It's been awhile, yes. I know. Life. Although this story was on hiatus and I forgot about for quite some time, I am back (periodically) to update some more. So here is more!
Chapter 3
Ororo's smile grew even wider. "No, not a test. It was an opportunity, one I am glad to see you have taken."
After supper, Laura reflected that it was indeed a good idea to have taken that opportunity, even if it was unintentional, as Ororo sat next to her when they spoke to Professor Xavier.
"Bobby, Rahne, Jubilee, and Amara are quite upset about their clothing. I have surveyed the damage and it's fairly inconsiderable. The funds could easily be allotted to them to replace their clothes. However, Laura, you are strictly banned from doing laundry and over your monthly allowance of social disturbances," Professor Xavier looked solemnly at Laura from his desk, "and so something must be done. Ororo, I believe you wished to say something regarding exactly this."
"Yes, Charles," Ororo briefly placed a hand on Laura's shoulder and exchanged a glace with her before removing it and continuing. "Our initial agreement was that in exchange for assistance in my attic greenhouse, I would consult you regarding this matter before informing Logan. This agreement has been kept.
"With this afternoon's gardening in mind, I would like to suggest an opportunity for Laura to exert her energies in a non-destructive way. I would like to borrow her most evenings to learn about my plants and help me care for them. In this way, she will not be harassing the other students and will be able to learn the practical skills that she is failing to on her own."
Laura's expression didn't change, even when the professor studied her thoughtfully while Ororo spoke. After several minutes, he spoke.
"These terms sound reasonable to me. If Laura feels this is reasonable as well then this experiment has my permission to begin."
"Excellent," Ororo smiled, enthusiastically starting to divide up tasks in her mind before remembering that Laura hadn't consented. Xavier's private study, already a quiet room, grew silent as Laura thought.
"To be clear," she said after a pause, "the alternative is letting Logan decide what to do with me?"
Xavier and Ororo nodded.
"What sort of thing would he decide to do with me?"
"Normally," Professor Xavier said, "I caution him to use restraint when directing punishment at the student residents here for a number of reasons. However the reasons I use in requiring such restraint do not apply to you."
Ororo elaborated, "It wouldn't be inhumane, however knowing your…history, Logan would have to come up with some sort of physical activity that would actually seem like a punishment to you. Or, and I stress this, you could choose to learn gardening with me and omit Logan altogether."
"Then I accept," Laura said.
"Wonderful!" Ororo looked pleased at having finally procured gardening assistance, "Tomorrow evening after supper please join me in my attic garden and we will get started."
The remainder of the evening went slowly, as they commonly did for Laura. She patrolled the perimeter of the property a few times, and debugged and reset the complicated security system installed after the mansion was rebuilt. And then crashed it again, and rebuilt it entirely to pass some more time. She avoided the teenagers, and wandered the suddenly quiet halls that night while everybody prepared for school the next day.
After a few hours of frantic late-night studying the last of the teenagers fell asleep, and Laura found herself wandering back up the assorted staircases and down the halls until she was back in the greenroom in the attic. The moon was bright and the sky was clear through the glass ceiling, casting strong shadows among the plants. It looked entirely different than during day, more mysterious, alluring, and unknown. She could dimly hear a grandfather clock tolling a very early hour of the morning as she stalked between the plants.
She found the ugly spindled plant on the table in the center of the room and stared at it critically some more, trying to discern what the point of its existence was. Cautiously poking a thorn did not help, nor did trying to see inside one of the tiny green buds without actually touching or opening it. Eventually she gave up and went back to her bed full of a feeling she didn't know was curiousity.