Author's Note: Okay, so like I've said before this is my first fanfic attempt. I'm not sure if I'll be good at getting the characterizations of the canon characters right, but I'll sure as hell try. Hope you read and enjoy and REVIEW!
Chapter 4: Crossing Paths
Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters
Westchester, New York
As Apollo stepped out of the car, he was greeted by a lady with beautiful red hair and a gorgeous face. She had on a white blouse that clung to her shapely figure in all the right areas. Her eyes had a very kind look in them, but they also seemed to guard a deep darkness within her.
"Hi, you must be Apollo," she said with a smile. "My name is Jean Grey. Welcome to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." She held out her hand to shake his, and he took it, shaking it lightly.
"Thanks," he said. He then looked at the expanse of grounds that surrounded him and the enormous and handsome brick mansion in front of him. He could tell that the mansion had an ancient past and origin and liked that it was classy and homey. He also noticed the beautiful and large fountain in front of the school. It was very ornate and classy as well.
"Now, if you'll follow me, please. The professor would like to meet you and talk for a bit," Jean said, interrupting his visual intake of his surroundings, as she walked to a set of impressive oak front doors. He grabbed his bag and followed her through the doors and into the foyer where he saw two sets of grand and ornate staircases on either wall, leading up to a second floor.
"Those lead up to the bedrooms for the residents and guests. I can show them to you later if you would like. I could even give you a tour of the whole place," Jean explained.
"Yeah, that'd be cool," Apollo stated simply. He was beginning to like Jean. She was nice and pretty and seemed to genuinely want to help him get settled in. They walked down a maze of halls it seemed like before they finally stopped in front of a door.
"Well, here we are. I would come in and sit with you, but I have other matters to attend to right now. But don't worry; the professor will let me know when you're ready to take your tour, okay?" she said with a smile.
"Okay," he smiled back and walked through the door.
Mutant… The word echoed through Dante's head as he rode with his parents to the address that Ms. Munroe had given them. As he sat in the backseat with his eyes closed, he thought back to when she had come to their house and talked with them about the institute…
…Knock! Knock! Dante's dad asked if he could get the door and he reluctantly got up and answered it. He opened the door to reveal a beautiful and regal looking lady with snow white hair that contrasted greatly with her rich ebony skin.
"Hello, my name is Ororo Munroe," she said, holding her hand out to him.
"Hi, I'm Dante," he said, taking her hand and shaking it. "Please, come in," he invited her as he stepped back, holding the door open. He would've loved to say that she walked in, but she seemed to glide. He closed the door and followed her to the living room, where she was saying hi to his dad like they were old friends
"It's so nice to see you again, Derek," Ororo said, hugging him, when Dante walked into the room. She then turned to his mom and greeted her as well. They all then proceeded to take a seat, Dante between his mother and father and Ororo on the chair across from them.
Dante then spoke, saying, "Umm… No offense, but why is she here?"
"Ha-ha. None taken, my dear. I am here to discuss what happened to you today at school," Ororo answered him with a smile on her face.
"Oh… that… I already know that I'm a freak… you don't have to confirm it for me."
"My dear child, you are most certainly not a freak. You are an extremely gifted young man with wondrous potential."
"Only a freak can make a werewolf materialize out of thin air."
"That is just part of the gift that has been bestowed upon you."
"Not much of a gift if you ask me… it only proves that I don't fit in anywhere."
"But there is a place where you will fit in, a place where you will be with others going through a similar situation."
"Where is that, exactly?"
"Xavier's Institute for Higher Learning."
"But I'm just a freshman in high school. I can't go to college yet."
"That's not a problem. You will receive the rest of your high school education there, as well as other courses to help enrich you as a person and prepare you for the real world."
"So I'll basically by going to a school for freaks?"
"No because you're not a freak, so please stop calling yourself that, okay?"
"Okay, then if I'm not a freak, what am I?"
"You're a mutant." He sat in stunned silence for a while. He then got up and ran to his room. His father started to go after him, but Ororo put her hand up to stop him and walked upstairs.
