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BY THE END OF her second class, Olivia felt like she could take on the world. Her confidence was through the roof as she walked down to the kitchen, a small bounce in her step. She had just made a grab for the handle of the door when a familiar voice called out to her. "Olivia!" She turned. Hank was waving her over. Next to him was Charles and someone she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Alex Summers?" She gasped. All thoughts of hunger behind her, she rushed forward to wrap her old friend in a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"It's good to see you too, Spark," Alex chuckled. They pulled back and Olivia couldn't help her smile at the sound of her old nickname. "This is my brother, Scott." He gestured to the younger boy next to him.
Olivia felt a little bad, as she hadn't noticed the bandaged boy beforehand. "Hi, Scott. Are you a new student here?"
Scott scoffed. "I hope not."
Olivia raised a curious brow towards Charles. "His mutation recently developed. We're going to try and help him," The professor explained. "You're welcome to join if you'd like."
"Of course! Alex and I can catch up," Olivia smiled up the blond, nudging him playfully.
"So you're a teacher now?" Alex questioned as the group walked through the grounds of Xavier's.
Olivia nodded. "It's my first day, actually." She smiled shyly.
"Wow," Alex gasped quietly. "You're all grown up now, huh?"
Rolling her eyes, Olivia chuckled and turned her attention to Charles as he began talking to Scott, who was reluctantly listening. "The first step in understanding one's power is learning the extent of it. Only then, can we begin the process of learning how to control it," They stopped in front of the small pond. "If you do decide to stay, I can promise you by the time you're done here, you will be able to go back into the world and play a stable and productive part in it."
Olivia laughed. "Or, if you're like me, become a teacher." She sneered playfully at Charles, who shook his head with a laugh
The professor signed. "Why don't you take your bandages off and we can have a look at what we're dealing with here," He turned to the boys' brother. "Alex would you line him up, face him in the right direction," He turned back to Scott, who had hesitantly removed his eye bandages. "There's a target just across the water, when you open your eyes try to hit that."
Scott was practically shaking. Olivia could feel the fear radiating from the boy. She knew how he was feeling, as she had been in his very position before. "You can open your eyes, Scott. There's nothing to be afraid of," Charles spoke softly to the new mutant. "It's quite-"
Charles was cut off by a loud bang. Olivia jumped back as bright red lasers shot from Scott's eyes. They shot through the water, to the target, but the boy was struggling to control them. He lost his balance, causing the lasers to shoot up the large tree across the water. He finally closed his eyes and the destruction seized. "Wow," Olivia gasped. It was an amazing and beautiful mutation the boy possessed.
Charles laughed, also clearly amazed with Scott's powers. "My grandfather planted that tree when he was five years old. I used to swing from the branches of it myself," Almost comically, the tree Charles had been so fondly talking about split down the middle where Scott's laser had shot and fell to the ground with a ghostly moan. "I think that was probably my favourite tree."
Olivia snorted, covering her mouth to stop the laughter that was trying to escape. "Does that mean...I'm expelled?" Scott asked nervously.
"Oh on the contrary," Charles turned and shook his head, a bright smile on his face. "You're enrolled."
Scott was relieved. He nodded, trying to seem cool with the situation. Olivia turned to Charles. "Am I giving him the usual tour?"
The professor nodded. "Of course, Olivia. We'll leave you to it."
The three men left, allowing Scott and Olivia some alone time. "How are we doing this, exactly?" Scott scoffed. "I can't see." He waved a hand in front of his bandaged eyes.
"Oh," Olivia hadn't thought about that, she felt silly. "Right, sorry. I could give you a quick run down, and later, when Hank figures out a way to help that little sight problem of yours, I'll give you a real tour."
Scott chuckled, his fists shoved deep into his pockets. "That works...I guess."
Olivia rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Let's sit," She softly took his arm. He tensed slightly but allowed Olivia to move him. They walked carefully to a small bench and with some resistance, she helped him sit down. "Okay. Where to start..."
After talking with Scott, Olivia finished her last class of the day. She, Charles, and Hank sat in the kitchen, eating away at whatever was leftover from lunch as a makeshift dinner. Olivia couldn't stop her smiling face as she bit into a tuna sandwich. "I presume your first day of teaching was a success?" Charles smirked from the opposite end of the table.
"Is it that obvious?" Olivia chuckled, wiping mayonnaise from the corner of her mouth.
"What did I tell you, Liv?" Hank laughed, patting her arm lightly. "You had nothing to worry about."
Olivia chuckled and rolled her eyes. "I have a lot to worry about, but I guess teaching is no longer one of those things," She looked down at her hands for a long moment, thinking about the powers she loved but also despised that came from those delicate hands. "Speaking of worrying, my powers haven't been improving like you said they should Charles."
