I don't own X-Men!
DarkNightFalls
4
Continuing down the main road that they were on, Lira led the way to one specific location, hoping to all hopes that nothing else would get between them and safety. Finally, Lira sighted the mansion. The group drove up to the gates, and Lira pressed the intercom.
"Hello, Professor Charles Xavior's Institute for the Gifted. How can I help you?" a female voice broadcast to the group.
"My friends and I need to speak with the professor or someone in charge! It's an emergency!" Lira tried to keep herself calm, but she could literally sense someone coming their way, and it was making her very jumpy.
"The professor will see you now, just come up to the house and leave your vehicles in the drive," pleasant voice over the line cut off as the large gates opened to reveal a carpet of lush green grass on either side of the drive. Lira and Sanil quickly entered through the gates and a feeling of safety crashed over them in waves as the gates shut with a loud clang. They continued up the drive and finally to the front of the house.
"Hello, I'm Ms. Munroe, if you will follow me I will lead you to the professor," a woman with odd white hair, caramel-like skin, and brown eyes greeted them, dressed in a sporty emerald-green t-shirt and black pants. The group piled out of the vehicle, the sheer small number of youngsters surprising Ms. Munroe to near speechlessness as she quickly led them to the professor.
"Come in," a wizened male voice with a slight English accent came from the other side of the door. The door opened to reveal a solitary man in a wheelchair. "Now, what is it that you have come to see me about?"
"Professor, we're from Rochester, Minnesota," Lira swallowed nervously, but relaxed a bit as Sanil handed Faye to her.
"I'll take care of it, Lira. You've done enough for one day," Sanil placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Professor, our city was destroyed by beings that hunt mutants. We call them 'sirens' because right before they come, you hear them. They leveled the town and killed all of the humans and mutants that they could get their hands on. We're not sure about everything, because two of our friends were killed earlier and they would have known more… but we need someplace safe. We had to… Colt, could you take Faye and the other girls outside the door for a moment?"
"Okay San, but what if someone attacks us?" Colt frowned.
"Then I'll sense it before it happens and get them first," Lira gave Faye to Colt, and then the only ones left in the room were Ms. Munroe, the professor, Sanil, and Analira.
"One of our group betrayed us…" Sanil began, as he took Lira's hand. "We've done what we had to do in order to keep the younger kids safe."
"I… I had to kill a girl…" Lira hung her head, but no tears came. "She threatened to bring the sirens down on us... and she gave me no choice when we fought."
"I understand, and we will gladly accept you into our school, but do any of you have last names?"
"I do, but not all of us do…" Lira bit her lip. "My last name is Highwayman and I have a sixth sense."
"So, you are Analira (Lira) Highwayman. What of the others… do any of them have last names?" Ms. Munroe questioned.
"I'm Sanil (San) Knot and I turn myself and anything invisible and back. And if you'll let me bring in the others, it will make things go faster," Sanil watched as the professor gave an affirmative. "Common guys, it's okay to come back in. Now, why don't you give the professor your names?"
"Kay, I'm Indiri (Indy) Jonez and I have control over plants, I'm four," Indy had her sandy-brown hair in pigtails, and her clothes were in similar shape to the rest of the group, which was to say, that they weren't much to look at.
Indy pushed a young boy with short, shiny blue hair forward, "I-I'm Colketta (Colt), I have no last name, and I'm seven. I can make any kind of artillery suddenly appear and I will suddenly know how to use it."
"I'm Haryen (Rye), I have no last name, and I'm six. I have some control over sound waves," another boy stepped forward with curly, shoulder length, red hair.
"I'm Jinaka (Jinks) Tan, I'm five, and all I can really explain about my power is that it has something to do with pranks," a short blonde girl with amber eyes smirked mischievously at the professor.
"I'm Qentega (Quin) Roset and I am a human light bulb. This tyke is Laffayetta (Faye) Roset, she's my little sister, and she has what we call rewind and fast forward," Quin and Faye both had black hair, with purple highlights. Quin was fairly tall for a six year old boy.
