The heavy mahogany doors closed behind them...
As the school bell rang, senior students led by Bobby and John gathered outside the study. Storm and Cyclops could only shake their heads helplessly at the children's insatiable curiosity. Without strict school rules, their youthful exuberance often got the better of them.
The silver-haired Ororo Munroe stood guard with Scott Summers. Though teachers, they too were curious about what the Professor was discussing with the young man.
As the Professor's students, the young X-Men had noticed subtle changes in the school's atmosphere recently. Though the Professor hadn't explicitly stated anything, they sensed a shift in his previously unwavering emphasis on staying low-key.
Muffled voices carried through the thick doors. The senior students pressed their ears against them, their initial chatter gradually fading as the conversation inside grew more intense. Their clear, innocent eyes darted about. Though they might not understand every word, they grasped this was a crucial discussion about mutants' future.
Sean's impassioned speech rang clearly through the door, leaving everyone silent. The most affected were the seniors... students who had lived normal lives before their mutations emerged, only to lose families and homes overnight.
The reserved Iceman, Bobby Drake, blinked back tears. His mutant identity had robbed him of familial warmth, forcing him to leave Boston for New York. His parents still believed he attended a prep school, and he'd nervously rejected their occasional requests to visit.
Other young mutants were equally moved. Hadn't they come to this special school precisely because society rejected them?
Rogue understood this better than most... driven from her Mississippi hometown, and even reported to police, she had fled to Canada before meeting Wolverine and finding sanctuary here.
Nearly every mutant had similar experiences. Society's hostility forced them into hiding, often rejected by even closest friends and family... most saw mutations as curses or diseases, thanks to media bias and misinformation.
"He speaks so well," Rogue whispered, her eyes shining with hope.
The future Sean described was what they all yearned for, though reality had crushed such dreams, leaving them to huddle in this small sanctuary under the Professor's protection.
Twenty minutes later, when Sean opened the door, he was startled by the wall of senior students blocking his path. Nearby, Storm and Cyclops looked thoughtful. Even the usually hostile Scott's expression had softened slightly.
The kindly Professor watched these innocent children, Sean's words still echoing in his heart.
His school was a haven, but shouldn't be a lifelong prison. The world outside was vast... if given the chance to live without fear, who would choose to hide in shadows?
Perhaps it was time to take that first step.
With a quiet sigh, the Professor smiled his usual gentle smile, "I'd like you to spend more time with these children," he said, wheeling forward. "Let me show you around."
Sean glanced at his statue-like secretary. Yuriko nodded. No urgent matters required his attention today.
Taking Jean Grey's place, he wheeled the Professor outside, strolling through the historic estate as the elder detailed its every corner.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, their silhouettes (one young, one old) merged into a single beautiful shadow on the twilight lawn...
...
After dinner, Sean stood alone on the balcony, gazing peacefully at the grounds below...
His talk with the Professor had secured the school's support. Once Magneto and his Brotherhood were dispatched to Africa's vast lands, his basic chessboard would be set.
As he had said, momentary compassion faded, only mutual benefit endured. To truly bind mutants to his cause, he first had to show sincerity.
Sean was no pacifist, nor suddenly charitable. Mutants simply held a key position in future plans, and he intended to keep them firmly in his grasp.
Leaving his room, he wandered the dimly lit hallway until he spotted light from the pantry. Inside, a girl bundled in heavy clothing sat eating ice cream, oblivious to his presence.
"Won't all that make you fat?" His sudden voice startled her.
She hastily wiped her mouth and adopted an innocent look, a move so practiced it was almost artful.
Sean remained unmoved. The little ruse was all too familiar. The little rascal back home (Mindy) used it constantly.
"Any whiskey or Budweiser besides chocolate and milk?" He rummaged through the fridge unsuccessfully.
"Soda's in the cabinet," the girl mumbled between spoonfuls.
With company present, she seemed too self-conscious to continue her earlier unrestrained enjoyment.
After sneaking several glances at Sean, she finally blurted, "Were you serious earlier? That mutants could go to school, work, get married... like normal people?"
"We all need goals. The path may be hard, but where there's hope, we must try." Sean sipped his soda, "I remember you... Anna Marie. They call you Rogue."
In his mind's eye, the girl with elbow-length gloves radiated a void-like darkness, she was like a terrifying black hole.
She lowered her head, as strands of hair fell over her forehead... She was as wary as a skittish young animal.
"Scott says you're not a good person," she murmured, licking her spoon.
Sean's mouth twitched. While he certainly wasn't a hero out to save the world, hearing such words from a pretty girl wasn't exactly pleasant.
"But you don't seem bad either," the guileless girl added.
"Why hide away? You don't seem to join the others much." Sean noticed how she always lingered at the group's edges.
"I hurt people," she whispered, still haunted by nearly killing Logan once.
Sean suddenly recalled her power... stealing others' abilities and life force through skin contact. Hence the heavy clothing, to avoid accidentally harming someone.
In another timeline, this girl had willingly taken Worthington's cure to rid herself of this curse.
"It's not your fault. Why fear a gift?" Sean gently brushed her hair aside, "Umbrella has suppressants, but I don't think you need them."
~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~
~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~
Read ahead on my P@treon...
p@treon.com/MayaMatengele01