Vesper woke up to the sound of distant voices, from what she could tell they came from outside. Pulling back the bed covers she padded over to the window and peeked out the curtain. What she saw made her miss her family even more. Families were reunited for the summer months, and watching parents hug their missed children stung her heart with a pain she didn't know was possible. Feelings of sadness began to overwhelm her, not sure how to deal with it Vesper retreated to her bed and curled up clutching Coal tightly to her chest, and silently started to cry. She carried the weight of losing her family on her small shoulders. Vesper angrily wiped away her tears for she knew someone would come to see if she was awake and didn't want whomever it was to see her like that. A light knock on the door confirmed that thought.
"Are you awake, Vesper?" Hank asked from the other side of the door.
"Come in" she stated as she sat in the middle of her bed, arms wrapped around her legs.
As soon as Hank took one look at her he knew that she had been crying just shortly before. He decided not to push the issue for fear she would shut down on him.
"Are you feeling up to some breakfast this morning? It's okay if you aren't hungry yet."
'I… I guess" her voice was wavering a bit.
"Would you like to eat here or down in the kitchen?" he noticed her trying to process his question "It's alright if you want to stay here. Why don't you get dressed, and I'll bring you up a small plate?" with that said he left her room.
Hank left Vesper to get changed and ready for the day. Wanting to feel comfortable she quickly changed into a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie and waited for Hank to return. Sitting down on the bed she ran her hands over her face to erase the evidence of her emotional leak. Knocking on her door Hank made sure she was decent before returning with her breakfast. Setting her plate down at the desk she sat down and started to pick at the plate before her. Hank stood off to the side not wanting to make her feel crowded.
"Most of the students have left already so the mansion is much quieter now. If you'd like, once you are finished eating we could give you a tour of the place."
Vesper nodded her head as she scarfed down a piece of bacon. Hank put a few extra slices on her plate since she reacted so well last time to it. Looking down at her plate she noticed a small pile of red and yellow, she pointed at them looking up to Hank for his response.
"Those are called strawberries and bananas, it's fruit. It's alright if you don't like them." he gently reminded her.
Vesper picked up a small slice of banana and smelt it before taking a little bite. She liked the taste but wasn't crazy about the texture, now the strawberries were another thing. Those she did enjoy. Vesper pushed her plate to the side and sat back in the chair. Hank was pleased with how quickly she was gaining an appetite. When they had first rescued her she was severely malnourished, she was making progress but Vesper still had quite the road to travel.
"Why don't we meet up with Charles downstairs, and we can give you a tour of the mansion?" Hank gently suggested as he came to stand beside her wheelchair.
"Okay," she replied, playing with the string on her hoodie.
Vesper got up and sat in the chair and waited for Hank to start for the door. She took a deep breath hoping to stop the fear of what awaited her. Hank noticed her uneasiness and knew what to say.
"We should bring Coal, he should know where things are too." he winked at her as he placed Coal into her lap "Let's go meet up with Charles." with that they were off to meet up with Xavier.
Vesper and Hank met up with Xavier who was just seeing the last student off for the summer, turning his attention to them he warmly greeted them with a smile.
"Good day Vesper, would you like that tour now?"
"Okay. Si– Professor, am I going to– How will I?" Vesper wasn't fully sure how to word her question, Charles smiled at her.
"All in due time, my dear. We will teach you what you need to know. Please forgive me for asking, but were your parents able to teach you anything?" he sent feelings of warmth and acceptance her way.
Vesper sat there for a moment letting the question sink in.
"They tried, it wasn't allowed." she sounded ashamed at her lack of knowledge in life.
"It's alright Vesper, we will work at it one day at a time. Let's start that tour." Charles motioned for Hank to slowly start moving forward "You've already been down to the kitchen, if you ever need something to eat or drink please know just ask one of us and we will take care of you." Charles' words seemed to sink in earning a nod from her.
