Stumbling Along the Path

"Does it ever wake you in the middle of the night?" Erik asked, "The feeling that one day, they'll come for you? And your children?"

Xavier wheeled around, "I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul who comes to my school looking for trouble."

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or universe. They belong to Marvel and FOX Studio.

Ororo woke up as soon as the light came through the window; she looked down at the clock, it was only 5am. They hadn't planned on starting back up with their mission until 7am. So she quickly changed into some casual day clothes, grabbed a head scarf and covered her face and head with it, leaving only her eyes to be seen.

She looked at Kurt who was still out like a light, a soft snore escaping from his pale blue lips. She snuck past him and went out into the hallway. The lights were all dim and everyone was still in deep slumber.

She made her way through the hallways and into the kitchen. Not a soul was to be seen, so she gathered a bunch of fruit left over and bread and shoveled it all into a satchel before leaving. She made sure to leave no evidence of her stopping by the kitchen.

Once she was done, she went back to her room, went out onto the balcony and as her eyes glazed over, a gust of wind picked her up and ushered her over the water and onto the dock below. She gathered her footing and began to head out into the city. She started off where she had left off the day before, leaving a few pieces of fruit and bread, wrapped up in a napkin on the doorsteps of some of the houses and orphanages of Genosha.

She had seen the kids out the day before looking around and running about the streets and it had broken her heart to see such young ones starving, she had remembered her time alone in Africa when she too was starving and had turned to thieving to keep herself alive. She didn't want them to turn into thieves as she did, so she would do it for them.

Wanda stood in the shower, her hands pressed against her temples, she had gotten very little sleep the night before and was expecting to meet with her father, Lorna and Pietro early to discuss their plans for Genosha and who would stay. She had been rehearsing in her head what to say to Pietro to get him to stay with them.

Alas, she had come up blank. She had put her faith in her father and hoped she had something better to say to him.

She finally got out of the shower. She didn't bother wrapping up in a towel, it was far too hot in her room. She dried almost immediately from the heat. She dug through her backpack for a clean shirt and shorts. She wished she had something in her wardrobe that wasn't black or dark red. She finally settled on her only tank top she owned, it was typically too cold in her hometown to wear shorts or a tank top.

She snapped her bra on and slid the black tank top over her head. She turned around and looked in the mirror. She felt so out of place, and empty. She thought maybe it was just her nerves, she couldn't put a finger on it. She inched closer to the mirror, her eyes narrowing as strands of hair fell over her face. Her mouth opened, she sometimes wondered if it was really her in the mirror or just an illusion.

She pulled herself away as she heard a knock on her door, she looked at the clock and it was already 7. She quickly grabbed her underwear and slid them over her still pale legs and quickly tried to hop into her shorts as she made her way for the door.

"I'm coming!" She shouted, tripping over her suitcases as she grabbed the door knob. She buttoned her pants and opened the door.

"Father is expecting you and Pietro for breakfast before he goes back to Genosha. And he will be expecting answers from you and Pietro before sunset. The boat is leaving tonight." Lorna said with confidence.

Wanda nodded and followed Lorna out. She felt so small in comparison to her. She stood tall, taller than Pietro even. Of course she did have heels on, the same shade of green as her hair. She had a long flowing sundress that was white with green swirls, it was almost hypnotizing. And she now had a green headdress that shaped her face and came up into two points like horns or a crown. She was beautiful and intimidating all in one. Wanda felt so small in comparison.

Soon they reached the dining area where Magneto and Peter were already sitting sipping on coffee. Lorna sat down and motioned for Wanda to sit beside her.

"Good morning, Lorna, Wanda. I hope you all slept well." Magneto nodded to the girls as a man brought out fruit and bread and cups of tea for the girls.

"As you all know this is the last day that this boat will be docked here in Genosha. Lorna and I will be staying. Wanda, Pietro, I wish you both would stay here, safe and with me, where I can better teach you both about your abilities without fear of those who do not understand. Of course, this is your decision, though I will need to know before the boat leaves." Magneto said, as he passed a small tray of jams and butter for their bread.

Wanda looked at Peter, her eyes widened, her mouth opened to say something but she was interrupted.

"I can't stay; my mom is waiting for me back home. I'm all she has." Peter said, getting up and leaving.

"Pietro…" Wanda sighed.

"It's Peter. Just Peter… and I really can't stay. Thank you though." He sighed before running off.

"I'm sorry, father." Wanda said, looking down at her plate no longer feeling hungry.

"It is quite alright, Wanda. Pietro is just like his mother. He will realize soon though that he being with his mother will only put her in danger too. Then he will return. Til then… will you be staying with us, Wanda?" He said, looking up from his cup and grabbing his helmet in the chair next to him.

Wanda looked to Lorna, her green eyes flashing with kindness for the first time she had seen. She then turned back to her father, "Yes. Yes I will."

"Good, I had something made for you." He said, putting a box on the table.

It wasn't wrapped, no card, just a plain box. Wanda looked at her father who nodded at her to take the box. She opened it and found a gorgeous scarlet dress with a matching cloak, and beneath it a headdress almost identical to Lorna's except it was scarlet unlike her green one.

"It's gorgeous." She whispered, picking up the headdress and placing it on her head.

"It is a new start for both of. Polaris." He nodded to Lorna, "And Scarlet Witch." He nodded to Wanda. She smirked, it was a befitting name.

Jean and Scott roamed the streets. Sweating in their uniforms but Jean was determined to find the familiar thoughts she had heard the day before. She ran down the street as the voices got louder in her head.

"Jean, slow down!" Scott said in between quick, shallow breaths and trying to keep up with her.

"They are here somewhere." She said, turning a corner down an alley.

"It's you." She said.

Scott turned around the corner to see Jean staring down at a scruffy man. He was eating some bread, shirtless.

Scott came up behind Jean and looked down at the man. He did look familiar but he couldn't put a finger on him.

"What are you lookin' at, bub?" He growled at Scott.