At the X-Men mansion Storm, who had taken the role of the doctor, was finishing the last few stitches on Megan's shoulder. She still hadn't regained consciousness, and it had Logan worried.
"Is she going to be okay?" Logan asked, concerned.
"The bullet went straight through her shoulder without hitting the bone or anything vital. She'll be fine, but it will hurt for a few days." Storm answered, her eyes locked onto Megan's shoulder as she finished the last stitch.
The door of the lab opened as Professor Xavier came in. A look of concern etched across his face as he approached the bed and he looked up to Storm, who was sanitising the surgical tools she had used.
"How is she?" he asked.
"As I just said, she is okay. She is still unconscious, but the bullet didn't cause any severe damage," Storm replied, a hand on her hip as she recounted the information for the second time
"Good. Logan, can I have a few words with you outside?" The Professor asked, glancing at the open door from which he had just come through.
Logan nodded and the two men headed outside.
Logan crossed his arms and glanced into the room, keeping an eye on Megan.
"Tell me, what happened?"
"To be honest, I don't know. I was there when three men attacked her," Logan explained, his eyes trained on the petite woman's body.
"Did they say anything? What they wanted from her?" The Professor urged, glancing behind him to see what Logan was staring at so intently.
"No, nothing!" Logan snapped. "Actually... Yes. One of them said something about, her not getting away this time, but that's all I heard. I'm sorry I brought her here, but this is the only place she would be safe." he confessed.
Logan knew, bringing her back to the mansion without The Professor's approval could cause problems. They knew nothing about this woman and those people could track her down, putting all of them in danger.
"You did the right thing. I now have to make sure it is safe for us to let her stay here. If it's not, we must find another solution. Thank you, Logan." The Professor said, turning his wheelchair to face the room.
The Professor's priority was always the safety of his students' who lived in the mansion, but he was nearly as dedicated to helping anybody in need.
"Good, if you need anything I will be at the gym," Logan mumbled, taking a last look inside the lab before heading towards the gym, a couple of meters further down the hall.
The Professor went back inside the lab, approaching Megan who lay deathly still atop the bed. He stopped at the top of it putting his hands on each side of Megan's head.
"Is everything okay, Professor?" Storm asked.
"I want to make sure she is not a threat to us before she wakes up," he explained, closing his eyes. He read along her mind, searching for memories that would either condemn or save her.
A few minutes into the process Megan regained consciousness. She opened her eyes to come face to face with a man she had never seen before and she panicked. Terrified, she jumped off the surgical bed and grabbed a scalpel from the medical tray.
"Who the hell are you? What am I doing here?" she screamed, pointing the scalpel at the two unknown people in front of her as eyes darting around the room. She felt a stabbing pain in her shoulder, but the adrenaline running through her veins kept her going.
"Please calm down, Miss Wild. My name is Professor Charles Xavier and you are in my school for gifted youngsters. This is Ororo Munroe, she took care of you." The Professor said, his voice calm and reassuring.
"School for what? What is that?" Megan snapped, her eyes glancing around the room as she tried to find an escape route.
She never expected an answer like this. Everything around her looked nothing like a school and she wasn't willing to accept some half truth.
"It's a school for mutants. I believe your father spoke to you about people like us. You have no reason to be afraid. Why don't you put the scalpel down so I can explain what happened?" The Professor replied, his voice low and sincere in an attempt to calm her.
Unfortunately for The Professor the mention of her father only made the situation worse.
"How do you know my father?" She shouted, her eyebrows drawing together as anger replaced her fear.
"I don't. I have the power to read people's minds, and to make sure you are not a threat to us, I had to read yours," he explained, a hand reaching to her in a last ditch attempt to calm her down.
"You read minds?" she asked, her mind reeling at the information.
Her father had told her numerous times about mutants and their power, but this was the first time she had encountered one. Her whole body was going back and forth, not knowing how to react.
"Yes, and as your father told you, we are not dangerous," he whispered in her mind.
Megan's mouth fell open in disbelief. She stared at the Professor with her eyes wide open while processing what she had just experienced. Her heart rate dropped as she thought she may be safe after all, but since the events that brought her here were still blurry, she didn't let go of her weapon.
"How did I get here?" she asked, the scalpel still held firmly in her hand.
"You were attacked and shot. Logan brought you here so we can take care of you." Storm interrupted, jumping into the conversation.
"Logan? Who's Logan?" Megan questioned, her mind still foggy from the attack and blood loss.