Continuing on they showed her the main dining hall, some of the classrooms, and the common area for the students. Vesper was amazed at the size of the mansion. She knew that her parents would be so happy to know that she ended up in a safe and healing environment. Rounding the corner and into another hallway they paused at a door and Charles spoke before Hank opened the door.
"This is the library, it's available to you at any time as well as its contents."
"What are they?" Vesper looked around the room as they entered, soaking it in like a sponge.
"These are books, you read them to learn or to simply enjoy," Hank said as he was a lover of books himself.
"I have a lot to learn." she hung her head in shame.
"I don't want you to focus on that at all, we will work on that. Vesper your circumstances were beyond your control. Please don't beat yourself up over this." Charles's heart went out to the poor girl.
The door to the library opened causing her to turn and look towards the newcomer. There in the doorway stood another blue person! Vesper shifted a bit uncomfortably at their presence, she hadn't expected to run into anyone but now realized that it was going to be a possibility on this adventure.
"Ah Vesper, this is Kurt Wagner also known as Nightcrawler. He is also new to the mansion."
"Hello Vesper, it's nice to meet you." his accent was very thick
Charles could pick up on her uneasiness fairly easily. Meeting new people was something that made her a bit uneasy as she had no idea if that person was going to cause her harm. Smiling down at the young girl she continued to play with the ties on her hoodie.
"Shall we continue on our tour?" his question earned a slight nod yes "It was nice running into you Kurt." with that, they were off again on the tour.
Opening up the balcony doors they brought her out into the warm and beautiful day. This was the first time she was experiencing the outside during daylight hours. There were so many smells and sounds that you didn't get at night time. She looked out at the green space that was before her and took a deep breath of fresh air taking it all in. Holding Coal close she tried to soak in the beauty of it all. Off in the distance she could see where a tall tree stood strong, to her, it looked like a fantastic spot to relax. If they would allow her that is. Vesper couldn't get over how beautiful things were, the flowers and trees were just magical to her, to be frank. Charles and Hank exchanged a look and chuckled to themselves.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" he asked.
"Everything before was so dark and scary, now it's different." was she finally starting to open up? Charles gave Hank a look and decided to push her a bit more on it.
"How is it different?" he gently inquired as best he could.
"Things are nicer here, but still a bit scary. I don't want to be scared," she admitted.
"It's alright to be scared under the circumstances." Charles knew that transitioning to her new life was going to be a bumpy one, to say the least.
Vesper just sat there getting lost in the sounds, closing her eyes she just sat and listened. She had no idea what or who made the sounds but she found it oddly calming. Both men let her sit for another few minutes before either one spoke.
"Why don't we head back in and we can continue with our tour?" Hank was to speak first.
"There's more?" Vesper just wondered how large this place was.
"Oh yes. Would you like to see the machine that helped me find you?" Charles gently inquired.
"Okay." I wish it found me– us sooner she thought to herself.
Heading down to the basement level of the mansion where Cerebro waited for them Vesper sat silent but you could see the curiosity on her face. The large doors opened revealing a control panel at the end of a long walkway. Vesper felt a bit uneasy as the room felt weird and odd to her. Charles could feel the shift in her feelings and he wanted to make her feel less nervous. He decided to return to the main part of the basement to distance her from those feelings.
"This machine allowed me to sense your cry for help that night." leaving the room and back into the main part of the basement level she felt less anxious "Vesper would you feel up to trying some training exercises today?" Xavier knew that her powers were quite raw and she had little to no use of her powers.
"I– guess. I don't know what to do," she admitted.
"That is alright we will help you with that. Why don't we return to my office and we can talk a bit more about your gift?" Charles asked
Vesper was unsure what he wanted to try but she nodded her head yes. The entire way to his office Vesper was silent to be honest she was afraid of what was going to happen when they got there. Hank opened the door and Vesper quickly scanned the room for any signs of danger but nothing was to be found. Hank stopped just in front of his desk and sat in the chair next to her.
"Alright my dear, from what we can tell you can create and manipulate electricity, Would you be up to trying a simple exercise?" Charles hoped that she would agree but he wouldn't push her if she decided not to.
