Welcome to Mutant High

When I awoke, I was still in the living room but instead I was on the sofa underneath the window. I had been moved here and a blanket placed on top of me. I could see the three people from earlier, the ones who introduced themselves as Jean, Scott and Storm. I could also see my parents; they were talking all together. I supposed they were keeping their voices down as to not wake me. I could only hope that what they were saying were good things and no fights had ensued while I slumbered.

Jean heard my thoughts and looked over to me with a smile-- I sort of felt a jump of my heart, like I'd been caught peeping where I didn't belong. Eavesdropping so to speak. But Jean's smile was warm and humble. The next thing I knew, everyone's eyes were on me, not just hers. Slowly, I raised up off of the sofa and walked over towards them, still feeling so very mentally exhausted. I knew my day was far from over, though.

"Why are you looking at me that way Mom?"

I asked my Mother, noticing that... she definitely didn't look grateful towards me. Not grateful that I had saved her life or that I wasn't dead myself. It was more of a 'I'm afraid of you, you freak' type of glare.

"Winter... baby... what happened today..."

"What happened today, I had no control over Mom. But at least it happened or we'd probably both be dead right now. Or even worse, I would be dead and you'd be burying a daughter this time next week. Or possibly even worse than that, I'd be burying my Mom next week."

I said, trying to defend myself; trying to make her see there were several different scenarios to what could have happened and thank God--none of them happened. I felt that same firm hand on my back that I had felt earlier: it was the darker complected female, Storm. I guessed she was trying to brace me, calm me down, as to not go off on my Mother anymore than I already was. Good thing, my temper really was starting to boil up.

"What happened today, better not happen again. You're both alive and let's leave it at that," my Father had begun to speak, "I will not tolerate a freak for a daughter. If it's a mental illness you have, then let's just hope it isn't contagious."

He said rather hatefully. I was just about ready to bark at him as to keep myself from crying, when Storm did instead. That, I was probably very grateful for, without knowing it just yet.

"How dare you refer to the mutant X gene as a mental illness. We may not be curable but we are not mentally ill. Your daughter has a God given gift. Whether you can see that or not, it is true. Your daughter saved your wife's life, she saved her own in the process. The least you could do is be grateful. Like she said, Sir, you could be burying your daughter and wife next week if her gift hadn't have saved their lives!"

"So is that what she is? A mutant? Even worse than a freak of nature! Even worse than a mental illness! How could you speak so highly and proud of... a mutant?!"

Venom was in his words as he looked over to me, then back at the long white haired female. I felt tears starting to come to my eyes as I took off running upstairs to my bedroom. I hadn't even wanted to run up there but I had to go somewhere away from them. My parents made no effort whatsoever to go after me, their own daughter, so Jean took it upon herself to go up there and try to console me. I felt pretty inconsolable.

After all, Jean had been in her shoes at one point in her life. Before Xavier had found her and took her underneath his wing. Jean tapped lightly on my bedroom door, I immediately hollered a 'GO AWAY' and when Jean opened the door anyway, she saw me laying on my stomach on the bed, head in my pillow, crying away.

"Winter, can we please talk? I know you're aching from their words, but please, they are just words. Untrue ones at that."

Jean's voice was soft and her face looked genuinely concerned when I looked over to her, tears streaming down my face, ruining the rest of the little bit of eyeliner and mascara I'd put on before I left with my Mother earlier today. Jean sat down lightly upon my plush bed and placed a hand upon my arm, looking down into my eyes.

"W-what am I going to do Jean...? M-my parents hate me... I don't want to be here with them. I don't want to be where I'm not wanted."

"You don't have to be here, Winter. You can come to the Institute, with us. I promise you, you're wanted at the Institute."

"But.. isn't it a school for Gifted Youngsters.. not.. an Institute.. An institute, sounds scary. An Institute sounds like something... somewhere that my Dad would want to send his ill daughter."

It did confuse me a little bit that Jean had previously called it a school but then had called it just now an Institute. But even right now, anywhere sounded better than right here. I knew I couldn't keep living with my parents, they didn't want me.

