XXX-Treme X-Men (closed for Dreamwalker 85)

[scarlettnuit]

The room was dark and swelteringly hot. Her window was open to the sounds of it’s enslaved inhabitants below. The sounds of taxi horns blaring and people shouting were as soothing as cricket chirps were to others. She rolled around to lay on her back, wearing nothing but her t-shirt and panties so that she didn’t suffocate from the summer heat.

She heard a creaking sound but paid it no heed. The old building that she and her mother lived in made all sorts of noises. It was more a collections of termites holding hands that it was an actual building. She felt a sweaty hand moving up her stomach and under her shirt. She looked up to see who it was and saw mother’s latest boyfriend staring down at her with a wild look in his eye, a look fueled by the cheap tequila he drank.

Dani shot up, wakening from this remembered nightmare. She looked around to see herself back in the decrepit building that she and her friends had found the night before. The squat they had been in before got raided by the police and so they were forced to find another home. This home was at least on a second floor, which was much safer, though just as shitty looking as their last.

It was an improvement however. She didn’t have her mother’s boyfriend trying to paw at her. She chortled sarcastically at the thought of her mother’s “boyfriends”. The term was rather a stretch for the men that paraded through their apartment. Revolving pimps were closer to the truth, whatever man could supply, or at least find a way to supply her with her drugs, heroine being a favorite, what her mother’s love of a life time…for a few weeks anyway.

She stretched and stood up. Some people were still sleeping here and there, Star, their tribe’s leader, was still asleep next to Tyler, who’s gaze now fell upon her. Tyler was Star’s newest shiny toy, the guy she had always wanted. He had been hitting on her for weeks in secret, Dani kept fight him off, but he was becoming more persistent.

Dani got up off of her cardboard bed and rolled her thin blanket it up and put it into her backpack, otherwise known as her entire life in a bag. She then walked over to the closest thing one could call a mirror and straightened up her make up, adding more black eyeliner around her eyes. There was something about this act that made her feel more confident, better able to handle the situations that arose in the tough life she was leading. Without make up, she looked to be about 12 years old, despite being 19. She looked too young and too innocent, despite her spike covered leather jacket and combat boots. She finished her eyeliner and ran a brush through her dark brown, almost black hair. She looked pale, which was nothing new. She had always had paler skin however, today it seemed a little bit whiter than usual.

“Where ya going?” he asked as he came uncomfortably close to her. Dani had maintained a general distrust of men, given her past experience, but Tyler seemed to be overly interested in her. This was a twofold annoyance for her. First, she certainly didn’t want to piss off Star, which was easily done, especially where her boyfriends were concerned, and two, she had no desire to have anything to do with the halfwit in front of her.

“Out.” She replied and shoved past him trying to leave and start her day.

“Out where?” he asked, following her out to the street.

“You know if I don’t bring back my share of the pot tonight, Star will raise holy hell.” She tried to move past him again and this time he grabbed her and moved his hands down her body.

“You know I can cover you…” he whispered to her, “I want a taste of you, I bet you’re a wild lay” he added, having all the confidence of a spoiled brat who always got their way. He started to grab her roughly and wouldn’t let go. She started to panic and as she did, she felt her fingers getting colder. Within seconds, Tyler was nothing more than a block of ice and Star was screaming her name.

Dani stood shocked and scared, and then tore down the street. She ran down into the subway and jumped on a train. She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay in Manhattan. She hated having these powers, they did nothing but ruin her life, as if she needed help.

 

[Dreamwalker85]

Someone was watching Dani and no one knew it. At a distance the man would have looked like a well dressed drifter. A short man with bread shoulders that wore a leather bomber jacket, a simple black t-shirt, blue jeans and a pair of cowboy boots. His black hair and sideburns had a reverse mowhawk or wild man vibe. The style fitted him.

Logan saw the the girl that couldn't have been older than twenty one burst out of building that smelled like piss, an assortment of drugs and alcohol and stale air. Some guy was following her. He didn't hear the conversation, but saw the annoyance in her eyes. Then as she became uncomfortable as he got closer Logan was getting ready to move faster. The plan was simple, punch the punk in the stomach and let the lady walk. Then her would be attacker, annoyance suddenly became a block of ice.