"What do I have to do?" she asked, concern hanging in her words.
Charles sat behind his desk and pulled out a small light bulb, something Vesper hadn't seen before. He held it out for her to take, which she eventually did. Sitting there holding the bulb she looked at it and honestly had no idea what he was expecting.
"I'd like for you to focus your energy on turning on the light bulb" he could tell that she was doubting herself "Close your eyes and picture your energy flowing into the bulb."
"What?! I – I don't know how to." she sat there as a hundred thoughts raced through her mind.
"It's alright, Vesper. It's okay if you have trouble, I don't want you to put pressure on yourself," he added.
"I – I can try" she softly spoke.
"That is all I'll ever ask. Close your eyes and picture your powers flowing through you and into the bulb" Charles gently guided her through the exercise.
Vesper did her best to follow his instructions. Closing her eyes she visioned a light flowing through her and into the base of the bulb. Slowly she pictured the light filling it up and staying contained. Taking a peak she looked at the bulb just as the little bit of light she managed to make went out dead. Hanging her head she began to mentally beat herself up over failing. Hank could feel the change in her and looked to Charles who felt the same shift he came around to rest beside her which caused her to to look at him with tear-filled eyes.
"I'm sorry." she offered, waiting to be yelled at or beaten.
"Vesper, you have nothing to be sorry for. Your powers are nothing to be afraid of, you've never been allowed to properly use your powers. I promise you that we will help you learn to control them." Charles placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not going to be punished?" Vesper asked just above a whisper.
"Oh my stars and garters, no! You are not in any trouble my dear." Hank again had to refrain from picking her up in a hug.
"Oh." You could see her visibly relax.
"We will work with you on gaining control. I'm very proud of you, for how far you've come along. I hope we didn't overwhelm you with the tour." Charles truly was proud of her.
"It's big." she simply stated.
"Feel free to explore whenever you want. If you go outside just ask one of us, I want you to feel at home as much as you can." Charles said warmly
"Thank you."
"You are more than welcome. Why don't we head down to the kitchen and get some lunch?" They could tell she was getting tired and didn't want to push her over the edge.
"I'd like that" she quietly replied.
"Would you like another grilled cheese?" Hank asked her.
"Please." she tried her best to hide a yawn but both men saw through it.
"If you'd like I could bring it up to your room" offered Hank.
"Okay. I'm sorry." She apologized again
"It's alright, I'm sure it's still a lot to take in right now." Hank didn't want her to feel as if she did something wrong.
It was decided that Hank would take Vesper back to her room and get her settled, and then he would go make her some lunch. He hoped that maybe they could convince her to have dinner with them tonight. It was a lot for her to process and it was something she honestly didn't know how to properly navigate. Vesper just wanted to fall into her parents loving arms just one last time. Getting her settled and sitting at the desk Hank left her to quickly go make some lunch. Sitting at the desk Vesper looked over at the nightstand where the coloring book lay at. Getting up she grabbed it and the small box of crayons and started to color while waiting for Hank to return. Upon returning Hank stood in the doorway chuckling to himself as she just colored up a storm. Setting the plate and glass of juice beside her, she pushed the book out of the way and up toward the top of the desk.
"You can color while you eat, if you'd like to" he offered.
Vesper sat there as a small smile crept across her face as she hadn't expected it was an option. She looked up at Hank who offered a smile back.
"I'm allowed to do that?"
"Oh of course!"
It honestly made him frustrated and upset that Vesper was never given the chance to be a child, let alone a human being. There was so much that Vesper had yet to experience but they would take things slow so as not to overwhelm the poor dear.
"Thank you"
"No problem, I'll be across the hall if you need anything."