"Lira and I are both sixteen," Sanil watched as the professor took every detail in.
"You are welcome to stay here, but you should know that we require you to go to school…"
"Professor, I'm going to suggest that we all get counseling by you or another teacher we can trust. We've all seen things we should never have seen…" Lira stared at the professor's desk, her eyes downcast.
"Lira, we are not judging you. We understand far better than you can know," the professor soothed the entire room with that single statement. "I agree, but you will have to come to one of us or a person you trust to confide in. Is there any room arrangement that you would find comfortable?"
"Professor, I know this is a bit irregular, but we usually slept in the same room or bed with our age group. We would feel safer that way…" Sanil frowned.
"San, we can split into girls and boys. That would probably more appropriate, and maybe we could have an adjoining room next to each other… If that is not too much to ask, professor," Lira felt better as Indy grabbed her leg for security.
"I suppose that could be arranged," the professor smiled.
"Professor, there is a man called Wolverine headed this way," Lira frowned. "He almost attacked us, but another man by the name of Sabertooth attacked us first. The kids trapped the cat-man, and Quin momentarily blinded the man called Wolverine. He is not happy that we are here."
"Like, those kids defeated Sabertooth?" a girl walked through a wall into the professor's office.
"Kitty, you need to knock when my door is closed, you know that," the professor frowned at the valley girl.
"Like, sorry professor, I forgot," Kitty blushed.
"Well, Ororo, will you please take all of our recruits to their new rooms?" the professor smiled politely at Ms. Munroe.
"Of course professor. If you would follow me…" Ms. Munroe motioned the small group towards the door when Wolverine burst into the room.
"Charles! How can you let them in here?!" Wolverine growled at the professor.
"Calm down Logan, they are running from a very large and powerful enemy," the professor tried to calm Wolverine (Logan) down.
"Professor," Lira stepped forward, and away from the group. "Perhaps it would be best if you showed this man my memories. It would be a way to help both of you understand what our common enemy is, and why I'm not like anyone you'd normally run across," Lira sat down in front of the professor and let him hold her head. Logan growled and placed his hand on the professor's shoulder and was suddenly pulled into Lira's memories.
"Urgh!" Logan slumped to the ground in pain.
"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I'd thought it would be," Lira smiled politely at the professor when he chuckled.
"How are you, Logan?" the professor smiled.
"I feel like you ran a train over me…" the entire group of kids glared at him and ran to Lira before he could even let out another word.
"Um, guys, it's okay. Don't cry Indy, we're where Marcus wanted us to be," Lira wrapped her arms around the little girl and pulled her into her arms before standing up and urging the group to follow Ms. Munroe to their new rooms.
"You will meet lots of other students, but none quite as young as that baby," Ms. Munroe motioned to Faye in Quin's arms. "I'm sure that you will meet many of them tomorrow, but that can wait until you've all had adequate sleep."
"Thank you Ms. Munroe, we really appreciate all that you and the professor have done and are doing for us," Sanil bowed politely as Ms. Munroe gestured to two doors.
"Oh, please call me Auntie O, Ororo, or Storm," Ms. Ororo Munroe smiled at the children before her and began tot walk back down the hall. "Goodnight, children."
"Night Stormy," Indy yawned in Lira's arms while Quin handed Faye to Jinks.
"Girls, tell San and the guys goodnight," Lira laughed lightly as the boys stared at the two doors in shock, setting Indy down on the floor.
"Night Quiny, Rye, Colt, and Sanny," Indy and Jinks chorused, while Faye waved at the boys.
"Night Indy, Jinks, Faye, and Lira," Quin, Rye, and Colt yawned their reply and headed into the new room. The two girls quickly ran into theirs.
"Night Lira," Sanil swallowed nervously.
"San, don't worry, there was a reason I requested a door between the rooms," Lira smiled. "Night San."
"…" Sanil could only gape in surprise.
Ten minutes later Sanil was still standing in the same place when Lira poked her head out the door, "Sanil, go to bed. Who knows if we'll get it later…"