Seeing that all too familiar fear of when a mutant first manifested Logan kept walking. He moved past Dani knowing that the fear would have taken her ahead of him. This was a simple tactic to tail her.

Just like he expected the young woman moved past him and went toward the subway. Picking up the pace he went down the concrete stairs then followed the woman. When she got away and to a spot that kept them somewhat alone he cried out, "Hey."

If she didn't respond to him, Logan would have moved closer, "Hey, kid. I wanna talk to ya." He would have kept trying to get her attention until there was some kind of response.

Whether it was an angry yell, an annoyed "What?" or whatever his follow up was the same. "If ya wanna go back to that hell hole ya came from that's fine. I saw what ya did. I know people that can help. No tricks. No strings. If ya wanna learn how to control that, get a warm meal," he sniffed once or twice. Her aroma wasn't too pleasant, but it wasn't foul either. "Maybe a bath and a bed that's actually a mattress come with me."

To emphasize his point slowly claws pretruded from his skin between the knuckles of his pinky and ring finger, ring finger and middle, and the middle and forefinger. The claws lacked blood despite ripping through skin and muscles. They gleamed in the light and were between one and two feet long. "I know what yer goin' through." The claws suddenly retracted inside him. Dani would have seen any wounds heal instantly.

"What's it gonna be kid?" Logan asked and started to walk away. "Another night in rat city, or a chance fer something better that you can walk away from in the mornin' if ya want. Name's Logan. Bike's leavin', make yer choice," that was Logan's pitch. He didn't go for the lovey-dovey crap that some members of the X-men used. He used hard facts and a little bit of pressure. Everything was placed into the potential student's hands.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani nearly jumped out of her skin at the first sound of the deep rough voice that now filled the air. She tried to ignore him , in case he was talking to the passed out bum at the end of the car, but he seemed insistant on talking to her. She finally looked up to see the man who was talking to her and scooted closer to the end of the row she was sitting it. It faced one of the opposite windows and was open at both sides. It was clear that there was no escaping this little tête a tête.

“What is it you want?” she said cautiously. Mutants were frowned on around the world and the last thing she needed was to be raped, beaten or sold into slavery. However, given the man’s build and look, she doubted very much that she could take him. She could fight, if she had too, but more and more her powers were emerging and making it quite clear that they were difficult to control.

She raised her eyebrow as he spoke. She had heard this speech before. They usual lead to some refried Christian retreat for priests to get their secret jollies, or were trafficking rings. However, she was clearly annoyed when he sniffed her and mentioned a bath.

“Look buddy, I don’t know what racket you’re running,” she began, but stopped as she saw his claws emerge from his hand. Her mouth dropped slightly and then closed again. Was this a trick? Was there really a place for people like them? A safe place?

When he turned his back, she stood up in a mild rage that he would show her a secret and then have the audacity to turn away. She marched up behind him and tapped his shoulder hard until he turned around.

“First off I’m no kid. Secondly, it’s Dani and I’ll take the lift.” She said as the train slowly came to a stop. She then looked him squarely in the eyes.

“I may be small, but make one wrong move and I’ll kick you so hard in the balls they won’t drop for a year.” She told him and then straightened her shoulders and slung her backpack back on.

“Now where are your wheels?”

 

[Dreamwalker85]

"Dani," Logan nodded to the young woman. "You can try to kick my ass," he warned the woman and started to leave the subway. As they were walking he looked back at her every once in a while to make sure she was keeping up. "Two to three blocks over from the shit hole you were living in."

Sure enough he moved two blocks north and one block east they were approaching a dingy bar. The place was a dive, but had good food and booze so it worked for him. Behind the building was a parking lot. Walking up to a bike, a nice 2011 Harley Davidson Fat Boy, he pulled the keys from his coat pocket. On the back was a helmet and it was handed to her. "Put this on," Logan said in a voice that was more of a command.

Once she was on and secure he started up the bike. The engine roared to life and before long he took off. "You alright, kid?" Logan asked as they were zooming past the cityscape.

After a while the city started to give away to scenic country. They were heading toward Westchester County. More time passed before they came to stone walls and an iron gate. Written across the stone was "Xavier's School for the Gifted." Slowing down at the gate he punched in a code and they opened up.