"The school is also called the Institute for Higher Learning. You being a mutant, you deserve higher learning. You'll need it with your gift." Jean went on a moment later, "The Professor is the one that sent the three of us here. Professor Xavier, who owns the school, wants you to come back with us, so you can learn to control your powers. Develop them properly instead of being afraid of them. So you don't have to live in fear of what you are or the constant fear of never knowing when you'll activate your powers again. You will meet so many more people with powers just like us, make friends with them. As I said earlier, there will be girls your age."

Jean was being honest, the Xavier Institute, for a girl in Winter's position...it would be a God-send. Jean's own parents had thought her mutation was a 'mental illness' when she was younger. And that's why nearly twenty years ago, she made the easy decision of going to the Institute with Professor Xavier and his friend, Erik Lensherr.

"Just take me away from here Jean. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be constantly reminded that I saved my Mom's life and she isn't even happy about it." I admitted quietly.

"Pack some bags Winter, you'll have your own room at the school, I promise. If you need or want any help, please, just ask."

Of course this made me a little happier, to think I'd perhaps have a better room than I had here at home. A better life soon, better than the one currently going for me here. People around me that accepted me and didn't judge me for my mutation; maybe one day a new set of parents that didn't hate my guts.

While I stayed upstairs and packed my belongings, Jean went downstairs to tell my parents or at least try to. Of course, even though they now hated their 'freak of nature' daughter, the last thing they wanted was for strangers to be taking her elsewhere, before they had a chance to make Winter's life even more miserable, sending her to a mental illness facility themselves.

"YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER!"

Winter's father hollered out, of course Scott was gearing up for a fight, preparing to take his glasses off when Jean stopped him. It was hard for Scott to remember sometimes that, even though this man may be a dick, he wasn't another mutant and most certainly wouldn't survive Scott's laser beam, a full blast one at that.

I walked slowly down the stairs now with both of my duffel bags, full of the belongings and clothes that I cared most about, and of course, liked the most. The rest, I didn't care if I lost or not. I took what mattered. I took what I didn't care if my parents bought me or not. I didn't care about what could just be replaced.

"I'm ready,"

I said softly, looking between my parents; my Mother looking as if she was scared and my Father looking as if he was ready to kill me. My Father trying now to push past Scott to grab me, or at least grab my belongings to try and halt me further from leaving. I jumped back, running to the door to get away from him, where I felt I'd be safe.

Jean stopped him however before he could get his hands on me, by making him hover in his place. Jean was never one to use her powers this way, but it beat Scott turning the man into a melted human Popsicle.

"Ultimately, it's her choice. We would never do something that was against her will, unlike you."

Storm commented as the three X-Men and I, the newest student of the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, left the house; without speaking another word to my Mother and Father. Though I had about a billion rather hateful things I'd absolutely love to say to them, after all, they'd said such hateful things to me, so maybe they didn't deserve a proper goodbye.

They took me back to the X-Jet that was two blocks away in a field. Of course I was shocked to be boarding such a massive, well, I was going to call it a plane within my mind but... plane was an understatement. But a Jet seemed to be an understatement as well, that's what they referred to it as however. It was my first time going on one, my nerves starting to jump. I was kind of afraid of heights.

"Trust me, you'll be alright. We fly this thing all the time,"

Jean reassured me as Storm helped me get buckled in. Surprisingly, it was rather complicated to me...but Storm made it seem very easy. Jean took the pilots chair and Storm her right-hand man. Scott sat in the next back chair, next to me, as to try and keep me calm and for me not to feel quite so lonely. He made this apparent in many, many ways. When the jet began to roar to life, to try and keep myself calm even more so, I grabbed Scott's hand and squeezed hard and closed my eyes tightly.

"Just try not to freeze us all," Scott teased some and I felt a very small smile creep onto my lips. Maybe this wasn't going to be such a bad thing after all... maybe my day wasn't going to keep getting worse from here.