Eli followed Charles into the office.
"So, are there any papers I need to sign? A test I have to take?"
"We will get your employment contract squared away later, right now we have a lot to catch up on my friend." Charles replied.
"Indeed, we do." Eli replied.
"Care to indulge me in a game of chess, my friend, it has been a while since I have had anyone willing to play against me."
"Gee, I wonder why… pick your color."
Charles rolled over to the white side of the board leaving the black side open for Eli.
"Naturally…" Eli smiled then took the seat on the black side of the board and they started their game.
"So, Eli, it has been quite a while since we have spoken. How have you been doing?" Charles asked.
"Pretty good, I find myself fascinated at the strange paths that life will take you on. One minute I'm at the movie theater because it's my day off, the next I'm whisked away to be teacher at a school for mutants." Eli replied.
"Yes that is a fascinating turn of events." Charles replied casually capturing one of Eli's pawns as he spoke.
"Drat… I liked him." Eli deadpanned only to earn a raised eyebrow from Charles.
"Funny I thought the schools didn't let out until around 3 and that movie started at 2."
Charles had been reaching for a chess piece but stopped when what Eli was saying set in.
"Yes, Kathryn shouldn't have been able to get there until at least four." He paused "Forgive me my friend I need to put our game on hold I have to speak with my daughter."
-Kathryn, please meet me in my office. There are some things that have come to my attention that we need to discuss- he projected into his daughter's mind.
A few minutes later Kathy and Jawn enter the office.
"Jawn, while I admire your drive to protect your cousin, this is something I need to discuss with her alone. She will be out in a few minutes." Charles said gently.
Jawn turns to leave.
"First, I do need her ticket stub if you don't mind." Charles said.
Jawn gave Kathy an apologetic look then handed the stub to Charles before leaving the room.
"So… are we going to talk about that?" Eli asked.
"About what, Eli?" Charles asked.
"The fact that he knew that before you did."
"Later, Eli… can I please have some time alone with my daughter?" Charles asked.
"Of course… of course." Eli started out of the room.
"Storm will see you to your quarters so you can get settled in." Charles informed Eli as he left the room.
Charles turned to Kathy as Eli left the room.
"Kathryn… you have a lot of explaining to do." He said.
"Dad… I… I'm sorry it's just…" she stuttered tripping over her thoughts as she tried to come up with an excuse for skipping that class. "There was this group of super popular girls… they wanted me to go with them to see this movie and… and I… I don't have that many friends so I… I decided to go. It's not like that class is hard. The kids hate me in that class anyway because I wreck every curb the teacher grades us on."
"Kathy… that is no excuse to skip class, I get it that you're passing, and I am sorry about that situation with your friends, but it is no excuse to break the rules." Charles replied leaning his elbows on the arms of his wheelchair. "I am sorry but for that you are grounded for the next week, you will go to school then come straight back to the mansion. Is that understood?"
"Really, dad?" she said incredulously.
"Yes, really…" Charles replied, "Also I need you to bring your mac book down, you will get that back when your grounding is up, have I made myself clear?"
"Crystal" Kathy groaned then went upstairs and came back with her mac book and charging cable in hand.
"Thank you, now you may go… we will work on your powers tomorrow… I haven't been able to finish enrolling you at Bayville Intermediate School, so you won't be able to attend classes until Monday." He sighed "Kathy I hope you understand I don't like doing this, but you can't get away with not following the rules." He sighed "Come here."
She came over to him and accepted his hug.
"Don't ever forget I love you."
"I know dad, I love you, too."
"Go, I believe Jawn is waiting for you." Charles said.
Jawn was waiting in the hallway when Kathy came out.
"So, what happened?" Jawn asked.
"I'm grounded for a week, and he took my mac book." She replied.
Jawn winced. "You got off easy… Kurt had to clean the jets a few weeks ago."
"Yes, but Kurt is what seventeen or eighteen?"
Jawn rolled his eyes.
"I do something like that, and I get detention with Logan."
"Who's to say I'm not going to be subject to that… I'm not enrolled in school yet, so I'll be stuck here till Monday."
"That's the point, you'll be here until Monday… how are you going to study if you don't have your mac book?" Jawn asked.
"The old-fashioned way… books."
Jawn and Kathy looked to see that Logan had walked up behind them.
"I'm outta here I don't have detention." Jawn said leaving in a hurry.
"Traitor!" Kathy yelled at his quickly retreating form.
"Come on, munchkin we've got work to do." Logan said.
"Yes, Uncle Logan…" she replied sounding, if anything, a little overdramatic.
Jawn started to go in the kitchen, but Rogue stopped him.
"Trust me, ya really don't wanna go in there." She said simply, but he ignored her and kept going.
"Don't say I didn't warn ya…" she called to his back.
He got into room to see Kitty and Kurt sitting around talking about Kathy and wondering what she was like and why they didn't know about her before that day. Jawn turned to leave the room, but it wasn't fast enough, and Kurt had noticed him. He then teleported himself between Jawn and the door.