Driving down the roadway a giant mansion was coming into view. The place looked like it could have housed a small country. Off to the side was a garage that looked like it could ahve house fifteen cars. Pressing a button on the bike caused the garage to open up. The door lurched and went upward. Logan drove the bike into its spot. "We'll set you up with a room. I'll show ya where the kitchen and showers are. We'll get ya something to wear, sweater and shirt, and when ya wake up in the morning ya can hear the pitch from others after breakfast. If ya like it, stay, you'll have a room and meals. Place is a school so it'll ask nothin' from ya. If ya don't like it just tell me where ya want to go, I'll take ya there, drop ya off, and ask nothin' else."

Turning off the bike Logan pulled one leg over then looked back to Dani. He was watching her making sure she understood everything that was said. "Place is a safe haven for mutants. Everyone here is a mutant. It teaches how to control powers, offers ya classes if ya want, even college if ya wanna keep it going. We got private investors, also mutants, so it'll never cost ya a cent. Only thing Chuck wants is to see people like you do good out there in the world, but ya gotta want it too."

 

[scarlettnuit]

“You know, I get that I came from a shit hole, but you don’t have to keep bringing it up.” She said, trying to keep up given her petite stature. “Besides, I think you could probably do with a good hose down yourself wolf man.” She told him, given his appearance.

She followed him to a dive bar and then to the parking lot behind it. She had to admit that he had a nice bike. She always wondered what riding on one of these would be like and she was a bit excited that she was about to find out, not that she would give him the pleasure of knowing that.

She took the offered helmet and got on the back of the bike. She put on the helmet and felt weird about actually touching him, so she tried to hold onto the seat, but soon found that there wasn’t much to hold onto but Logan.

As the city faded away, Dani watched as an unknown landscape began to emerge. She had been through the country side once or twice when her mother was dragging her from one place to another, but she had never had the chance to experience it on the back of a bike. She felt more immersed and breathed in what scent she could through the helmet.

As they approached an imposing mansion, she began to tense. She didn’t have the money to stay in a place like this, and she began to wonder what they would make her do to keep a roof over her head. When he parked his bike she got off and put her helmet back on his bike and bit her bottom lip for a moment. She walked with him and gave a small laugh.

“So they’re going to give me all that for nothing huh?” she said, clearly not believing what she was being told. “I’m a little old for school you know…” she began and then was interrupted.

She looked at him long and hard, as if to discern whether or not she could trust him. She finally took a deep breath and exhaled. She had nothing to lose and she was here now. All that was left for her in Manhattan was a gang of street punks, ready to beat her down.

“Well…lead the way then I suppose.” She said as she grasped her backpack straps nervously for a moment. She wasn’t exactly a people person. Her thoughts flew too freely from her mouth and she had a very low tolerance for bullshit.

“How did you end up here? Why are you helping me?”

 

[Dreamwalker85]

"Yep," was Logan's response to Dani's question about getting everything for nothing. This was truly a no strings attached situation. "Maybe. Controlling yer powers, learning how to do that, you could use some help in too." Walking out of the garage he waited to be followed before closing the garage door. The sound of the door echoed in the night.

Walking to a side door they walked into the Kitchen. The Kitchen at Xavier's looked like it could have handled twenty people at any given time. What showed of the walls between white marble countertops and light brown cabinets was small blue square tiles.

The stone/oven and refriderator looked stainless steel and less than five years old. They both looked shiny, and new thanks to some tender love and care when people cleaned them. Pointing to one cabinet Logan said, "Plates." Another point, "Glasses." Then he pointed to a drawer, "Silverwear. Help yerself to the fridge."

Inside the fridge it looked like there was a pizza party from a night or two ago because there were an assortment of slices with different toppings from veggie lovers, to meat lovers, to just cheese, to the classic combination, it looked like these were the left over from thirty people. There were also fixings for sandwiches and even a left over baked ham.

Drinks gallore were toward the bottom. An assortment of soda, lemonade, bottle water, milk (both cow and almond) and everything else. She really had her pick of everything. Logan was sitting at the table by the time she had everything set.

