The Element of Change {Xmen first class}

Ch. 4 "Raven"

"He's right you know," Lei informed the young shapeshifter, stepping around the corner and into the room Raven was lifting weights in. Raven was in her natural form and if you've heard people call a woman exotic before... well Raven was it. Her bright, fire orange hair stood in great contrast against her dark blue skin and beautiful patterns of scales traveled up and down her body.

"You shouldn't feel like you have to hide who you truly are from the world. You're stunning, Raven. Don't let anyone tell you any differently."

Raven scoffed and sat up from the bench, swinging both of her legs out before standing up. "You don't know everything Lei. You've never had to hide who you really are before. Your mutation allows you to look totally normal. No one's ever looked down on you because you're different." Scales flew across Raven's body, and she was back to her "normal" form, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The mutant pushed past Lei, but before she could get very far the older woman grabbed onto her arm and twisted Raven around to face her.

"You don't think I know what it's like?" Lei's brown eyes narrowed.

"Just because I look normal, doesn't mean I haven't suffered because of my gifts, Raven. My own mother died when I was really young because she was different, so my father had to raise me on his own. Did a pretty damn good job too, until people in the village started to figure out that his daughter was a mutant. That she had the ability to control water and, in time, the potential to control earth, fire, and even air. My father had to send me away, to stay with an aunt in America until things blew over. But by the time I was able to return, my father had died, killed by the same people who had taken my mother. So don't think for a second that you're the only one whose faced hardship because of who she is," Lei scolded before storming out of the exercise room.

She was fuming, and although she had practiced intensely against Erik the day before, and she was still nursing the wounds she had received from that fight, she decided to go practice in the gardens outside. It was a full moon tonight, and she was hoping she'd be able to work off this fury that was building inside her.