Logan was beginning to regret his decision. The moment he saw the large, imposing mansion looming ahead, he immediately knew this wasn’t his kind of place. The jet came down across spacious well kept gardens moving closer to the building itself. For one brief, panicked moment, Logan though they were going to hit the mansion itself, but instead, the jet stopped in mid-air, hovering over the basketball court. To his surprise, the jet began lowering. But not to land on the court itself, in fact the jet continued to go downwards, and through the windscreen Logan could see the rim of the basketball court rise for they descend down into a chamber below the surface. The sunlight was cut out as the jet landed in a brightly lit hangar, walls lined with silver metal.
The X-Men quickly rose to their feet and began descending down the lowered steps. Logan was the last to stand, glancing over to Rogue briefly before making his way down behind her. With every step he took, the worse he felt. There was no way he could belong here. He stepped out into the large hangar, squinting suspiciously as the metal room. Odd, for a mansion
But he didn’t say anything, merely sloping along as he followed the other mutants through the slim metallic corridors. True, he couldn’t help allowing his eyes to wander at the unique surroundings and the sheer expense of the architecture and gadgetry, but he kept his head down. Unfriendly. Guarded.
The group entered a lift silently, Logan lurking off into a corner where he remained inconspicuous. As the lift began ascending, his eyes glanced around dubiously as though doubting the technology. But his attention was caught as the doors opened and revealed an exquisite and very elaborate mansion tastefully decorated in fine ornamentation. As he exited into the corridor, besides him, he heard Rogue chuckle and he quickly looked down at her to see her watching him with a grin.
“What?” he asked her in undertone.
“Your face,” she said with a bashful shrug, “At all this.”
“Well, it ain’t exactly normal, is it, kid?”
“A lot of things aren’t normal here," replied Rogue as she walked alongside him.
And just at that moment a student ran past hoisting a shoulder bag up. “Hey Mr. Summers,” she called as she darted by, looking round with a grin.
Scott quickly looked up as he was greeted, “Hello, Kitty, where are you off to?”
“Library,” explained Kitty quickly as she jogged backwards, “Need to do an English essay.”
Logan glanced between them as he walked, listening in subtly. He turned his eyes upon the girl moving backwards as they walked forth. She was continuing to talk with Scott, not paying any attention to where she was going. Logan abruptly noticed a large bookcase a short distance ahead, and Kitty was just about to run backwards into it. Why weren’t any of the X-Men warning her!
“Hey - !” began Logan as the girl speedily backed against the tall bookcase. But she didn’t hit it, she went through it! Logan stopped, staring at the bookcase, Rogue did too.
“Did she just - “ began Rogue.
“I think so,” replied Logan.
“Can’t have.”
“She did.”
Kitty suddenly emerged from the bookcase with a sheepish grin, “I really oughta look where I’m goin’. Anyway see you later.” And she turned on her heel, running through the nearest wall and out of sight.
“Mutant?” queried Rogue as she glanced up to Storm.
Storm smiled slowly as she turned the corner, “You’ll find a lot of them here. That was Kitty, one of our students. She’s the same age as you, Rogue. Perhaps if you consider joining the school you’ll be in the same classes.”
Whilst Rogue nodded at this, she didn’t look particularly pleased, and when Storm looked away, she scowled. The group continued to walk, not meeting anymore mutants, until they reached a large set of double oak doors at the end of a corridor. Rogue recognised these doors. This was Professor Xavier’s office.
“Go in,” explained Storm to Logan.
But Logan glared at her, “Why?”
“Professor Xavier would like to meet you before you start wandering about his school.”
The door was slowly pushed open as Jean looked at it and Logan sighed. Rogue looked round, “What about me?”
“Charles has already met you.”
“But he doesn’t know I’m stayin’. I’ve come with Logan this time, by my own decision. Not brought because I was rescued. I think I should see him again. With Logan.”
Logan glanced round, nodding superciliously at the X-Men before he and Rogue together headed through the open door.