The professor merely shook his head. "You have to give it time, Olivia. Only recently have you started to develop and evolve them after those many years of suppression," His eyes saddened slightly at the memory of the young girl who was abandoned at the school, with the only thing known of her mutation was that it scared her parents away. "Rome was not built in a day."
Olivia scoffed, rolling her eyes. Charles loved his metaphors. She took another bite of her sandwich, not desiring to continue the conversation she started. Suddenly, almost like an earthquake, the floor of the house shook. Olivia gripped her chair and looked to Charles. They all knew who it was.
Not wasting time, the three made their way to Jean's room. Students peeked their heads out of their rooms, nervously whispering to each other. It pained Olivia to see how scared they truly were of Jean, no matter how much Charles chanted his mantra — Mutant and proud. "Back to bed, please," Charles ushered the nervous children away. "There's nothing to see here."
Olivia helped as well, kindly nudging the younger students back into their rooms, telling them to go back to bed. "It's getting worse," Hank muttered gravely. Peaking into the teenagers' room, Olivia could see the ginger girl thrashing in her bed, fists clenched around the sheets and sweat dripping down her face. The wallpaper of the bedroom was being burned away as Jean's nightmare continued.
"Help her, Charles," Olivia whispered to the man in the wheelchair, her heart clenching at the sight of her friend in so much pain.
He looked up at her, frowning deeply. "I will, Olivia. Don't worry," He nodded, trying to reassure the girl. "Could you both watch the halls? Make sure the students don't come down here."
Hank and Olivia nodded and stepped aside, allowing Charles into the room. Olivia clutched her hands together nervously, eyes darting around the hallways to make sure no students found their way wandering down the corridor. She could feel the static electricity begin to form within her fingers as she paced nervously. Hank watched her, the frown forming a deep line across his forehead. "She'll be okay, Olivia. You know that. Charles will stop this."
"I know," She said, leaning against the wall opposite Jean's room. She rubbed her hands down her face and sighed. "But seeing her like that, it sucks."
Hank walked over and stood next to her, allowing the girl to lean into his shoulder. They didn't speak, only listening to the sound of screams coming from the room. As she listened closer, Olivia could hear not only Jean's screams but Charles as well.
When the screaming stopped, there was a small moment of peace. No noise was coming from Jean's room, only the faintest of whispers. When Charles emerged, he looked shaken. "She's asking for you," He told Olivia.
She wasted no time in rushing to Jean, who was sat up in her bed, eyes unfocused as she stared at her bedsheets. "Jean," Olivia hastily whispered. She sat on the edge of the bed, taking the younger girl's hand softly. "Are you okay? I've never seen you this bad before."
Jean was silent for a moment, her eyes continuing to stare downwards. When she looked up at Olivia, tears glistened in her eyes, some slipping and trailing down her face. "I...I saw the end of the world." She choked out.
Olivia allowed her to cry into her shoulder. She hugged Jean tightly, rubbing a soothing hand through her fiery hair. She looked back into the hallway, where Charles and Hank had been standing — she didn't even notice that they had left. "Shh Jean, it's okay...I'm here."
Confused and dazed, Olivia woke up to the bright morning sun shining into her tired eyes. She groaned and rubbed her face, looking lazily around the unfamiliar room. "Morning, sleepyhead." The voice of Jean Grey surprised her.
"What..." Olivia rubbed her eyes and sat up. She had fallen asleep in Jean's room after the incident last night. "What time is it?"
Jean chuckled quietly. She was already dressed. Panic spiked through Olivia as she thought of being late for her second day of teaching. "It's only eight. You got an hour, don't worry," Olivia let out a sigh of relief. She stood from the small bed and raked a hand through her bed head. "Sorry about last night, by the way." Jean stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, rubbing her arm.
"Jean," Olivia sighed. "Don't apologize for something out of your control." She understood completely how Jean was feeling — scared of your powers, of what they could do to the ones you love — she was all too familiar with the idea.
Jean huffed. "That's just the thing — I should be able to control it," She shook her head, frustrated. "It's just not fair."
Shaking her head, Olivia placed a hand on Jean's shoulder and forced the girl to look at her. "I have been going to this school for nine years and I can barely keep my electricity under control. You just have to give it time," Olivia paused as she realized that she had just lectured Jean exactly how Charles lectured her the night before. "God, I sound just like Charles," She groaned. Shaking her head, she focused back on Jean. "Don't rush things, okay? You'll probably be more powerful than any of us one day."
Jean rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Whatever. Don't you have a class to teach?"
Olivia laughed. "And I'll see you in it."
AUTHORS NOTE
This was kinda a filler chapter to better establish Olivia's relationships with everyone, sorry :(