"When I came here I was in rough shape. Worse than you. I was barely a man, but that's history. Why we give people the pitch is to give em' a chance. Everyone here was helped out by Charles and his school. Lot of us when we see a mutant that looks in over their head we offer them the same chance we had. Kinda like givin' back. Whether or not they take it is on them," Logan's words were honest yet a little firm at the end. His eyes flashed to Dani, "So what's yer story? What were ya doin' slummin' it?"

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani walked into the kitchen, feeling uncomfortable with a place that was so fancy and clean. It wasn’t that she didn’t have manners. She had read enough books about enough things to know how to conduct herself. She was a voracious reader and had always been an extremely bright student. She continued her education through books when the time came.

While she wanted to bury her face in the food in the fridge, she instead got a bottle of water and nothing else. She closed the door and moved to sit cattycorner to Logan as he gave her a very condensed version of his arrival here. She opened the bottle of water and took a drink as he asked about her own past.

“Well,” she began as she looked down at her water bottle. She traced the rim of the bottle with her finger. “When you’re thirteen, you’re not exactly prepare to let your mother turn you into a prostitute.” She said, looking up at him with clear eyes. “I figured living on the street, even as it is, was better than being some sweaty guido’s whore.”

She took a drink of her water and then continued. “Not that it was great, but it was on my terms, which is more than I could say about my childhood, what little there was of it.”

She closed the water bottle and watched as some happy kids walked into the kitchen. They all said hi to Logan and looked at her awkwardly before grabbing some soda’s and leaving. She tensed around them, afraid she might accidently hurt them. Snow started to form and fall from the air when she looked back at him.

“I know, it’s fucking ridiculous…” she said as she closed her eyes and tried to reign it in. When she finally did, she looked at him once more. “Can we get this show on the road? According to you I reek. I’d like to take care of that.”

 

[Dreamwalker85]

Logan was quick to respond to the horrible parts of Dani's childhood, "Anyone tries that here I'll cut it off. Don't worry darlin'. Yer safe here. It's why I came up to ya. I saw some guy annoyin' ya. I was gonna punch him in the stomach n' let ya on yer way," he didn't comment on what actually happened. She didn't need to be reminded of that. With a little luck he was going to unthaw, need some hospital attention, but he would have been alive.

The jumpiness was noted, as was the lack of food, "C'mon." Getting Dani into some place on her own was a big deal. Leaving the kitchen Dani would have seen large wooden rooms that looked to be old, but well taken care of. One of the rooms they entered had a large staircase and looked to be the front entryway. Between all the dark wood that covered the stair railing, walls, the tiled floors that sprawled forward, the old chandalier that was overhead that looked to be old by many decades. This room could have been suited well for a mansion or a museum.

Heading up stairs he looked back at Dani, "Shirt and pants size?" Logan asked not caring if you should have never asked a woman, of any age, these questions. Once he got the answers Logan made a left the moment he got upstairs. The dark wood continued down the hallway that looked to be a sea of closed doors of the same color. Opening a door Dani would have seen dark blue sweat pants, shirts and sweat shirts that looked like winter gym class uniforms. Across the chest of the tops and a leg of the pants read "Xavier School for the Gifted." There were grey inverse options too with the same Xavier logo just done in dark blue. "Blue or grey?" Dani was handed one article of each in the size she gave and in the color that was wanted.

Closing the door Logan continued. He signaled for her to follow. Some girls could have been heard talking. Dani was able to pick out some rooms had two girls living together. Others it was hard to tell if people were asleep, quiet or solo. Taking a turn he stopped at a door that was marked, "Girls Locker Room."

"I'll be outside if ya need anything," Logan looked at Dani and leaned on a wall acting as part bodyguard, part escort. Inside the locker room it was pretty typical. White tiles sprawled outward from the floor to the walls. There were several lockers that went to about waist high, wooden benches at times, bathroom stalls, open faucets and mirrors, and shower stalls that were separated for one person. It wasn't quite open like some gym locker rooms could have been, but the place looked like it belonged in some university gym that could have suited an entire sports team plus students that just wanted to be physically conscious.

