Chapter 2
They were in a rounded study, with reddish wood furniture and large, iron framed windows behind the desk. Bruce watched Aurora intently, her mouth wide open at the endless shelves of books that surrounded them; her neck was craning to see the top shelves, giving her a dopey expression. Bruce fidgeted, shifting his wait every few seconds until he abruptly stood up and walked to the windows. The sky was bright and optimistic, filling the room with its light. A soft ticking from an analogue clock made his brow knit together in irritation.
'Calm down,' Aurora swivelled to face him, "you're making me cranky."
"Wuss"
"Armadillo"
"Horse face"
"Hey – "
She was cut off by a quiet coughing behind them. They both jumped, Bruce's knees bending slightly.
It was them. Or more specifically, the guy with the claws who had, 'rescued' them that morning; he wasn't in his uniform anymore, but in flared jeans and a leather jacket, a cigar lodged in the side of his mouth. The woman with fiery red hair was also there, pushing a bald man in a wheelchair. Bruce noted how calm the seated man was, taking in his calm smile.
"I am sorry for keeping you waiting. Please, sit down." The bald man gestured the armchair Bruce had been sitting in to him as he was pushed behind the desk in front of them. Bruce looked quickly to the other two standing people, and then slowly lowered himself back into the chair. "My name is Charles Xavier. This house, and the grounds surrounding it are part of the Xavier Institute For Gifted Youngsters; in short, a school and home for mutants." He paused, continuing when neither Arken answered. "This is Jean and Logan, members of our staff here and also part of the X Men, our aim being to help mutants in distress. This –"
"You said institute." Bruce's eyes narrowed and he gripped the armchair, "We're not crazy."
A snort, "That's what most loons think, bub."
"Logan." Xavier said sternly. "My boy, you misunderstand me; we are here to teach you to control your powers, to provide shelter. You're free to go wherever you wish, though I can assure you, your rooms will be far more comfortable than your previous dwelling." Aurora's eyes widened; he had said that directly after she had guessed that they were in a prison. "Y-you're a-"
"A telepath, yes as is Jean here. Please, don't refrain from asking anything."
Silence. Then Bruce looked the man harshly in the eye, saying "What was that.. machine at school?" His eyes didn't leave Xavier's.
"A sentinel; a machine built to hunt down and terminate mutants; I'm sure you know of those who aren't as understanding of our kind as others."
"How did you find us so quickly? Oh…um… telepath, right." Aurora voice drifted off, her gaze flicking between the X Men like a hummingbird.
Jean smiled. "No it's a good question," she looked at the Professor, who nodded before she continued on. "While our natural abilities can be used to locate people, we have Cerebro to enhance our abilities."
"Serebo..?"
"Cerebro, a device we use to amplify our brainwaves, to increase our inherent strength mentally. We use it to locate mutants in distress most of the time."
The clock's ticking bounced around the rooms. Bruce was uncomfortable, feeling vulnerable. He shifted his weight again, not daring to telepathically talk to Aurora. "Please believe me when I say that we are not your enemies."
He looked at the Professor once again. "Why should I…we believe you?"
The latter smiled softly. He could sense that he was feeling trapped, confused. Xavier pondered for a second. "This is hard for you, I understand. This world is a callous place, even more so to our kind and even for your ages you both have seen brutality in its most cowardly form. You could choose to believe us because of the students and people we have already helped, or because of the reports you read about us Aurora. In all actuality, I have no way to prove to you that you should believe us. But I appeal to your judgement instead; will you give us your faith, and at least try, for the possibility that you would be happy with us, here?"
The Arkens looked at each other, trying to read each other's eyes. Finally, Aurora turned back, mumbling as she chewed her lip. Realising that no one could hear her, she nodded several times, blushing when Jean gave her a wide smile.
"I'm glad that you will at least try us." The Professor said. "Now to the details. I understand that previously you assumed the role as twins in your previous school, your reasoning I can understand; I believe that it would be best for both of you to not return to school until September, as it will soon be the holidays anyway. It would be more prudent for you to settle down first." The Arkens, now considerably more relaxed, murmured their agreement. "Aurora, you will move back down to your age groups' year, while Bruce will stay where he is; I understand you are both very close, the bond between you too is precious, and in no way do we want to sever or even strain this. However, the X Men are a family, and I would encourage you to make friends, and to treat the institute as home."
"You will be shown to your rooms shortly, and tomorrow you be introduced to the training classes you will attend. The teachers and training you will receive will be based on your abilities. Dr Hank will put you through a physical and medical examination as well."
After the Professor had gone through all the rules and regulations, he handed them over to Jean and Logan, who took them to their rooms. As they reached the dorms, the occasional bang or burst of light was heard, and Aurora swore she saw a girl in a towel-dress running through walls. She shook her head and walked on, only to be pulled back by Bruce. They were standing near the end of the corridor, in front of a half open thick wooden door. From the dark wooden beams inside, the smell of sap and earth filled the room. A bed leaned against the far wall, opposite large wardrobe and desk. Empty shelves lined the walls, only separated by another door at the far end of the room. From the classical velvet and wooden interior, you could tell this was one of the older rooms, its original architecture seemingly untouched.
"Aurora, this will be your room. The Professor said that you too are more relaxed when you're closer together, so your rooms are joined by that door there. We'll leave you to settle in."
The remaining three walked past her into the next room. "Bruce, this is your room." Jean smiled, looking back at Aurora who was perched in the doorway. "Tomorrow myself and some of the girls are going shopping. Since you haven't got any clothes or other belongings with you, we can lend you the essentials tonight so you can stock up in town."
After saying her goodbye, she left. Logan walked to follow her, then paused and looked back. He suppressed to urge to grunt, instead looking at the boy. "Look kid, these were the only connected rooms free, an' they happen to be slack bang in the middle of the men's dormitories. There are bathrooms for every 6 people, an' because of yours truly," He pointed with his cigar at Aurora, "There's now gonna be a shower rotor. It up ta' you bub to make sure she goes in at the right times to avoid any…happenin's."
After Bruce's eyes widened, then narrowed, Logan guessed he got the message. As he left he said to Aurora "You tell us if any of these hormonal bastards aims a swipe at yer darlin'."
Bruce shut the door, paused, then said "You are so not going to the showers without telling me."
"Bruce ewww, I'm sure Logan didn't mean it!"
He grumbled with a dark look on his face about naivety. "Aren't we in this mess because Bradley 'took a swipe at you'?"
"…"
"Don't look at me like that, it's a valid point!"
"Whatever armadillo boy." She rolled her eyes, smirking at Bruce's scowl.