I Am Polaris

“I don’t understand Professor. She was so close. Why didn’t you clock her first, before anyone?” Hank asked, he was sat on Xavier’s desk, looking at me. Xavier was on the other side, behind the desk. Alex was sat just in my view nursing his arm, apparently he hurt it when he ducked.

“She was hidden from my view. Hiding her powers. Even to herself. That’s why I didn’t find her with Cerebro. Like a veil over her psyche. Remarkable really.” He placed his fingers on his forehead. I felt a slight tug towards my uneasy emotions. Weird. I hadn’t been able to feel him at all before. “Hmm. Interesting. You still don’t want to be here. Even though Alex saved your life.” I scoffed.

“He didn’t save my life. He prolonged it. No one truly saves lives.” Alex made a face which if translated would probably mean hell-this-girl-is-weird. I rubbed my eyes. “Look. Thanks and everything. But my friend’s dead. I just want to go home.”

“You can’t. Magneto will be watching that place like a hawk now. One of us could go round and get some stuff for you… if there are things you need.” Xavier said, looking at Hank.

My mouth dropped open. “What, so I can never go home?”

“I’m sorry. But he will break you if we let you go. And we can’t afford to have you on his team.” I left my gaze on Xavier, thinking silently about how I could get out of this situation. “No Charlotte.” Crud. Telepath. He laughed a little at that.

“Are you surprised I want to leave? What I don’t get is why this is happening now? I’ve been fine and incident free for years. How come everyone suddenly knows?” Xavier looked a little sheepish.

“It was us. Once I realised what you were, who you were, it was a matter of time before Magneto came for you. He has a telepath of similar abilities to mine. She keeps an eye on all of us.”

“Who I was?”

“Your name is Charlotte Dane. But that’s not your real name. Nor is it who you really are.” I licked my lips.

“Yeah. I’m adopted. So?”

“Your parents. They were German, yes?”

“Yeah. Well, my mother was. She never told anyone who my father was and she died when I was two. Her sister took me in. That’s Lizzie. My Mom.”

“How did she die?” Alex asked quietly. Both Hank and Xavier glanced across the room at him. I was clearly missing something, maybe Alex was an orphan too.

“Hitler and his crew of bitches. She was gassed to death in a concentration camp, for being a jew. Belsam I think.” I replied. All three looked at me in sympathy and I sighed. “That’s why I don’t tell people I’m adopted. Look, honestly, I don’t mind talking about it. I barely knew her and I can’t remember anything about her. She was dead before my brain was in remember mode.” I shrugged.

“Do you remember anything about her? At all.” I shook my head in reply. I didn’t even remember what she looked like. “What about what your parents told you about her? About when she got pregnant?”

I shrugged again. “They are clueless. Lizzie said she thought it was a Jewish boy they gave shelter to for a few nights. She said he was the only one she’d met who could have been my father. But she wasn’t certain. And she didn’t like him. She said he was creepy, but that it would explain my eyes.”

“Your eyes?” Hank asked. I nodded.

“They’re patchy. Blue, green and brown. They had no idea where the green had come from, but she says she remembers he had really pale green eyes.” I shrugged. “There’s no way of tracking him down, why do you care? And why does it matter?” Hank and Xavier locked eyes, both ignoring my question. Alex frowned at the two of them.

“You think?” Hank asked Xavier quietly. I frowned in question.

“It’s a possibility. Her powers would make sense and Eric spent much of his youth travelling alone around Germany.” Xavier replied, looking back at me. Both he and Hank studied me for a moment.

“Eric?” I asked quietly. Fearing I already knew who they were talking about.

“Magneto. That’s his real name.” Alex replied without looking away from Xavier and Hank. “You guys think tha-“

“Can I have some of your blood?” Hank said, cutting across Alex. I frowned. Alex raised his eyebrows and looked back at me.

“Um, why?”

“I can do a DNA test. I have some of Eric’s blood in my lab.”

“You have a lab?” My voice lifting in interest.

“It’s not set up for geophysics Charlotte.” Xavier said over my thoughts.

“Oh,” I said, deflating slightly.

“Geophysics?” Alex asked. “The lab you want? It’s for geophysics?” I nodded, frowning at him. “I did a geophys major at college, minor in computer science. Before I was… well… incarcerated. Which section you doing you doctorate in?”

“Electromagnetics.”

“Oh. Duh.” Alex replied. I grinned at him.

“Guys. Bond later. Can I have some of your blood?” I held out my arm for Hank as a reply.

“I don’t want to know. What the result is. Just a quick FYI shot.”

“Why?” Alex asked as Hank moved forward with a syringe. I winced as the needle entered my arm.

“Because he’s nothing to do with me. Whatever that result says. I get that you need to know for scientific purposes. But my father is called Harold Dane and he lives in Kansas. I couldn’t care less if that scumbag is biologically my father.” Alex smiled at me, bringing out a smile in reply. I winced again as the needle retracted from my arm.

“Sorry,” Hank said, pressing down on the blood seeping from my arm.

“It’s fine.” I glanced toward the door as Hank went out through it. I pushed down where his fingers had been a moment before and contemplated something.

“Charlotte.”

“I wasn’t thinking about leaving.” I said before looking back to him. “Where’s the other boy. Sean isn’t it?”

“Ah. He is setting up your room.” Xavier said with an apology laced in his eyes. “It’s opposite Hank’s. Thought you may appreciate the proximity to his lab.” I smiled in agreement, distracted by thinking about the large amount of stuff I needed from my apartment. My uni books, changes of clothes, bath stuff, suitcase, trainers. I looked at my clothes, I was still in a blood-stained uniform. I fingered the dark red stain. I missed him already. “Would you like someone to go to your flat now? Or in the morning?”

“I don’t want anyone in my flat without me being there, I’m going whether you want me to or not.” Xavier ran his tongue along his upper lip.

Sighing he said, “Fine. But you go with Hank, Alex and Sean. In the morning.”

“Fine.”

“Good. Alex. Give her a top to sleep in so she can change out of that.” Alex rolled his eyes.

“Seriously?”

“Yes Alex. Now. Go.”

“Can’t she just use something of Raven’s?” Xavier turned away and started reading through some of the papers on his desk.

“No Alex. Now.” Alex gritted his teeth and gestured for me to follow him out of the room. I glanced back as we left and saw Xavier lean back in his wheelchair. He sighed and looked out of the window. He looked sad.