Due to the time no one was in the locker room so Dani had the place to herself. Each shower stall had a generic soap, and shampoo with conditioner combo found at hotels, there were towels and wash rags in a small closet. Basically everything she needed to wash up was here. The towels, like the clothes, smelled freshly washed.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani followed him through the hallways looking at all the old wooden paneling. She liked old places like this. In the past she had explored the old abandoned mansions she could find. If it weren’t for the security that came at night, she would have happily moved into one of those.

She walked with Logan to get clothes. She normally wasn’t as thin as she was now, food had been difficult to come by in the last few weeks.

“6” she replied without hesitation, hoping to get her weight back up now that she seemed to be in a more stable situation, at least she hoped it was. She wasn’t a huge fan of the clothes, but she supposed they would do until she washed her own.

She went into the locker room as directed and was more than happy to take a shower and her favorite part, shave her legs. She hated having prickly legs but she wasn’t in a particular situation to care very much where she was. She washed her hair and everything else and then got changed into the dark blue sweats. They were a bit big on her and made her feel even smaller, but they were comfortable.

She put her make up back on and pulled her hair up into a messy bun and walked out the door. Part of her was a little surprised and happy that Logan was still there, waiting for her. She looked down at the floor for a moment before looking up at him.

“Thanks by the way…at least so far… “ she told him as she looked around the place. “I wish I had known about this place when I was a kid.”

 

[Dreamwalker85]

"Sometimes people keep it quiet. They don't want people to know about it. Don't thank me. Someone was kind to me a while back. Just payin' it forward," Logan turned back to head down the hallway. Going to another door he pulled out a clipboard. His eyes ran over it before putting it back.

Walking down the hall he opened the door to an empty dorm room. The place had one bed, a desk with a computer on it. A closet that was empty, but it had hangers. The bed had a pillow, blanket, both were extremely comfortable. Even the mattress was soft. "Here's yer room. It's temporary if ya only stay fer a bit. Yers until ya leave if ya stay longer," Logan gave her a nod. "Classes begin at eight. Yer not obligated to attend, but it's gonna suck trying to sleep with students hurrying before that time. Get up, get some breakfast. Head back to sleep if yer still tired. When yer up. Find me or a guy in a wheelchair. Guy in the wheelchair is named Charles. He runs the place. One of us will give you the tour." Then he turned away.

Leaving the woman to the room he didn't want to disturb her. After a good five minutes a plate slid under her door with a slice of pepperoni and a meat lovers. The pizza was hot thanks to a stay in the microwave. If she looked back she would have heard the clinking of Logan's cowboy boots as he left to head down the hall.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani went into the room and could have cried, but she kept a stoic face. She waited until he left and then jumped and laid down on the bed. She was about to nod off when she heard a noise. She looked down on the floor and saw some pizza. She smiled and picked it up, hearing Logan as he left. She thought he looked rough, but he seemed to be nice.

She picked up the pizza and ate it slowly, not wanting it to come back up, and then laid back down on the bed. She hadn’t been on a mattress, well a real bed anyway for ages and she melted into it’s softness. Next thing she knew she was opening her eyes and it was dark outside.

She got up and checked herself over in the mirror before stepping into the hallway. There were kids of all ages and sorts walking in a general direction. Each of them seemed to have a different gift, some even looked different, she thought she saw one with wings.

She followed them to a large room where a man in a wheel chair seemed to be the center of attention. She stood in the back, not sure what to expect, trying to stay in the shadows.

 

[Dreamwalker85]

Charles smiled for a moment and even gave a soft chuckle. The man was bald and looked to be old to be students father, if not grand father. Despite being confined to a wheel chair the man looked to keep in shape despite wearing a blue suit with a matching vest, and a silvery grey tie atop of a white button up shirt. In his hands was a book an old hard cover thing that practically creaked when he opened up the pages. "I do advise all of you this is a cautionary tail and potentially not suited for younger mind. Since you insist I will read you all another exert for tonight."