Vesper happily colored away and ate her lunch, looking over at Blue he was happily swimming about his tank. Vesper was extremely grateful for all they had done for her so far, she had no idea what she did to deserve this second chance. Finishing up the elephant design she wanted to do the night before she got up and looked out once again over the grounds of the mansion. Looking down she wondered what the ground would feel like under her feet. Thinking back to an earlier conversation she remembered that Charles said if she wanted to go outside she just had to ask. Sighing Vesper sat down on her bed and took a moment to swallow down the rising anxiety brewing within her. For her asking to go outside was such a monumental moment for her, to anyone else it was just as simple as opening the door and stepping outside. Washing her hands over her face she took a deep breath and let it out before standing and making her way to her bedroom door.
"Um, Mr. McCoy?" she softly called out
"Yes, Vesper? Everything alright?" Hank asked standing in his doorway.
"Yes, um. Could I – Am I allowed out there?" she pointed out her window expecting him to deny her request.
"Oh, of course! Would it be alright if I accompany you?" he asked giving her his full attention.
"Okay. Could I see" She paused for a good moment seemingly trying to remember something "My parents called it– grass, they…" She let her words fall
Hank was a bit taken aback by the simple request but played it off. Looking down at her she seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible.
"It's a sunny day out, we could sit out for a bit." Hank offered.
"Can I – Can I not take —" she pointed to the wheelchair unsure what to call it.
"If you feel up to it, we can take our time. Let me grab my book and we can go sit and enjoy the sun." he quickly grabbed the book on his bed and returned to her.
"Thank you." Vesper quietly said.
Smiling to himself he led the way slowly to the balcony doors, making sure to stick close to her side as she walked unassisted down the hallway and towards the door. Opening the door Hank gestured for her to take the steps forward and out into the large balcony they had been on earlier. Looking up at the warm and beautiful sun Vesper took in all the various smells of the daytime. Looking around she walked to the steps leading down to the grass and sat down on the top one soaking it all in. Hank sat down on the bench and started to read his book while he let Vesper experience this for herself.
"If you need anything just let me know. We can go for a walk if you'd like in a bit."
"I'd like to sit for now," she said not turning around.
Vesper sat on the top step just looking out over the vast grounds of the mansion. In a nearby tree sat a little squirrel who was just as curious about Vesper as she was. Pointing up at it she asked what the tiny little creature was. Hank looked up to where she was pointing and laughed.
"Oh, that is a squirrel. He lives in a tree. Some of the children like to feed him." he paused for a moment "Would you like to feed him?" his question caused her to turn around and face him.
Hank set his book down and brought over a small white bucket that was tucked under the bench he was sitting on. Sitting next to Vesper Hank was sure to give her some space he didn't want to crowd her. He opened the bucket revealing a bunch of peanuts, she had no idea what they were.
"These are called peanuts and our little friend here loves these." picking one up he instructed her to hold out her hand and place a peanut in it. "Sit on the bottom step and hold out your hand, he will come to you." she did as he instructed.
Tossing a few at the base of the tree to get his attention the squirrel made its way down to the grass and stood looking over at Vesper and the peanut. Vesper looked back at Hank who nodded his head that it was alright. Turning her attention back to her friend she held her hand out and waited for something to happen. Slowly and cautiously it made its way closer and closer to her Vesper had no idea how to react to what was happening, before she knew it the squirrel snatched up the peanut and ran back up the tree with it. Vesper felt a sense of wonder and let out a small little giggle before it hit her. The squirrel was scared of her as she was new to the squirrel, but it was a fine outcome in the end. When they rescued her from the facility she was the squirrel. Hank watched from the top of the stairs and chuckled to himself as he likened her to a young child.
"Could I– I– I've never—" she honestly wasn't sure how to ask her question without sounding like a crazy person.
"Did you want to touch the grass?" Hank asked as he sat down on the same step she was sitting on.
"Please!?" she paused and took a deep breath.
Vesper closed her eyes and finally let out the breath she had been holding. Removing her shoes and socks slowly she lowered a foot towards the grass. Vesper was surprised at how the ground felt beneath her feet, but she was enjoying every second of it. It pained her a little bit that her parents and little sister weren't here to experience this with her. Taking a deep breath she pushed her sadness down and would deal with it later. Hank noticed the shift in her attitude she seemed to be beating herself up over something.
