I'm not having much to say other than: This is the last chapter guys!
Now I'm gonna talk a bit more at the end of the story, but for now, enjoy the very last chapter :D
I don't own X-men...
" We all have inner demons to fight, we call these demons fear and hatred and anger. If you do not conquer them, then a life of 100 years is a tragedy; If you do, the life of a single day is a triumph"
-The Bruce Lee story
"Welcome my students, please, have a seat."
Charles invited his six students to sit down on the large couch. They had been called into the living room to discuss an important matter.
"Thank you all for participating in this meeting, it takes a lot of bravery to open up and share your life with others. Now, I know this might feel uncomfortable, but as a team, you need to know each other's talents, and weaknesses."
Charles looked at his confused pupils as they sat down. They weren't sure what he wanted them to do, so they just sat down and listened.
"I believe you all have a story to tell. Your life's have been a wild roller-coaster ride both physical and mentally, and I know it can be hard to cope with all these changes and emotions, but you are not alone. We all have inner demons. These might be due to something that we're afraid of, something we are ashamed of, or simply something from our past that we don't want to remember.
I want you all to trust each other, as a team, but mostly, as family. No laughing, unless it's okay for the one speaking, and no judging. You are all in this together, so feel free to express your feelings."
He could feel the atmosphere was tensing by the way they looked at each other and moved in their seats.
"Don't see this as a punishment, it is far from it. I believe we can leave this room with a feeling of freedom. A feeling of safety."
"The way I see this, is that you want us all to magically become best friends." Evan cut off.
"No Evan, I'm not telling you who to befriend, I'm simply asking you to share your point of view with the rest of us."
Evan stood up and crossed his arms.
"You won't my point of view? Fine. I think this psychology stuff is ridiculous, I never asked to be here in the first place!"
"Why don't you begin then, tell us how you feel about being here." Jean inquired.
"Fine. The only reason I'm here, is because I have to. I could chose between being stocked in a jail or join a school for mutants, so I chose freedom. Now that I'm here I realize that this is nothing but a larger prison cell. I'm constantly reminded about rules, I can't invite friends over, I have to be extremely careful who I talk to, and whenever people ask me something, I have to lie to them."
He explained it all by large hand moves and an angry attitude.
"I'm not allowed to show off or tell anyone, not even my closest friends. They trust me, and I trust them, but I don't deserve it, cause I'm constantly lying to them. I leave them behind, saying that I have homework, duties, an important meeting that I can't miss, when in reality I'm off on a mission to save the world.
I understand that we have a secret identity for a reasons, but what I don't understand is why we have to hide them. Why aren't we ever showing off as the heroes we actually are?"
He finally sat down crossing his arms as he looked at the teachers, mostly the professor for answers.
"I see, so you feel like hiding yourself isn't the right answer. You feel like doing more, helping those who needs it."
"I'm just tired of living in the dark man, it's cold. When I was younger, other kids would pick on me, call me names, beat me, just because of my skin color. The naturally blond hair didn't make it any easier. I was the odd one, cause you know, black people has dark hair, not blond.
What I'm trying to say is, if people can't deal with something as simple as skin and hair color, then how would they ever accept mutants?"
Evan wasn't angry anymore. He was leaning his arms on his legs, looking down at the carpet, which patterns suddenly became really interesting.
"That's the reason you're here Evan. That's why you're all here. The world aren't ready to accept us for what we truly are. Not yet. It might seem unfair, but someday it will all turn to the better. That day isn't today, and not tomorrow either, but we have to keep our heads up, and never loose hope. The humans are slowly getting more and more accepting. It will take time, but sometime in the nearest future, mutants will be able to walk the streets without fearing for their lives. Until then, you have to stay hidden. You need to remember, you're all accepted here."
He looked at Kurt when he said that, who gave a small smile in return.
"But professor, what if we accidentally used our powers in the public? What if we can't manage to control our powers?" Rogue asked.
"That is the other reason you're here, to learn to control your gifts. You all have special talents, and you should all be proud of who you are, and what you can do."
"I'm sorry professor, but my powers are more of a curse than a gift."
"What makes you say that Rogue?"
"What? The fact that I can't get close to anybody, I'm condemned to live mah whole life without human touch. I'll never be able to kiss someone or hold them close, unless I wish to kill them.
I have to conceal myself, avoid people like the plague just to make sure they won't touch me.
Sometimes, I just feel lonely yah know?
When I was little I lived alone with this older woman Destiny. She was the closest I had to family. She told me never to leave home without gloves. She covered me up from head to toe. I had to stay as far away from people as possible. I used a lot of time alone in my room, hiding from the world. I became a loner, started wearing darker clothes, and pushed people away. I didn't need friends, that's what she told me. I got home schooled for years, and almost never leaved the house. It was my whole world, my home, and that one time I actually leave to have some fun, I almost killed a guy.
So don't tell me that constantly hearing the voice of the people you touch inside your head, filling your mind with memories and nightmares, and having to cover yourself up even in the hot days is a gift, because I'm more than ready to get rid of it."