The book was George Orwell's Animal Farm. Clearing his throat he began to read from Chapter 5, "Within a few weeks Snowball's plans for the windmill were fully worked out. The mechanical details came mostly from three books which had belonged to Mr. Jones– 'One Thousand Useful Things to Do About the House', 'Every Man His Own Bricklayer', and 'Electricity for Beginners'. Snowball used as his study a shed which had once been used for incubators and had a smooth wooden floor, suitable for drawing on. He was closeted there for hours at a time. With his books held open by a stone, and with a piece of chalk gripped between the knuckles of his trotter, he would move rapidly to and fro, drawing in line after line and uttering little whimpers of excitement. Gradually the plans grew into a complicated mass of cranks and cog-wheels, covering more than half the floor, which the other animals found completely unintelligible but very impressive. All of them came to look at Snowball's drawings at least once a day. Even the hens and ducks came, and were at pains not to tread on the chalk marks," Charles began. His voice echoed in the room and he spoke loud enough so everyone could hear him. Then man turned the pages and kept reading page after page until a good half hour or an hour had passed.

Slowly he looked up at everyone, "I'm sorry. That's all the time we have for tonight. Now, everyone off to your rooms tonight is still a school night after all." Students thanked him, had asked him questions to which he smiled and answered back. Most of the time his answers forced the students to form an opinion. By the time he was done answering questions the man pushed his wheel chair toward Dani. There was a knowing smile, "Hello, I'm Charles Xavier. Have you had dinner yet? I sensed your presence when you first came here. Let me assure you that we ask for nothing in return if you wish to stay. I built this school so that mutants could have every advantage other students have in order to make it in the real world without fear of persecution by their peers. An environment for them to live, learn and grow while figuring out their gifts. You're in good company Dani," Xavier said the young woman's name before being introduced. "Come to my office. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have," Xavier's wheel chair went forward.

If Dani fell behind she would have heard Xavier's voice in her head, "Do keep up. As you can see everyone here has a gift. You are not alone in this world," the voice quickly left her head and Xavier kept going forward the whole time. Eventually he went to a set of doors that opened on their own. His office was big. It looked big enough to be a living room inside of a decently sized apartment. The hard wood motif continued to his desk that his wheel chair managed to fit perfectly behind, the book cases filled with various books on mutations, genetics and the look. A few folders that were filled with term papers and thesis on the same subject matters as the books.

What wasn't dark wood was white. Once Xavier was comfortable he smiled and gestured to the plush red chair on the opposite side of the desk. "Sit. I will answer any questions you have about my school." On his desk was even a glass bowl with an assortment of bite sized hershey candy. A hand gestured to the bowl, "Help yourself if you would like."

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani couldn’t help but smile softly at the charming gentleman that now wheeled himself towards her. She immediately felt at ease with him and listened to what he had to say.

“Thank you very much Sir, I really do appreciate everything, though I hope you’ll let me work at something to help pay my way so to speak.” She said as she followed him towards his office. She jumped a bit as she heard his voice in her head. She soon realized just how powerful some of the mutants were.

Once she was situated in his office she took a seat. “You have lovely diction.” She added as she crossed her legs. She moved in a way that was more elegant than her upbringing would have normally made her. She had done her best to better herself with what resources she had, and now was definitely a time for refinement.

She was happy to take a chocolate from the glass bowl on his desk. She slowly unwrapped it and then looked at him.

“I suppose my main question is…what can I do? While I do definitely need help controlling my powers, I would very much like to contribute back. I’m not formally educated but I have read a lot…” she told him, her cheeks stinging a bit red as she did. She had always been embarrassed by her lack of education.

“I need to occupy my time, to be productive…and also…well I’m not overly great with people, but I am doing my best. “ she told him. She was so grateful to be where she was she was speechless, which was rare for her. She popped the chocolate in her mouth and chewed slowly, biting back the hot tears that threatened to escape. She needed this but part of her felt as if she didn’t deserve it.

 

[Dreamwalker85]

"I never ask anyone to help 'Pay their way'. That's not the intent for this school. If you are looking for a way to give back to me or the school then you can do me one thing, and only one thing. Would you like to know what it is?" Xavier posed the question as he watched Dani.

When she answered he brought up the one thing Dani could have done, "Learn. Everyone here comes from every manner of life. No one will judge you if you're in advanced classes or in a few grades below where you should be. Not everyone here has had a glamorous life. While the school is not impervious to cliques there is a solidarity amongst the student body and that is everyone here is a mutant. Everyone here has faced some kind of adversity because of that. Whether it is controlling your powers, disappointing a loved one that just doesn't understand, or any number of problems that mutants face out there. As a whole you have a support system here. Even from those you may not like when it truly counts," there was a soft smile on his face. Opening a drawer on his desk he pulled up a box of tissues.

