22 Chapter 21: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters
It wasn't long before I was aboard the X-men's plane as we set sail for what I would assume was Xavier's school. I guess I was pretty shaken up since they gave me a blanket and a few of them sat with me to comfort me in the back. If I wasn't stunned about the whole school shooting and Salem witch hunt for me going on, I would've probably been geeking out over the two hot older ladies surrounding me at the time.
At the front of the ship, Cyclops, wearing his signature blue and yellow suit with the visor over his head, piloted with the furry blue Beast sitting next to him. Just behind them, there was a dude with angel wings on his back who was fittingly named Angel.
Sitting beside me was the beautiful, dark-skinned goddess named Storm, and on the other side of me was the fair-skinned, blonde beauty Emma Frost. "Where are we going?" I asked. Of course, it's obvious to anyone like me who'd seen the cartoon, the movies, and maybe a few comics but I had to act like I didn't know their lives more than I should have.
"We're going to a safe place for people like us. A school of sorts." Emma answered softly.
"And how did you guys find me?" I asked. I figured there was some sort of mutant that had the ability to maybe locate the x-gene or something.
"There's a lady who goes by Tempus on our team who's been tracking you for a while. She's like you. She can manipulate time."
"Tracking me? What do you mean by that?" Yeah, I felt a little creeped out that some lady was tracking me but I guess it only made sense. I knew with powers like mine, there had to be someone out there who could sense it.
"Due to her prowess, she could sense your displacements of time. We know of many children like you, Ky. Children who have powers and use them for their day-to-day lives, hide them from their friends and family. We make the decision to let them live a normal life as best they can... but in your case, that chance for a normal life is no longer up for grabs, is it?"
"Not really..." I answered. "So there's other kids like me? At this school?"
"There are. Many are your age or a little older."
"And this school... I assume you guys teach more than academics?"
"Of course. On top of taking general education courses, the youngsters learn to use their powers with an older member who best matches their abilities. That's another reason why Tempus has been tracking you. She wants to be your mentor. You'll meet her in a bit, just hang tight."
And so, the six of us flew across the state until we ended up landing behind a massive, mansion-like building. It was pretty old-looking, maybe having a sort of Victorian influence. However, despite its age, it was teched out of the wazoo with a retractable landing pad and apparently the school itself was invisible until you were close enough to see past the holographic thingamabobs.
Once we landed inside the hangar of the mansion, the six of us exited the plane and were met by a handful of mutants, both adults and a kid my age. I recognized Wolverine, his daughter, and Colossus. "Welcome back." said a woman with shoulder-length black hair with silver bangs and blue eyes. She had a sort of punk look to her and kind of reminded me of Emily a little bit...
It sort of hit right then that I was already missing my family. I wondered what they were thinking right then. Were they scared? Were they angry? Did they miss me? Did they hate me?
The woman approached me with a smirk on her face, sizing me up with her eyes before introducing herself to me. "'Ello, Ky. I'm Eva, but out on missions, they call me Tempus. I've been looking forward to meeting you, kiddo." She had an Australian accent, which was surprising, to say the least.
Once she was actually close, I sort of forgot about the whole tragic backstory of mine for a second. 'Wow, she is hot.' I thought to myself.
"So you're the one stalking me?" I asked her, compelling her to chuckle a bit.
"More so making sure you weren't causing any sort of time anomalies. Luckily you're far too weak to do that." Eva looked over my shoulder at the other members of the X-Men behind me before asking, "You guys mind if I take him on a little tour? I got some stuff to talk to him about. Time manipulator stuff."
"He's all yours." said Cyclops.
"Then follow me, kiddo." Eva said, nodding her head toward a direction before walking away. I followed her out of the hangar and the two of us found ourselves walking the metallic halls of what I assume was the mutant training area rather than the school area of the mansion.
"You don't look like a sixth grader. What happened?" she asked me.
"I accidentally sped up my own aging for the few weeks or so..." I confessed. She turned to look at me again, furrowing her brows. "You look like a high schooler. You're telling me that you aged three years in a few weeks?"