"Hello…" Jawn said.
"Like don't think you're getting out that easy… we've got like so many questions about Kathy. Scott and Jean are totally not like answering any of them… so that leaves you."
"You know you could have asked my uncle or Storm… or Logan."
"The professor has been in his office with that new teacher… Storm is tending to her gardens."
"Yeah and like I am so not confronting Mr. Logan." Kitty added.
"Why do I get the feeling that I've been thrown under the proverbial bus."
"Because ya have!" Came Rogue's voice from the next room.
"If you want to be a part of the conversation all you have to do is come in here."
"Pass…" Rogue replied.
"All right, fine… but if I'm going to be telling this story one of you is making a snack" Jawn said his eyes on Kurt.
"Ja…ja… pick on da fuzzy dude." Kurt muttered then went to figure out what to make a snack.
"Don't corner me next time… but seriously you know as well as I do Kitty can't even make boxed mac-n-cheese."
"Hey… I'm getting better!"
"Yeah… yeah… keep telling yourself that."
"Dang… like since when did you get sassy?"
Jawn shrugged "Probably about the same time I stopped growing" he said as he sat at the table.
"Okay like… seriously now… what can you tell us about Kathy… like… we know the professor is her father but… but where is her mom?"
"Let's just say it's a sore subject for the family."
"Oh… she's like… she's dead, isn't she?" Kitty said looking at the table in sadness.
Jawn took a deep breath then said "Yes…"
Kurt begins to mutter something in German that included the words "Mein Gott" a couple of times, and it was easy to assume what he said was some type of prayer though the rest was a mystery.
"Like where is Kathy anyway?" Kitty asked.
"Grounded…" he replied.
"For what?" Kitty asked.
"Skipping school…"
Kitty nearly choaked on her drink.
"She did what?" Kitty said in surprise.
"Yes and that's not the half of it…"
"There's more… like do tell… we like totally need some new gossip here." Kitty said.
"Sorry, can't give you any more than that… not yet."
"Like, why not?"
"I want to see how things play out."
"Wait are you like saying the professor doesn't even know this?"
"Exactly"
A sudden clatter caught their attention and they looked to see Kurt picking the spoon up off the floor.
"Are you saying you know something before Professor Xavier?"
"Yes…"
"How did that happen?" Kitty asked.
"I don't know…" Jawn replied.
Kathy and Logan went into the library and Logan turned to Kathy.
"Sit down… I have some questions, starting with what possessed you to go skippin school, you know your dad would find that out one way or another." Logan said leaning on the table.
"I… I'm not sure, really it was stupid but I… I just thought they were my friends and… and they genuinely wanted to hang out with me… but… but they didn't show up so… I… I didn't know what to do." She shrugged not looking at Logan "I mean I was already at the theater so I was like might as well watch the movie. Then…"
"Then your powers decided to show up and in came your dad." Logan supplied.
"Yeah…" she sighed pushing a stray hair out of her face.
"Don't worry about it kiddo… you'll be fine." Logan sighed "Let's go get some food."
"Thanks, Uncle Logan…"
"No problem, kiddo, but don't think I'm goin easy on you." Logan gave Kathy a little side hug "Let's go kid."
Charles sighed as he sat looking at Kathy's ticket stub. He had telepathically called Eli back to his office to ask questions about the movie he was watching.
"So, Eli exactly what movie were you watching?" Charles asked.
"Oh, you know I can't even remember the title… like I said horrible film," Eli replied.
"It wasn't by chance this teen hero movie that Kathy's ticket stub said she was attending?"
"You know I don't really remember."
"Let's see if we cannot refresh that failing memory of yours." A burly blue man said as he entered the room.
"Somebody drank their milk…" Eli said looking the new arrival up and down "and apparently it had the Wonka effect."
"I am Hank McCoy… known to most here as 'Beast'" the man replied as he pulled up the theater's security footage on the professor's computer.
"Eli Gramak… otherwise known as Eli Gramak."
"Nice to meet you, Eli Gramak…." Hank replied, "At the beginning of the previews we have Kathy in the theater her ticket says she was to be in… then here." He paused the footage. "Keep your eye on Kathryn as I start the footage again."
They watch in silence as Hank changes camera to camera following Kathy through the theater to the latest new release, an R rated horror flick.
"Aw… that was the name of it… yeah I still kind of want my money back."
"Hold on, Hank are you telling me that this was the film she was viewing when her powers activated?"
"Indeed."
"Why didn't I not know that?"
"Here's the better question… how did Jawn know?"
Charles looked stunned.
"I take it by that reaction that doesn't happen too often." Eli said.
Meanwhile, Kathy was leaning on the railing of her personal balcony when a strange man flew up and landed on the balcony behind her.
"Who are you?" She demanded turn to face him.
"All in good time little sister." The stranger said then Kathy's world went black.
To Be Continued…