"Are you alright, my dear?" he asked with his hand extended for her to take.
"Huh? I'm sorry, it's just I've never felt grass before. My parents would—" She let her words fall as she placed her small hand in his and sat back down on the step to put her socks and shoes back on.
Vesper felt like she had said too much, her parents would talk about life before the facility, and now that she was experiencing things they talked about it simply just made her miss them so much more.
"Vesper, I promise that we will help guide you through this. I know it hurts but talking about things will help." Hank would be careful of his wording as he didn't want to push her away.
"I miss them, I want it to stop." she softly admitted.
"That is understandable. Vesper, I know that you've been unable to grieve your loss. I've only been at this school a short time" She looked up at him with tears in her eyes "Less than a year ago this school suffered a great loss. Jean meant so much to many people, especially Scott. I want you to know that we understand how you may be feeling. It's alright to talk about what's bothering you." Hank walked beside her as she made her way over to the familiar bench.
"I'm sorry." Hank wasn't sure if she was apologizing for their loss or her display of emotion.
Hank sat down beside her and gave her a moment before speaking again.
"I want you to understand, that you are not alone. Anyone here would be more than happy to talk or just sit with you."
"Thank you. I'm– Everything is scary without them. I miss their hugs." she focused her line of sight on anything but Hank.
Hank thought for a moment carefully choosing what his next words would be. Taking his glasses off he pulled out a cloth and cleaned them before speaking.
"It's alright to miss them, Vesper. Please don't keep those feelings inside, it's alright to cry when you need to." he could feel the anxiousness radiating from her. "Would you like to go back in?"
"I'm a bit tired, could I go lay down?" you could hear the rise and fall of emotion in her voice.
"If you'd like to lay down for a bit I can wake you for supper." he offered
"Okay." Vesper dared not to look up at Hank as she was afraid of losing it in front of him.
"Come on, let's go inside and get you settled." Hank stood up and waited for Vesper to follow suit.
"Thank you for taking me outside."
"Anytime my dear, just ask me or anyone else," Hank said as he tucked his book under his arm and led the way back to Vesper's room.
Vesper was quiet on the short walk back to her room, it didn't take long for her to lay down on the bed not bothering to pull back the covers. Vesper snuggled into her pillow and pulled Coal close to her chest. Hank looked down at her and smiled, he truly was proud of the progress she made since arriving at the mansion.
"I will come and wake you for supper, I promise you will like tonight's dinner. If you'd like to join us we are doing dinner and a movie." he paid for a moment "I'll explain what a movie is later, you take a nap and rest." Hank made sure she was comfortable before leaving her be and pulled the door close.
Vesper waited for Hank to leave before she turned over and closed her eyes trying her best to fight back the tears she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Taking another deep breath and tried to stabilize herself, sadly with no success. The tears seeped from her now reddened eyes, laying there Vesper let her emotions wash over her like a tidal wave. Careful not to make a sound as she didn't want to alert Hank or anyone who may pass by her door. Mentally she scolded herself for allowing her emotions to break through. For the majority of her life, Vesper was punished for any show of emotion but now she was being told something different, it was something she would have to learn. Angrily wiping away her tears Vesper settled in for a nap and waited for Hank to come to wake her for dinner and something called a movie.
Hours later there was the knock she had been waiting for before it slowly opened causing Vesper to stir out of her sleep and sit up, rubbing her eyes she was met with both Hank and the Professor who warmly smiled at her.
"I hope you've slept well. Would you like to join us for some dinner?" Charles hoped she would accept the invitation but understood if she wasn't ready for that yet.
"Um – will there— be a lot of people?" Vesper knew she would have to meet everyone at some point.
"There are a few people, who'd like to meet you Vesper." his last comment made her look up at him.
"But, why?" she wondered why, she wasn't anything special or so she thought.
"Vesper, I want you to understand that everyone here will take care of you. We want what's best for you." Charles knew in time she would come to realize this fact "Let's go get something to eat, both Hank and myself will be with you the entire time." he reassured her as he held his hand out for her to take.