"Are you just here to roast me?" You know, it was pretty hurtful having her talk about my appearance like that, but I deserved it. Let's be honest.
"No, I'm sorry. I should have stepped in sooner." I could tell by the look on her face that she felt that the whole thing was her fault.
"It's not your fault. I should have noticed the signs... Besides, it was a learning experience for me."
"You don't seem too shaken up about the whole ordeal."
"I was, but we have to move on, right? You know, my whole life I was stuck in the past, which is ironic considering my powers. I'm scared and I'm sad that I lost my friends and family, but at the same time, I'm excited to go down a new path. It's like a fresh start." I think it was at this moment that I truly got what I wished for the moment I died. I remember wishing for a fresh start and I thought that I was already given it when I was born in this new world.
However, I realized that all I did was either think about the past or do things to make up for my past. Sometimes I even tried to get back at my past self or people in that past. Sure, I was given a new life but I was still living in the past the entire time. But this was my chance to forget about my past, only remembering what's important like my family and friends, and actually live my new life. Honestly, I think I was somewhat happy.
Eva smiled softly. She somewhat looked like she admired my resolve. "It's not gonna be easy. Time manipulation isn't a toy. I don't need to tell you that now, do I?"
"Yeah, I think I've learned my lesson."
The lesson is that I shouldn't let my life revolve around my powers. My powers are a part of me, but my powers are not all of who I am.
"And there's more lessons to come."
She would be right about that, however, the lessons in time manipulation would come later. The very next day, I was given a school uniform and attended my first class, meeting the other youngsters for the first time.
I was nervous, and for a moment, I did think about that past. I thought about the times I went to a new school and wondered in what ways I'd get bullied, ridiculed, and laughed at. However, I stopped those thoughts, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. 'Let go of the past, Ky.' I told myself before grabbing the doorknob and opening the door.
Immediately upon opening it, I saw Emma Frost at the teacher's desk with a whiteboard behind her. "I was starting to think you weren't gonna show, Ky." she teased. I was running a little late. "Sorry, I couldn't find the place. Eva sucks at giving tours."
The class laughed, and as they did, it sort of felt good. I smiled and looked around, seeing plenty of familiar faces in the crowd. By the way, remember that these are all kids. Behave yourselves.
There was a blue-skinned boy, obviously that was Nightcrawler.
Another boy sat next to him with silver hair and goggles on his head. I assumed that was Quicksilver.
There was a blonde girl with insanely blue eyes and dark makeup on her lips. She was looking into my soul and honestly scared the shit out of me. That was Magik.
Next to her, there was another girl with a dragon or something on her shoulder. Her hair was brown and was put up in a ponytail. She was Kitty Pryde, of course.
One boy had brown hair and was playing with a deck of cards. It was safe to assume he was Gambit. The girl next to him was waiting anxiously as if the two of them were making a bet. She had dark hair and a black circle painted over her eye with makeup. That was Domino.
A bubble popping caught my attention and I looked over to see an Asian girl with pink glasses looking at me. She was none other than Jubilee.
By the window, there was a brown-skinned boy looking up at the sun. That was Sunspot.
The girl near him with curly hair and a silver streak at the front of it was, of course, Rogue.
And finally, the girl that I saw earlier next to Wolverine was here too. That was X-23, though she preferred being called Wolverine like her father; like how both Miles and Peter are Spider-Man.
"Go ahead and have a seat, Ky." Ms. Frost said, and so, I made my way to an open seat.
For the rest of my time there, these guys were my classmates. My family.
Five years later, at the age of sixteen, I sat in the same spot with my hand raised. "Go ahead, Ky." Ms. Frost chose me to answer.
"Consequentialism is the idea that the morality of an action is only decided by its consequences." I answered, getting a smile and a nod from her. "Perfect answer as always, Ky. Good job." she then continued on with her lecture and I paid close attention. Of course, I wanted to be a better student, but also...
Paying attention to her was easy.