"I'm Logan!" Logan exclaimed. He had heard the voices from the gym and came back to see what was happening.
Megan turned her head, looking the man standing in the doorway. As soon as she saw Logan's face, scenes from the night before flashed in front of her eyes. The bar, the alley, the three shadows in the dark, something stopping them, and a gunshot...
"Wait... we met at the bar, didn't we? We... we talked just before I left?" She stuttered, her memory clearing with every passing heartbeat.
"Yeah, that is ri-"
"And you showed up when they attacked me," she continued without waiting for his answer.
The memory of how much she enjoyed talking to him and the trust she had come rushing back. Her eyes stared at Logan and she tilted her head.
"Why did you bring me here? Couldn't you take me to a hospital?" she asked, not that she understood anything that happened until now, but this only added to her confusion.
"There were three dead guys, you had just been shot and had two blood-stained daggers in your possession. Usually, in cases like that, the hospital calls the police. Did you really want to explain to them what happened?"
Logan was right. Even if she were innocent, the police would have a hard time believing her. To Storm and The Professors' amazement, Logan's last words finally seemed to calm her down. She took a deep, shaky breath and put the scalpel back on the tray.
"Please sit down, I want to check your stitches. I hope you didn't rip them out when you jumped off the table." Storm said as she helped Megan back onto the bed.
"I still need to ask you some questions. If it's okay with you?" the Professor said.
"I guess so...." She never liked talking about herself, but obviously, this was a weird situation that needed some explanation.
"Can you tell me why these men are after you? Logan mentioned that it wasn't the first time you met them." The Professor asked, emphasising the last sentence.
She glanced at Logan, wondering what else he had told them.
"I don't have an answer for you. The only thing I know is that a man came and talked to me two weeks ago. He said he was a friend of my father's and he needed my help. The problem is that my father warned me that if someday, somebody came claiming to be a friend of his I shouldn't trust them. He warned me that I should walk away immediately, and that's exactly what I did."
"You never wonder what could that mean?" The Professor urged, clearly interested in the woman's story.
"I did, but I never asked. Work stuff I guess. He always kept secrets, so it wasn't unusual." Megan answered, glancing down at Storm who was poking at the tender stitches on her shoulder.
"And the guy just let you go? He said nothing else?" Logan asked suspiciously.
"Well, we were in the middle of the university court and I assume there were many witnesses for him attempt anything. I didn't see him again until last night and you know the rest. Sorry, I wish I had more answers." Megan admitted, a hiss escaping her lips as Storm touched a tender spot.
"Who is your father?" The Professor continued the questioning, looking for some details that could lead to an explanation.
A lump formed in her throat and she coughed, trying to clear it.
"Was... nobody, a biologist working for some pharmaceutical company."
Everybody in the room stood in silence for a moment, their eyes trained on her.
"Thank you for your honesty, Miss Wild. We rarely allow strangers here, but I believe we can trust you," the Professor broke the silence. "You are welcome to stay as long as you need. Storm will help you settle down. Dinner it's at eight, I hope you will join us." he added while exiting the room.
Megan was glad that the interrogation was over and decided that the best thing she could do for the moment was to rest. She needed to take her time figuring out what she would do about the attack.
"Everything looks all right. You were lucky the bullet didn't break any bones or damage any arteries. It will hurt for a couple of days, but you will be fine." Storm told her, turning to Logan as she left the room. "Logan, can you please take her to a room upstairs while I go grab her some clean clothes?"
Megan stood, a sharp burning in her arm. The level of adrenaline in her body had dropped back to normal, allowing her mind to perceive the pain. Her hand grasped her shoulder, gently applying pressure to ease the throbbing as she approached Logan.
"Let's go, I don't have all day!"
Before even finishing his sentence, Logan was already walking towards the exit. Μegan walked as fast as possible trying to catch with him, but her legs were still weak and trembling. Once they reached an elevator, an uncomfortable silence spread between them.
"Thank you... for saving me. I don't remember all the details, but I remember enough." Megan said, breaking the ice.
"Yeah, sure, whatever." That was the only thing Logan thought of as an answer, and the awkward silence was back.
The elevator door opened and Megan walked out first. The place was full of young mutants coming and going from their rooms, talking and laughing with each over. When she realised that all of them were mutants, her heart raced and her stomach tightened. She took a wary step back, but Logan was standing behind her and she bumped right into him.
