Everything after the first confrontation was a bit of a blur. I was led around the house, thought it was more of a mansion, and saw all that I had missed, which wasn't much.

I had been informed that the man that had attacked us was called Sabertooth and was working for another man called Magneto. Funny names these people have. And funny costumes. The reason that they had attacked us was still unknown, but was being looked into.

I followed them around eagerly, looking at my new surroundings and taking in all the new scents that wafted towards me. Many people were in this mansion, all with weird scents. I think that it is their mutant powers that give them such strange scents, but I don't dwell on this for long.

Trotting after the Professor, I ignore the stares and the murmurs of conversation, although I was surprised that not as many people were looking as I thought there might be. Guess I wasn't the first strange thing to be walking through these hallways. Speaking of which, I was also looking for Marie, or Rogue as she was now called. Again, what was it with the names?

Along with that, I was also experimenting with my thoughts. I wanted to see if I could possibly transmit my own thoughts. I had read this book once about brainwaves or something like that. And don't judge. You try growing up in a lab for years without learning. I actually enjoy learning new things. Is that so wrong?

I concentrated hard on my thoughts, of pushing them into the minds of others. I felt something, but I wasn't sure if it was actually working. I decide to try it on the Professor first, him being the one that was actually a master at stuff like this. Gently, I try to push a thought into his head.

'Hello?' I ask.

The Professor's head swung towards me, eyes a bit wide in surprise. "Did you just do that, Spirit?"

I give a wag of my tail and bark slightly. I try again.

'Yes.'

The thoughts were just whispers, but it was progress in my book! I give another happy bark, eyes sparkling.

The Professor chuckled. "Well done. Looks like now we don't have to use me every time you wish to speak to someone. Though now the only problem is, how are you going to shift? You don't seem to have much control over it."

I give a raspy bark, chuckling. I push my thoughts again.

'Only shift before. Don't know how shift or how get back,' I said hesitantly.

Xavier gave a slow nod, coming to a stop by a large door. It opened and he rolled his wheelchair inside the large room. It looked like an office, I realized. Or was it a classroom. There were about seven students there now, all sitting patiently and doing some work. I stay close to the Professor's side, not all that trusting of those I don't know.

While I hide myself by the Professor's side, he makes his way over to the old desk by a glass window. It was a pretty window to be honest. I sat down just under the desk, hiding myself from view from the students, but still in view of the Professor.

'So, how you help me with power?' I asked him. A few of the students gave a small cry of alarm, not used to a feminine voice in their heads. Looks like I was going to have to learn how to transmit my thoughts to only one person. More and more things to learn. I was on a roll!

I ignore the students and look up at the Professor instead, waiting for his answer.

The smile that touched his lips, strangely, made me feel safe. Of course we will help you. You are now a student of mine now.

My tail tapped against the ground as I slid down to rest on my stomach. I lay my head in between my paws and dozed, listening to the background sounds of Xavier lectured his students about a molecular structure.

I jerk awake with a yelp, yelping for a second time when my head slammed against the bottom of the desk. Growling under my breath, I slip out from under it, dodging the Professor's wheelchair as he did some paperwork at his desk. The room was now empty with just the two of us. He looked down at me with a slight worry.

"Are you alright?" he asked me.

I give a nod. 'Fine. Just rotted dreams,' I told him. At his confused expression of my odd term, I reword it. 'Nightmare.'

He gave a small smile of understanding. "Where the dreams from your past?"

I nod again. 'Yes.' I said nothing more of the topic, not wishing to dwell on the past. Too much had happened in my past to want to relive it.

The Professor set down what he was working on and set about talking to me. I didn't mind. I enjoyed being talked to. "We seem to be having a hard time with finding out what Magneto wanted with you. I believe that he may want Logan because of the adamantium metal in his skeletal system, but again, I don't know why," he said.

I cock my head to the side. 'I help. Logan helped me, now I help him.'

The Professor chuckled, placing a hand on top of my head. "I'm sure that you will. We all will."

After we talked for a while longer, the Professor led me to a room. He said that it was mine. I hadn't known what to say. I had never had my own room before! On the outside, I just gave a nod of thanks, keeping my cool, but on the inside, I was giddy with excitement and happiness.

I run from corner to corner, smelling everything that I could and putting it all into memory. That only took me about twenty minutes before I sat down in the middle of the room, not sure what else to do. I decide to see if I could shift back into a human. It made things easier to be around the others. I think back to when I had first escaped...

A lot of commotion and noises. I cowered in the back of my cage, blood still soaking my fur from the last round of testing. Something was happening. Something big. I could smell it. The humans were coming for me again. A sensation seized my chest and I growled. I was a powerful predator! I shouldn't be reduced to this! A pathetic excuse for a wolf I was. Footsteps approached my cage. I growled, getting to my feet and standing tall. I was big and I was powerful, I thought to myself, ignoring how much of an exaggeration that was as I felt my ribs press against my form, muscles weak and limp under my dank, smelly fur. Powerful and big, I thought to myself, over and over again. The cage door was opened and a hand reached in to grab my scruff. I snarl loudly before lunching myself at the hand, closing my jaws over it. A scream of pain and the hand was jerked back, pulling me with it. As soon as I was out, I released it, adrenaline flooding through me. I thought of the humans, how they had disgraced my species. I snarl again and run as fast as my legs could carry me, which wasn't very fast, but still fast enough to get me away from the humans. The rest of that was a blur of running past guards and doors and one voice that sent chills down my spine as he hollered, "Stop her! That's Experiment 54B! Don't let her escape!" I continued to run, not even daring of looking over my shoulder. I just continued to run.

I reached a door and it was closing. My luck was still running. A Jeep had just come in, causing the door to open just before the alarm had been sounded. There were shouts of alarm and even a few gunshots before I burst through the doors and out into the cold world. I didn't stop to bask in the fact that I had escaped. The lab people had yet to know that I had human intelligence. They didn't know that I could think far past what they thought I could. All they knew was what the stuff had been that they injected me with daily and that I was a self-healer. I headed for the woods, aiming to get lost in there. But the snow printed every track that I left. I slowed to a stop, breathing heavily and foaming at the mouth. I thought of humans, how they would catch me if I didn't think of something soon. Humans...

Pain shot through my limbs and I was changing. Fur shortening, teeth retracting, lean muscle forming under my now flawless tanned skin. I curl against the ground in pain, biting my tongue to prevent even a whimper from slipping through. Moments passed before I was able to open my eyes. Everything was duller, but more colorful than before. The same went for my hearing. I was a human...

I snap out of my daydream and remember how I had first become a human. I had been thinking of humans. I tried this again, remembering the feelings I had had then. Remembered the fear and the pain.

Once again, pain coursed through my limbs, but it wasn't as bad as the first time. Two minutes passed and I was sitting on the floor. I was human.

I give a happy squeal of excitement and froze, startled by the sound. I still wasn't used to this form, but it looked like I was about to start learning soon. My own training had begun.