Placing her hand in his she followed them down to the kitchen where Logan, Scott, and Storm were getting plates and glasses for the six of them. On the counter sat a small stack of pizza boxes Vesper eyed them curiously as she had never seen this before. Charles still holding her hand could feel her body tense slightly in response to the situation at hand gently he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze looking at him she believed that he was there for her.
"Everyone, I'd like to properly introduce Vesper Lynn. This is Logan, Scott, and Ororo or Storm. They will be your teachers eventually but don't worry about that for now. Please take a seat wherever you'd like and we will bring you a plate." Everyone said their hello's.
Vesper sat down at a table right next to the window so she could look out when things got overwhelming. Hank came over with a small plate and a glass of juice and placed it in front of her reading the expression on her face he chuckled.
"This is called pizza, it's a favorite food here." it smelt good she hoped it tasted good too.
Vesper picked up the slice of pizza and took a bite, instantly her face lit up she understood why it was a favorite food. Vesper didn't look up from her plate she was happy with tonight's new dish. Sitting back in the chair she looked around the room as everyone else was finishing up their own and started on her second slice only leaving the crust as she was now full and happy.
"If you'd like to join us we are going to relax and watch a movie." Charles offered as he came to rest beside her.
"What's that?" she pondered
"It's a story that you watch, most people find it relaxing."
"Okay. Do I– what do I—" She was unsure if she had to bring or do anything.
"Just come with us to the common room and we'll get you settled." Charles was glad she was open to this new experience.
Getting up from her spot at the table she sheepishly followed Charles unsure of what to expect. He gestured for her to pick a seat in the room she settled on the large armchair that seemed to swallow her whole. Moments later they were rejoined by the others. Hank set up the movie which was Ice Age. Vesper was completely captivated by the whole experience. She wanted to know what other movies were like. When Scrat came on the screen she looked over to Hank who offered her a smile as he knew she was remembering the squirrel from earlier that day. Turning her attention back to the movie she could feel herself start to get a bit sleepy before she knew it her eyelids were too heavy for her to keep open. Logan looked over at the chair to see her completely fast asleep he laughed to himself and looked over at his mentor and then back to her. Charles saw that she was out, and they decided it was best to wait until the movie was over to move her back to her bed. At the direction of the professor Logan gently picked her up causing her to stir a bit but she was soothed back to sleep by his words.
"Go back to sleep, my dear. Logan won't hurt you he's just taking you back to your room, you fell asleep during the movie. It's alright, shh." his words wrapped around her like a warm blanket lulling her back to sleep.
"Okay. I'm sorry– I fell asleep" she sleepily murmured and closed her eyes again, this time laying her head against Logan's chest.
"Nothing to be sorry for kid. Now listen to the professor and go back to sleep." Logan pushed open her door with his foot and headed for her bed so she could get some proper sleep.
Logan laid her down in the bed and pulled the covers up around her tucking in her stuffed friend and whispered to her before letting her sleep for the night.
"Good night, half-pint." he looked back at her before he and Charles left her room and down the hall.
"She's a tough kid, Charles. She's got a fighter inside her." Logan knew she was one tough customer.
"I just wish she saw that. Logan, it might help if she knew someone here understood her past." Charles stated as they moved down the hallway.
"I don't know…" he knew where this was going with this.
"Logan like it or not you are the only one that can truly understand this girl's pain. I'm not saying tell her everything just be there for her like you were with Rogue. You were the first face she saw that offered her safety and help she won't forget that." Charles knew that the severity of Vesper's past was going to be soon revealed and he knew that knowledge was going to come at a price.
"I hope you're right about this." Logan stopped at his room and said his good night's to Xavier.
Logan lay there in his bed thinking back to when he first met Rogue and the person she had become now. Closing his eyes he hoped to have nightmare-less dreams tonight, he was a bit more equipped to deal with them than a sixteen-year-old but he did admire how strong she was.