X-Men: Rania's Story

Chapter Seven: Sorting out in the Mansion

Xavier’s Mansion; it was a large gothic building with vines creeping up the walls. It had a huge stony fence encompassing it and iron gates at the front. I slumped back it my seat wishing that I was anywhere but here, especially being brought by an oversized pet and a small, hyper lady. They were pretty embarrassing to travel with and we had had a long way to travel.

   “So our plan of not coming here didn’t work out so well did it?” Brett leant over and asked me, I scowled at him. I blamed this whole chain of events on him plus I didn’t feel like dealing with his ability to state the obvious.

   “I’m hungry,” Liza said suddenly, her belly giving a loud growl on cue. Sasquatch turned around in his seat and gave her a toothy grin.

   “It’s a good thing we’re here because we ran out of snacks,” he told her and she laughed. He made her do that even without saying something remotely funny, I think it was because he was just pretty funny looking.

   Puck was talking to the little speaker box at the front of the gates and then the gates slowly opened as she pulled herself back into the car. She drove through the gates and pulled up right in front of the doors. There were two people waiting out front, a woman dressed all in white, her pale skin and blonde hair blending right in making her look like some spooky ghost, and a guy who was just wearing regular clothes, jeans and a shirt, but had red sunglasses over his eyes and it was getting dark too.

   Puck and Saquatch stepped out of the car, Liza right behind them. She was excited, I could tell, but somehow I felt jealous. I’d wanted someone to take care of and now when I’d finally gotten the chance we arrived at a place that could take care of her better then I ever could’ve.

   I looked at Brett who seemed as though he could barely contain his excitement as well. I got out the van and stood beside Liza with my arms crossed and a disappointed look on my face. Brett stood casually beside me.

   “I’m Scott Summers and this is my wife Emma,” he told us holding out his hand, Brett took it and I looked at it as if it were some sort of contagion, so he lowered it.

   “I’m Brett and this is Rania and Elizabeth,” Brett stated proudly like he had known us for so long. Not that I’d known either of them for a long time, but at least I wouldn’t have pretended.

   “We hear you’re from up north?” Emma said coolly, there was something about her that I didn’t seem to like.

   “Yeah,” Puck agreed tossing her short black hair a bit, it was a pointless task but I don’t think Puck thought much of her either. “All that snow, it took us forever to get here.” Emma gave a laugh and then turned to us.

   “So, we heard you were making a pretty big mess of your identities up there,” she said looking at me with a small smile.

   I shrugged. “Not really.”

   “Yes, setting people on fire is the only real way to keep yourself hidden,” she agreed sarcastically and I had the urge to say something equally snarky back… but nothing came to my mind.

   “Whatever Emma,” Puck said coming to stand beside me. “They’re here now and they need your protection.”

   “Like usual Zuzha,” she turned her frosty blue eyes to Puck, Zuzha I suppose her real name was. “You people just don’t seem to be able to do anything without our help.”

   Puck rolled her hands into fists and I saw her getting into a fighting stance. Sasquatch came forward though and went between them.

   “Emma my dear,” he said in a low growling voice, he picked up her hand and gave her a fuzzy kiss in his hand, or paw. I wasn’t quite sure what to call it. “You know we just haven’t had the time to make our own school. There are not enough of us, yet. So like usual, we bring them here, to place run by fabulous people, who we trust to teach young mutants the best.”

   I was surprised, Sasquatch was quite the smooth talker, although Emma kept her steely gaze at Puck, she gave him a quick soft smile.

   Scott clapped his hands and came around in front. “Well, we should get you three up to the office and find you some dorms,” he told us giving all of us happy smiles.

   “Excuse me,” Liza piped up and he looked down to her. “But… we will… get some food right?”

   He gave a laugh along with Sasquatch. “Of course, we’ll get you your rooms first and then you can join the other youngsters for their dinner.”

   Liza looked excitedly at me, but I just rolled my eyes and concentrated at a stone in the wall. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Liza grab Brett’s hand as Scott led the way inside. I was the last one to follow them, rather reluctantly as well.

The office was huge. Everything about seemed overly large: the desk, the chair, the bookshelves, the paintings and even the statues. It was like stepping into a giant’s room and I didn’t like the feeling it gave me at all; the small, insignificant feeling.

   Scott went around to the other side of the desk and logged onto the computer. Brett and Liza sat in the chairs opposite of his desk and I stood over to the side, leaning against an empty space on the wall. Puck and Sasquatch had gone with Emma to her office, doing some other business, leaving us with Scott. I didn’t mind though, I liked him a lot more then her. He seemed a lot nicer and understanding.

   “So,” he began, clicking on his mouse. Seeming satisfied that he was going the right direction on it, he turned to us. “I don’t have an empty dorm for the two of you,” he told Liza and me, my heart sank a little and Liza looked at me upset. “So I’m going to have to separate you two. I’m sorry.”

   I shrugged. “It’s cool, right Liza?”

   “I guess,” she said with a pout.

   “So I’m going to give Elizabeth room 314 with Alani Ryan. She’s on the Alpha Squad and very nice. About your age too,” he told her and she gave a shy nod, then he turned to me. “Rania, I’m going to give you room 310 with Sofia Mantega. She’s on the New Mutant’s Squad, one of the leaders.”

   “Alright,” I said with another shrug and then he turned back to his computer and began clicking again. Brett looked at me with a funny smile on; I figured now that we were being roomed up with someone, he was finally nervous.

   “And you Brett, I’m going to but you with Joshua Guthrie. He’s also on the New Mutant’s Squad and he is very nice. But you may have some difficulties with space in your room which will be 203.”

   “What are the squads?” I asked suddenly, surprising even myself.

   “We put all the mutants here in squads, so they can develop team skills and how to use their powers during the competitions we have,” he answered.

   “What team will we be on?” I asked.

   “I’m not sure yet,” he told us. “I’m going to let you get used to the school and then maybe sometime next week I’ll be able to fit you onto a squad.”

   I nodded and felt a surge of excitement for once. I wanted to be on a squad, to compete with them to… belong to something.

   “Also, boys are on the second floor, girls on the third. The classrooms are on the first floor. Each floor has their own showers and bathrooms which they have to share with their floors,” he told us and I was back to my anger of being here. Sharing a bathroom and shower place was not fun, at all.

   He typed on his computer a little more then stood up, switching the screen off. “Well let’s go get you settled then, shall we.”

   He walked out the door and showed us to our rooms.

That took me a lot longer then I suspected, but I hope you enjoy it. Leave more comments, vote, fan!