Inside was a man sat behind his desk with a prepared posture as he sat straight with neatly folded arms. Besides his desk was a large bay window, which shed in wintry sunshine that basked his desk in soft light. The entire room was decorated in the same expense as the rest of the mansion, everything from the flooring, to the carpets and lightings. The man behind the desk smiled at the pair, the expression returned by Rogue, but Logan just remained stern. “Welcome back, Rogue,” he greeted warmly, his eyes then moving slowly onto Logan who had folded his arms. “Good morning, Logan.”
Logan stiffly nodded his head, although said nothing.
“How are you?” asked Charles, using a question that would require a vocal answer.
Logan narrowed his eyes at the tactic, “Fine.”
“I notice that you’re both now clearer on the certain issue that was between you. Admittedly, it caused a slight animosity for a short time. But I trust all is well now?”
“Yeah,” said Rogue as she glanced up at Logan with a grin.
“However,’” began Charles quietly, his eyes settling upon Logan with a rather solemn expression crossing his face, “I would like to talk to you Logan. With or without Rogue present. It is your choice.”
Perhaps, under normal circumstance, Logan would have quickly refused to talk with the man, but the way he phrased his sentence, and asked politely, with personal choice interjected, Logan couldn’t help but ponder over the issues of talking with him. Ah, hell. Why not?
“Alright,” sighed Logan quietly, giving a nod to Rogue after, “I’ll see you later, kid.”
“Storm is on her way,” explained Charles quietly, “She’ll show you to your new sleeping quarters.”
Rogue looked a little affronted at Logan, but held back any retort, and slinked out through the door, closing it quietly.
“Please, take a seat,” said Charles, gesturing to one of the plush cream sofas positioned besides his desk.
But Logan didn’t move, “I’ll stand.”
He saw Charles pause for a moment, but then he continued, completely composed and looking entirely unruffled. “I trust you will have heard a lot about the school from the X-Men and Rogue, but allow me to introduce myself personally. I’m Professor Charles Xavier; my school is for those who are lost and afraid, rejected because of who they are and what they can do. You may have seen some of my students are you come here. I’m hoping that Rogue will allow herself to become a student here, and build up her education. But for you, of course, things are different.” He leant forward slowly in his seat, resting his hands in front of him in a poised triangle. “When I was searching for you on my machine, Cerebro, I didn’t just pick up your location.”
“Cerebro?”
“It’s a machine that was made in order to enhance my mutant powers. When I was younger, I discovered my skills of telepathy, enabling me to read people’s thoughts and even control their minds. Of course, my powers, even now are exercised with extreme caution. Cerebro merely broadens my telepathic range, expanding it across the entire globe. Using this, I could pinpoint your location.”
“You mean you read my mind?” asked Logan, looking suddenly interested, “What did you see?”
“I didn’t read your mind; I always ask permission before I do that. But your case is different. You are suffering from amnesia, Logan. Not even I can correct that. It needs to heal itself. Granted, the glimpses I got were unusual, but erratic and made no real sense. But whilst I cannot correct it, I may be able to coax it in the right direction.”
“When?” Logan interrupted abruptly, “Now?”
But Charles shook his head, “No, you and Rogue need to settle in. I would like to talk more later in the week however, but now.. I have a physics class I must attend. Outside you’ll find Jean, she’ll show you to your room. Goodbye, Logan.”
He slowly exited from behind the desk, and Logan saw that he had been sitting in a wheelchair all along. He stepped back slowly, watching the man pass by and exit through the double doors. Logan slowly raised his eyes off the back of the Professor and saw a woman stood waiting for him.
“You ready?”
Jean was now out of uniform and was dressed in a respectable attire of a thin buttoned-up cardigan of green and a narrow black skirt. Her red hair was tied behind her head, whilst rimmed glassed sat upon her nose.
Logan slowly made his way over to her, giving a curious sniff at her scent. “Sure.”
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