cross between a human and a bear, sort of like Beast is a cross between a human and a…well…beast. That means that in my bear form I can stand on my own two legs, speak, and understand everything I can in my human form. Or, putting it another way, my bear form is just a bigger, taller, furrier, and more muscular version of me with a bear's head. Due to my shift in size my suit was made to stretch and expand so that it fits in my bear form too, like a second skin. It was a little tight fitting the first few transformations, but now it's comfortable and much better than having to rip my clothing.

I was basically still new to the institute, joining only a month or two earlier, but I wasn't the only one. There were four other newer mutants as well that had joined around the same time I had. I was only the second to join.

Checking my watch again I decided to leave the room and start heading towards Professor Storm's office. Since I still had plenty of time on my hands I decided to check how the others were doing…but where would they be about now? "Maybe the greenhouse would be my best bet," I muttered. Luckily it was in the same direction as the professor's room.

The greenhouse was a new addition to the institute. Since Storm had a general affinity to plants, and decided that they also needed educating on how to take care of them, she, with the help of the other older mutants, created it within a week. It was almost as big as the mansion itself, but there was also another reason for it…

As I finally reached the glass door and opened it up to be hit with a wave of heat and humidity I stopped. Someone was singing. As I walked in further, closing the door behind me, I could have sworn I knew the voice… All I really had to do was walk deeper into the dense forest that was the greenhouse and I found her…well them, actually. Mockingbird was standing in the middle of the greenhouse and from the looks of it she was singing to the plants. There was another girl not too far away on a bench, sleeping. I smiled as I moved towards her. All I had to do was stand over her a few seconds and she woke up, taking in a deep breath and yawning. "Hey, Lex."

Anne Marie Hollings, A.K.A Orchid spent most of her time in the greenhouse. She was the one who actually suggested it first to professor Storm. For most of her life she had been living in the midst of plants. They were her true friends for all her life, or so she told me, and she refused to be anywhere without them. She was also mainly responsible for the variety of the plants as well as how big they had gotten…so big some of them that not even genetic engineering could hope to bring them to that size. Her very presence seemed to make them glow with health. Even her look matched that of one who loved nature. Her hair was an earthy brown that was frequently tied into a ponytail, her eyes a bright emerald green while her skin seemed to shine with a tanned olive color. She got her name from her favorite type of flower.

"Why is Mockingbird singing?" I asked, sitting beside her as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "And why are you sleeping?"

She looked at me with a slight smile. "Well sorry if my sleeping bothers you," she said in a sarcastic tone. "The thing is we read up on something that said singing helps plants to grow, so we're testing the theory. Since Mockingbird is the best singer we have I decided to," she yawned again, "utilize her talents. Apparently, though, her singing has an affect on me as well… Gosh I'm sleepy…"

I had to agree, though. Mockingbird was definitely the best singer there was to be found, and with her singing such a soothing and soft melody it was hard not to fall asleep. I looked at her in all her glory, eyes shut and hands clasped together, before she finally stopped. Apparently she hadn't notice me come in 'cause she immediately jumped in surprise at the sight of me before rushing up to hug me. I chuckled.

Shannon Clarence, A.K.A Mockingbird had to be one of the more unique and powerful mutants out of all of us, as well as one of the youngest. At just fourteen she was already well on her way to becoming a woman. She was incredibly mature, considerate, caring, and pretty well developed… Of course, I didn't really pay attention to that last part, but you hear certain things when you have such keen hearing. Her skin was oddly pale, like a ghost, and her hair shimmered a silver and white color which hung down to her hips. Her bangs were pretty long too and their width was enough to hide her face when you looked at her from the side. She would have made the perfect ghost were it not for her incredibly clear blue eyes which seemed to sparkle even from a distance. She only wore her uniform during training, saying she much preferred normal clothes.

Oh yes, that brought up an interesting point. Mockingbird can't talk, as in she's mute, although not genetically. She is mute by choice. Her normal voice was dangerous as it was now since she didn't have total control of her powers. Once she tried talking in her normal voice in the danger room and ended up scrambling the entire computer, almost ending up getting herself killed were it not for the quick actions of the original X-men. Ever since then she's been using other people's voices to talk, mostly Cinders, ending up in her name since a Mockingbird mimicked the songs other birds sang. The closest we get to hearing her original voice is while she is singing and even then she has to hold back. She tried singing in her normal voice and ended up hypnotizing many of the students. They were absent from school for several weeks from how powerful the trance was. Nothing could even wake them.