Rogue stood up and turned away from the looks she was getting from her team. She walked up to the window and looked outside. It was a cold, rainy day, which didn't help on the already negative mood.
Kitty stood up, ready to tell her own story:
"I feel yah, not with the no touching thing, or you know, hiding from the world, but I'm not a big fan of my powers either. Actually, it's their fault my dad won't talk to me, cause he's ashamed of me, maybe even a bit scared. Mom do call once a month, but that's just about it, nothing more. I get to come home and enjoy things like Hanukkah, but me and my family can't be in the same room for long before they start criticizing me for everything I do.
My family sees me as the black sheep of the family now, and keeps telling me how to live my life. They want everything I do to be perfect, they don't accept anything but flawless. I have to get perfect grades, win whatever competition I sign up for, and look like a star. They demand so much of me, and it's getting really stressful. I can barely stand it anymore. They have always been like that, but now they're worse than ever.
I haven't been eating much lately, not since I signed up for the beauty pageant. I thought that if I won that, then they would accept me a bit more, but now I'm not too sure. I decided to sign myself out of it just this morning. I don't need some strangers opinion on me, or the way I look . I'm tired of trying so much to get acceptance, if they don't like me the way I am, then they aren't worth it. Not even my own family."
That sentence made Kurt tense. Is Kitty finally accepting herself? Is she finally letting go of her inner demons, and accepting that she isn't perfect? Would she accept him as his true self, now that she accepted herself? No, that was too great to be true, so it had to be a lie. She would never accept him.
"Would you be able to accept others, if they surprised you the way you surprised your family?" He asked her.
"What do you mean?"
"If someone turned out to be totally different from what you first realized, would you turn your back to them?"
"What a weird question. No, I don't think I would. I know how it feels, so why would I ever want anyone else to feel the same way?"
He looked away, not daring to look her in the eyes. She sounded honest, like she actually meant what she said. His heart started pounding faster than normal, and his chest felt like burning. He was holding his knees close to him, embracing them. She looked so beautiful standing there with shining blue eyes. She looked so relieved, so free and accepting. This was his chance to show her the real him, but he didn't dare to...
"Kurt, why don't you tell a bit about yourself?" The professor asked, clearly seeing an opportunity.
"No thanks."
"Elf." Logan interfered. He also saw the pattern now.
The boy looked around the room, realizing that everyone was looking straight at him. It felt like an interrogation scene, like the ones in crime and action films. They just stood there expecting an answer, but his mouth was to dry to actually say something. He could feel his hands getting all sweaty. The sound of pulsing in the ear drowned out all kind of sound in the room. A fog appeared in front of his eyes, and he knew he couldn't do it, he couldn't risk it. He wasn't ready yet, he wasn't sure he ever would be.
The professor realized this, and told the other students to back off a bit. He needed space...
After all this time learning to deal with it all, learning to control the fear, the anger, and yet he couldn't even describe his past. Everyone else could, so why couldn't he? Was it the pressure they leaved on him?
He didn't want anyone to know anything about his past, it wasn't there business. Sure they had shared theirs, and seemed fine with it, maybe even a bit happier, but it was totally different.
He felt disoriented, and could barely see a thing by now. His skin crawled, and his mind stayed foggy. He wanted to speak up and describe the sudden weird feelings, but now his mouth started going numb, and a minor panic started inside his head. He had to get away, he needed space.
He tried to stand up and leave as soon as his vision started coming back to him, but then Logan stood there like a wall, blogging the path.
"Hey elf, what's bugging ya?" He asked in a low tone. He could see the boy was spaced out, and the way he limped with his legs was answer enough. He didn't think twice before letting an arm around his shoulder and guided him out and into the main hall.
The other students simply stood there looking while the scenario took place. They looked confused at Charles, who looked disappointed.
"What happened professor?" Evan asked worried.
"Most likely a panic attack, and we were so close this time."
"So close at what?" Kitty asked, rewarding her with a group sigh. She had no idea what was going on.
"Do you think he'll need a little push?" Jean asked, her voice filled with empathy.
"No, I'm not sure manipulating with the young boys mind would do him any good, he simply need some time to get ready."
"Manipulating with his mind?! What is going on? Is there anything we can do?" Kitty asked. She wanted to help someway.
"No, I trust Logan will be able to calm him down, in the meantime we'll continue where we leaved...
"I can't do this Logan, I'm scared!"
Logan was sitting besides the panicking teen on the staircase. He was covered in a thin layer of sweat but
felt like someone had placed him inside a big freezer.
His eyes looked around the room like a nervous puppy, his body was shacking, and he was grinning his teeth.
"I can't do this Logan, I'm scared!"
"Of cause you can, I've been working with you for a month now, and I think you're ready"
"No I'm not. What if she don't like what she sees? What if I scare her again."
"I can't promise you she'll accept it to begin with, but trust me, she has changed a lot since her first day, she aren't gonna hurt ya."