''Come on, they won't hurt you," he gave her a gentle push on the back, urging her into the massive amount of students.
Megan took a deep breath, composing herself and followed Logan through the corridors. They stopped in front of an open door, leading into an empty room.
"Here you go," Logan stated. "Here comes Storm," he added when he saw Storm coming towards them and took the opportunity to leave.
"Thank you," Megan yelled when she realised he left, hoping that he heard her.
"Here's some clean clothes and some pain killers. Get yourself comfortable." Storm handed her a small pile of clothes with a small medicine bottle balanced on top. "If you need anything let me know, okay?"
"Yes, thank you. Can I ask you something?" Megan said, looking anxiously up into the exotic woman's eyes. There seemed to be something surreal about the woman to Megan, maybe it was just the dark complexion paired with the unnaturally white hair.
"Sure, anything." Storm replied, eager to be of assistance.
"The Professor introduced you as Ororo but Logan calls you Storm, why?" Megan cast her eyes downward as she asked what sounded like a very personal question.
Storm smiled in response. "Because a have the power to control the weather."
Once again Megan stared at her open-mouthed, but her mind filled with curiosity. "And what about Logan?" she asked, jumping at the opportunity to learn something of the man that saved her.
"He has an accelerated healing process as well as metal claws and skeleton." Storm answered after a moment's hesitation.
"I remember the claws," Megan exclaimed, she didn't understand the full meaning of accelerated healing process, but thought it sounded pretty amazing.
"Anything else?"
"No, I'm okay, thank you," Megan replied, eyeing the bed pushed into the corner of the room greedily. It had been such a long day!
"Great see you at dinner," Storm said, excusing herself as she walked away and into the corridor.
Megan closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed, taking a deep breath to centre herself. She was utterly confused wondering why all of this happened, but at least she was safe.
Exhaustion quickly took over her and fell asleep. When she woke up the clock on the bedside table showed past seven so she jumped in the shower, getting ready for dinner.
As she opened the door of her room, she realised that she had no idea where the dining room was. She looked around, hoping to find it or at least somebody that would tell her where to go. A voice piped up from behind her, making her heart almost leap from her chest.
"You look lost, can I help you?"
Megan turned around and saw a girl's face just a few centimetres away from hers.
"Jesus Christ!" she exclaimed, nearly falling to the ground in shock.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the young girl apologised. "You are the new girl, right? I am Kitty."
"Where did you come from? There was nobody here three seconds ago and all the doors are closed!" Megan replied, holding a hand to her heart to slow its crazy tempo.
"Oh, I was in my room just over there." Kitty pointed at the wall next to her. "I have the power to pass through solid matter. Here," Kitty passed her arm through the wall demonstrating her power. "What's yours?"
"My what?" Megan asked her eyes wide open.
"Your power?" Kitty urged, her arms crossed as she waited for Megan's answer.
"Oh umm... I am not a mutant." Megan admitted, biting her lip as she stared at the girl before her.
"Really? The Professor rarely lets any human stay here." Kitty exclaimed, eyeing Megan closely as if she could see something different about the woman.
"Yeah, so I've been told. Speaking of which, can you please tell me where the dining room is?" Megan asked, looking past the girl as she worried about running late. These people were being more than generous to her and she didn't want to seem ungrateful.
"I'm going there too. Follow me." Kitty urged, motioning for Megan to walk with her.
When they arrived in the dining room, there were dozens of students of all ages sitting at the table, waiting for food to be served. Storm stood up and walked toward the two girls.
"Kids, I want to introduce you to Megan. She will be staying with us for a short amount of time. I expect you to welcome her and to make her feel at home." She announced, turning to Megan who was a bright shade of red from all the attention she was receiving.
"Come sit next to me." Storm took Megan by the arm and guided her to an open seat beside her own.
Once seated, Megan scanned the room looking for Logan. She hoped maybe they could continue the conversation they started the night before, but to her disappointment, he never came.
Kids around the table asked one question after another about her. Who was she? Where did she come from? They were intrigued by the fact that The Professor allowed her to stay. But she wasn't the type of person who opens up and tells her life story to just anyone, so she kept her answers short and sketchy. However, she was interested in learning about this place and the people that were living here.
After roughly twenty minutes, the exhaustion and pain caught up with her again. Before dinner was served, she turned to Storm, excusing herself and hobbled back to her room. Without a moment's hesitation, she lay down, pulling the covers over herself and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.