X-Men: The Gifted Ones

35. MAIN KITCHEN, XAVIER MANSION. WEST CHESTER, NY

Jane was preparing lunches for the students in the kitchen when she saw a young girl enter the kitchen. The girl was crying. Poor Evie, Jane sighed. Evie looked like any normal child at first, but as soon as she started talking, she revealed her pointed teeth and a forked tongue. She had hidden talents as well. Her voice could break glass when she screamed, and her skin was impervious to any scrape or bruise. She was still too young to know the extent of what she could do. Evie was a sweet young girl, and Jane hated to see any of the younger ones so upset. It happened more and more since Jason Stryker had arrived at the school. She wondered if he had something to do with this, too. Jane stopped what she was doing to crouch down to be at eye level with the girl.

She smiled at her and stroked one of the girl's blonde braids. "What's wrong, Evie?"

"Mrs. Xavier, Jason called me ugly!"

Jane wrapped Evie in a hug. "Oh, my dear, who could call you ugly?"

"He was making fun of my teeth and tongue! He called me a monster!"

"You are no monster, you know that!"

"I am, too!"

"You are not!" Jane tried to console her. "None of you children are monsters! Now why would anyone say something like that to someone here! Remember, this is a place where you can be yourself!"

"Not everyone here can be pretty like you!"

Jane chuckled lightly and wiped away the girl's tears. "Sweetheart, do you know how special you are? Wait until you're older and those other gifts start appearing, just imagine what you'll be able to do!"

"It's easy for you to say! You never had to go someplace and hide! No one ever hated you for how you looked!"

"You are not hiding here! This is a place for you to be with others special like you, to show you how gifted you are! My dear, you're too young to even know how strong your power is!"

Evie pushed herself away from Jane and stood tall. Jane felt pride but then stared in shock as Evie shifted into a graceful, lithe blue woman.

"Easy for someone like you to say!" Mystique growled.

Jane was in awe. She was breathless. Her eyes looked up and down and she was entranced by the scales on Mystique's sinuous body. "Raven!"

"Don't call me by my slave name!"

Jane shook her head, "Sorry. Mystique. That's your true name, right? Were you the little girl the whole time?"

Mystique started to back Jane into a counter, taunting her. "How easy it is to blend in when the mutation is small, huh? Or when I can hide? What's wrong, Jane? Ever see a real mutant before?"

"Your skin... it's... is this really how you look?"

"Your dear husband always wanted me to hide it," she taunted. "I suppose it embarrassed him!"

Jane refused to be afraid. She couldn't be, she was too mesmerized by the beautiful woman in front of her. How could anything so fantastic be human? She reached up and touched the scales on Mystique's face. "How could it? Maybe he was too afraid of someone hurting you because they couldn't see the real beauty that you are! You're so... beautiful. And you can change into anyone? Anything?"

Mystique changed shape several times. She changed into Jane, Charles, Evie, and back to her true form. Jane was awestruck, not scared.

"Incredible," Jane exhaled.

Mystique pushed her away, "What do you know about hurting? My family tried to kill me! I've always had to hide. Even when Charles kept me safe I had to hide!"