"How do you know?" Logan laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Just give her a second chance will ya? She might surprise you."
"I doubt it."
"Hey, I'm here for you, if anything happens, I'll be there to help you."
"You promise?" He looked at him with big blue eyes, and you could almost see the yellow eyes shine through.
"I promise." He let a hand over the youngsters shoulder and pulled him into a hug.
He stopped shacking, and his pulse went back to normal, and for a moment he wasn't scared...
"Okay then, I'll do it. Not for her sake, but for mine..."
My name is Kurt Wagner, and I'm a fifteen years old mutant, and have been that my whole life. I grew up in a nice circus in München, Germany. I've always loved performing, and I used many years in the big ring showing off. I had a wonderful adoptive family which consisted of my mother and two siblings Stephan and Amanda.
My mom Margali was a sorceress and often busy, but even though she didn't always have time to play with us, she still loved us very much.
I often performed with my adoptive sister. She was an amazing artist, especially with the trapeze.
One day she didn't manage to grab the trapeze in time, and started falling. I panicked, and suddenly found myself falling with her. I grabbed her in a tight hug, bracing myself for the landing, but then somehow we managed to disappear for then reappearing outside the tent. Of cause the audience saw this and started talking about it in the village. Suddenly people from near and far wanted to see the great act. Our great act. They thought it was a trick.
The owner of the circus heard about it, and of cause he liked the idea of more money. Him and mom made a deal, and I had no other choice but to accept it.
We started getting a lot of money, and suddenly everyone knew about the blue devil. They thought I wore a costume, that it was all special effects, but it wasn't, it was all real, but they didn't know, and never would..."
He looked at Logan who simply signaled him to continue.
"One night when I lay sleeping in my trailer, someone knocked on my door. I got up to open it, even though mom had forbidden me to talk to strangers.
When I did I was greeted by an angry mob who grabbed me and started beating me. They then covered my eyes and took me away and into the village.
It turned out that my adoptive brother Stephan had told everyone that I didn't wear a costume, that I was a real and dangerous demon, and the one who had killed a lot of innocent children.
They tied me to a wooden pole and tried to burn me alive, but they didn't succeed, as I managed to teleport myself away before the flames really got to me. I ran through the village, fearing for my life. I was sure I was going to die that night, and the only place I could go to, was back to the circus.
When I came back mom greeted me with a cloak and a luggage. She told me to leave, cause it wasn't safe anymore. She had made an agreement with this manager that I could join his fair, which was placed far away from home. He promised to take good care of me.
I lived at the fair for just about half a year, not liking any minute of it, before I got a call from Amanda. She told me that they had talked to this man called Charles Xavier about a school for mutants, and that I had a chance to join it. My trip would be free, no money needed, I just had to escape the fair.
I ran away that night, and managed to leave Europe by boat. I then took the train to Bayville.
All these bad memories, all this hatred, all because of this..."
He finally turned off the image inducer. He looked straight at Kitty with a dorky fanged smirk.
She was nothing but choked.
"Surprise." He acclaimed lamely.
"You, but you. did you lie to me all this time?! You weren't wearing a costume! Oh my god, how could you!"
"No, I didn't lie, I just... I didn't want you to leave . You told the professor that you couldn't live here as long as someone like me lived under the same roof as you."
"I did didn't I? But you scared me, like a lot, everything scared me, the whole situation was scary, and then you appear all blue and-!"
"Please Kitty, I'm not the demon you thought you saw. I'm just a teenage boy, I have feelings too, and what you did to me hurt me deeply. I know I seem abnormal to you, but could you maybe give me a second chance?"
She thought about it for a moment before answering.
"...I'm sorry I hit you. It wasn't your fault, it was mine, and now that I know you, I see that judging a book by its cover couldn't be more wrong.
Yes, I accept you for what you are, but I would like to keep my distance from you for some time. I hope you understand."
"I do. I'm just happy you didn't slap me this time." This leaked a faint giggle from her.
"We all learn from the past Kurt, I do too. I guess we all have our inner demons, yours might be more visible, but you've learned to embrace it, and it's time that I start accepting mine as well...
"Monsters are real, ghosts are real too. They live inside of us, and sometimes they win."
-Stephen King
That was it guys, it have been fun, and I would love to let this story go on, but it had to end eventually.
Now some side notes. Yes, Kurt did grow up in a circus, yes the village people did try and burn him alive, not just in the original x men, but also in x men evolution. If you don't trust me then go read the evolution comics number #3, there you actually sees a picture of it in a dream.
He also got jailed up like a freak in the other circus, which is too kinda sad.
The thing with the death of many children is a fact too, as it was actually Stephan who killed them.
Now I'm not sure about the others background stories, I kinda just made that up. Not the Hanukkah, Kitty is indeed Jew.
By the way I'm so close at 80 reviews! This might be the end, but please leave a review, it would mean the world.
Thanks to everyone who has read, liked, followed and reviewed this fanfic, you are the best I mean seriously, almost 10.000 watchers, you almost make me blush (≧ω≦)