His room was easy to find, as the door had been decorated on the outside. She stopped and knocked and waited for an answer. She softly heard a, "Come in," and opened the door and sat next to Dante on his bed.
"You know, being a mutant isn't as bad as it seems," she said as it started to rain outside.
"Oh yeah? How so?" he asked.
"Well, for me, I have the ability to make the sun come back out when it rains. See?" she inquired, and as he looked up at her, her eyes turned a ghostly shade of white. She then pointed to his window and when he looked, he saw the rain and clouds that had formed, dissipate and the sun shone brightly through. He sat there, amazed, and thought to himself, Maybe being a mutant isn't so bad after all.
"I'm just scared is all," he whispered. Ororo looked down at him, with a questioning look in her eyes. "Well, it's just that I'm already outcasted because I'm gay, but now I'm a mutant on top of that."
"You won't have to worry. That shouldn't be an issue at the institute."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure and if it is a problem, you can always come and talk to me. So, will you go and give the institute a chance?" Ororo asked looking down at him.
Dante sat there and thought for a minute before looking up at her and saying, "Sure, why not?"…
…Now Dante was having some second thoughts about attending the Institute. But when they rounded a corner and entered through the gates, he was awestruck at the beauty of the place. He looked around at the grounds in front and saw other kids running around and having fun. He then saw one girl jump, and in mid-air, shift into a wolf. He also saw another turn pitch black with an aura of what appeared to be solar energy surrounding him, leap into the air and take flight. When they pulled up to the impressive oak front doors, they were greeted by the serene smile of Ororo Munroe.
"Good afternoon, Dante. Glad you and your parents could make it," she said as they all got out of the car. "Normally, I would take you to the headmaster's office for a meeting, but he is in the middle of one with another new student. So, in the meantime, I'm going to give you the grand tour of the school."
"Okay, but is there anywhere that I can put my stuff at?" he inquired.
"Of course. Our first stop, then, shall be your room," she answered as she opened the front door and lead them to the left side of a pair of staircases that lined both walls. As they were walking down the hallway, Ororo was busy explaining the living quarters.
"Students are all on the second floor, boys to the left coming up from the front and girls to the right. Faculty and staff are housed on the third floor to the left and the mansions long-term residents are in the right wing of the third floor. Ah, here we are. This will be your room that you will share with another student." Dante sat his stuff down on one of the two empty beds and followed Ororo back out into the hall and back down the stairs.
"Most everything else, like classes and the library, are on the first floor. We have a very extensive book selection, mainly do the fact that we offer a wide variety of courses to take and that there have been a few super geniuses and philosophers walk these halls." As she was saying this, a pretty redheaded girl came walking up to her.
"Hey, Storm," she greeted Ororo.
"Hello Jean, how are you?"
"Pretty good. How about you?"
"Much the same. I'm just showing young Dante here and his parents around while the professor is in his meeting."
"Oh, you must be the other new student. Welcome, I'm Jean Grey. If you ever have any questions you can always come to me… and if you want to follow me, the professor is done with his meeting and I have to give another new student the grand tour."
They followed Jean down what seemed like a maze of corridors until they reached a single oak door, upon which Jean knocked. The door then opened, and the tallest guy Dante had ever seen walked out and greeted her. He turned and waved a greeting to everyone else before he walked off behind Jean on his tour of the mansion.
"After you, Dante," Ororo said, holding the door open for him and his parents. He walked in and took a seat and looked at the man sitting across from him, behind an ornate wood desk. The man was bald with a kind face and eyes that held a vast amount of compassion, but also hinted at great power.
"Good afternoon, I'm Professor Charles Xavier."
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but I had a difficult time coming up with a really good main plot line, but I'm sure you will find it worth the wait. I hope you enjoyed it and please review!
And a special thanks to PiCka-ChIcK, skoolkid17, Connzox, and The Scratch Man for being the first to review my story! Thank y'all so much!