As I put Shanon on the seat next to me I checked my watch. Ten minutes left. Still plenty of time. "I gotta go," I stated and Serena seemed sad while Anne Marie couldn't care less. "See ya later," she stated flatly. I growled playfully before leaving. Before I heard the door I heard Anne tell Shanon to start singing again. The girls' going to work her to death, I thought, but Shannon didn't mind. At least…she never said anything…

As I walked up the steps towards the upper levels of the mansion, I caught a glimpse of black and white hair and knew immediately who it was. She was walking down the hall, her high heels clicking against the floor loudly. She stopped as soon as she saw me, waiting for me to reach her.

Carmen Viera, or Cinders, had always been a secluded girl despite the attention she got from every boy she came across, me included, but not for the same reasons. If you were only to look at her face you would expect her to be gothic. Her hair, which was incredibly straight, went past her hips, but the strange thing about it was that it changed colors as it went down… It started out black and then it slowly changed to a blazing red at the ends. It also was oddly warmest at the ends of her hair. She also wore dark eye make up at times, her eye lashes were long and perfect, and her eyes were a fierce red that warned anyone who saw them to steer clear. That was about where her darkness stopped.

If you've ever looked at what she wore you would know she's not really into the whole dark look. She actually wore skirts, both short and long, as well as regular girl shirts, so while her face said to back off, her clothes really didn't back up the threat. She was also mostly seen in her school uniform, her shirt slightly unbuttoned and un-tucked. She was also seen in high heels a lot. When I asked her about her fashion sense she told me she never really had a chance to wear many girl clothes, and after trying her first skirt she was hooked ever since. It also explained why she always seemed to have her defenses up. She didn't even open up too much to me. The only person she was really close to was Mockingbird. When they are together they're like twin sisters, yet they were nothing alike.

"Hey, Carmen," I said, passing her by.

"Hi, Lex. Going to therapy again?" she asked. Her voice was always very calm, controlled, and had a hint of apathy.

"Every Monday," I sighed. "I don't know why she insists on it, though…"

"Maybe she's just worried about you. Having an animal inside of you can't be easy," she told me flatly before shrugging. "Have fun," she muttered before walking away again, her heels echoing throughout the entire hall. She didn't talk much, but when she did she was either the wisest, or blunt, person I've ever heard.

Upon finally reaching the professor's door I heard voices from the inside. Was she giving therapy to someone else as well? I didn't have to be given much time to find out who it was, though, since the door opened after only a few seconds of listening and out came…

"Siegfried!" I exclaimed in joy, hugging my much taller friend. He laughed and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Now I know this is Lex," he stated happily. "How are you, bud?"

"Great!" I stated, pulling away reluctantly.

This was my best friend in the entire institute and surprisingly an adult. Siegfried Clarence, known as Midnight by everyone else, was, believe it or not, a new comer as well. He joined shortly after Shannon did, and no, I did not make a mistake. He is her father.

So much to be said about Siegfried… I suppose we should start with the fact that he is blind, but just like Shannon it's by choice. Siegfried's powers are to manipulate the darkness and this strange ability ended up affecting his eyesight. The daylight is too bright for him, even with his eyes closed, so he wears a black band of cloth around them to keep the light out at all times. You might rarely see him take them off at night and even then he says it's bright for him. "To me it's like the equivalent of a bright sunny day for you guys," he once told me. I couldn't imagine living in darkness all my life…but for him it was necessary. A direct hit from the Sun could blind him instantly.

His hair was also long, almost down to his hip, and it looked exactly like his daughter's, only black like mine. He was taller than a normal human should be, around seven three, and he was somewhat on the skinny side too, but the healthy looking kind. After I befriended his daughter, we became fast friends. Although he was the greatest guy I've ever known, I didn't really consider him like a dad, nor a brother. Just the greatest friend any person could ever ask for…

"You goin' in there?" he asked me. "Yup!" I cheerfully replied. Sometimes I was glad he couldn't see me…I had such a stupid grin on my face…

"Well then I'll be seeing ya," he stated before walking away. Although he was blind he could feel and sense the shadows around him, which was a lot like sight already. Anything the darkness was on he saw through his eyes. I slowly entered the warm, wooden office, bookshelves on either wall and a few potted plants in places. Professor Storm was in her seat, waiting patiently for me, while I sat down in the seat opposite her.

"Hello, professor Storm," I stated respectfully, folding my hands on my lap. I never really liked these therapy sessions, but that didn't mean I had to be rude about it.

"Nice to see you again, Lex." There was a slight pause, those awkward ones that I hated, so I shifted in my seat uncomfortably.

"I…really don't have anything to say today…or at least, don't know what to say…"

Storm nodded before crossing her legs, thinking something over in her mind. "In that case, why not start from the beginning? Just to get the thinking juices flowing." I sighed. I didn't really like repeating myself, but I suppose it would help.

"Alright… From the beginning then…"

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Next chapter to be up soon. :3