"I'm not an empath, but I can tell when students need to cry." Dani was given a soft smile, "I won't tell anyone if you need to let it out. Whatever happens or is said here is held in confidence if you want it to be. You have my word. Not even my teaching staff will know. I will give them my opinion on you if asked, but they won't know specifics to what we talked about."

Smiling he just waited for her to say more or cry if she truly wanted to. The social interactions were going to get addressed in time. He felt her saying or doing what she needed to held more precedence.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani smiled again at Charles. She wanted to hug him and kiss the top of his head, but she assumed that would be quite uncalled for. She accepted the box of tissues and held back from crying. She hated crying in front of people, she didn’t like to give signs of weakness. She knew that she had nothing to fear from doing so here, but old habits were hard to break.

“Thank you very much Sir.” She said softly as she stood up. “I shall do my best to make you proud of me, and to be worthy of your generosity.” She fidgeted for a moment and then gave him a quick hug before rushing out of the room with embarrassment.

She gently closed the door behind her and wandered around the place until she found the kitchen again. She was indeed hungry and went immediately to the fridge. She pulled out a sub sandwich and a bag of chips and sat down at the breakfast bar. She sat down and bit in. It was a bite of heaven. It didn’t take much to make her happy. She looked around for a bottle of vodka and wasn’t too surprised that she didn’t find any.

When she was done she wandered around the mansion again. It was quieter now that the students were in bed. She headed to a large recreation room hoping that there would be a liquor cabinet but no. She instead snuggled into a large recliner and flipped on the tv.

 

[Dreamwalker85]

Xavier hugged Dani and said softly before she ran off, "Everyone starts from somewhere. Even when it comes to dealing with people and making friends. I have no worries that you will not come into your own in time," Xavier said before Dani parted off quickly. If she left the door opened it shut thanks to his telepathy.

As Dani searched the house for something to drink it appeared as if the place was dry. It was a school after all. However, the sandwich fixings were fresh and any non-alcoholic drink she found was cold. There was no one else out in the living room. So she had free reign of the comfortable couch and the television.

Before long Logan sat down on a chair nearby. He gave Dani a nod, "Find anything good?" the man asked while he was eating a slice of the meat lovers' pizza. His eyes went to the television screen waiting.

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani jumped a little having not heard him come in.

“Well, I’ve noticed a distinct lack of vodka in this place, but the food is good.” She told him as she pulled the armchair release for the foot rest to come out.

“Everyone goes to bed so early here, what to you guys do for fun?” she asked as she looked him over. He really wasn’t bad looking. She laughed at herself for a moment for even having the thought, it wasn’t normal for her.

“Do you teach a class here?”

 

[Dreamwalker85]

Logan inwardly smirked as she jumped. When he was settled Logan said softly, "Watch tv. All the rooms come with internet so there's that. Older students can hit the gym if they want. There's options. Just gotta know where to look," Logan explained knowing that the lights out policy for most was a little bit of a drag if you weren't a teacher.

"I teach History and some of the physical stuff. Early 19th century up to the sixties to be exact," Logan had lived through most of it and was able to account for some things better than a text book. This was how he wounded up as a history teacher despite not having a formal degree that was recognized outside of the school. Charles made sure Logan had certification by the school, which met the state criteria necessary to teach the subject, but not every school was going to welcome something with open arms.

"Why do ya ask, kid?" Logan retorted looking back at Dani trying to figure out what she was thinking and feeling.

 

[scarlettnuit]

She raised an eyebrow at him as he said he taught history. He didn’t look old enough to have lived so long, then again, he didn’t seem to heal his hands really well. She supposed long life would make sense to a person who could heal themselves so easily.

She shrugged her shoulders at his question. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just getting a feel for the teachers. This all seems kind of strange to me.” She sighed softly. She usually drowned her feelings into the bottom of a vodka bottle, but it would seem that wouldn’t be the case tonight. She felt surprisingly lonely in this new and unfamiliar place.

“I guess they’ll register me tomorrow or something, give me tests. I’m actually quite interested to hear your side of history. From the look of you I’m sure it won’t be boring.” She smiled softly. She wasn’t sure why she liked him, but she did. Probably because he was rough around the edges like she was.

“Sorry if I grossed you out when you found me.” She said, blushing a little. She soda can in her hand started to crackle and frost started to form on the outside.

 

[Dreamwalker85]

"You'll get used to it. The whole thing seems weird with people wantin' to help, but it's genuine. When I first showed up I suspected they wanted something or there was another plan too," Logan admitted. He remembered when he first showed up. The mess he was in. How it had taken a lot of therapy just to get to the point he was at today. "You won't find a more genuine bunch. They'll never ask ya fer a cent too. I thought they maybe wanted somethin' from me, but they never asked. One day I asked if I coulda helped. Chuck suggested teachin'...that's how that started."

Nodding, "Some of the teachers are good. Some ain't so great, but they're all gonna be fair. Ya ain't gonna be able to flip yer hair and bat yer eyelashes into a free pass. It'll get ya more work if ya try it. They'll help ya out though cause they wanna see ya succeed here. If ya want the help they'll give it to ya," Logan was just laying it all out there. He was making sure she understood everything about the people. "Some of the teachers used to be students so they'd be happy to tell ya 'bout their time back when they started out."

"You'll be given a tour, some tests, then they'll wait to see how well ya do. Chuck'll talk 'bout how ya fit in the place. He won't want ya to be uncomfortable here. You'll get a challenge but ya won't be in over yer head, ya won't get a free pass either. Then you'll go from there," Logan looked back at Dani making sure she was okay. He didn't want to scare her with everything being explained.

History came up and he nodded, "Things weren't so great in the early 19th century. Some people were poised to sit up high as they managed to run a mine, get a hold of somethin' big, came from that old money as it was called later. Men and women broke themselves, damn near got killed fer these empires. Places went to shit too. The slums and all that crap started to appear at this time. Things became dog eat dog," his eyes went to Dani. "Still wanna be in my class?" Logan's history was rough and a bit accurate as he talked about the start of the industrial age in very broad strokes.

"I've smelled worse kid. I've sliced open animals and stayed inside em' to stay warm. When ya smell that bad I'll be the first to tell ya then force ya in the showers. You just smelled a little ripe, nothin' too bad," again more honesty came forward. At least he wasn't going to pull any punches with her.

 

[scarlettnuit]

“Chuck.” She laughed softly. It seemed like such a short and almost crass name for the gentleman she had spoken to today. Charles definitely seemed more fitting.

“What if I flashed my breasts?” she asked when he was talking about the teachers, laughing a little as she said it. She couldn’t imagine any female being so dumb as to try all of those clichés, but she supposed it happened.

“Why don’t you show me around? If you don’t mind of course. I can’t sleep and there seems to be nothing better to do. I would ask you for a game of pool but something tells me you might wipe the floor with me.”

She enjoyed hearing him talk about his past, at least, the past that he experienced. It was nice to hear it from an unbiased source rather than the victors of the wars, whatever they may be.

“I think I’ll have to sit right up front and annoy you with my impressive knowledge.” She grinned at him like a smart ass. She was taken aback for a minute when he responded to her apology.

“Well hell, I imagine I smelled like wine and roses after all that crap.” She chuckled and then stood up. “Come on, give me a tour….pretty please?” she asked and sarcastically batted her eye lashes and twirled her hair.

 

[Dreamwalker85]

"The teacher would get a show, it'd be awkward, then you'd get sent to Chuck's office fer flashin' yer tits, you'd get a bunch of homework then you'd be worse off where ya started while a teacher may be awkward around ya cause ya showed em' yer tits."

Nodding to the tour Logan got up and gestured to this room, "Livin' room. Expect this place to be full to the gills in two weeks fer the game. There'll be every kind of snack in the kitchen too. Hope yer hungry fer junk food that day, chicken wings, queso and that sorta thing," Logan walked out into the main room and gestured, "Entry way." He pointed to the right set of stairs, "Left's fer girls. Rights fer guys. We try to keep both sides from sneakin' in, but sometimes it happens. No one's got a poker face n' they smell of sex to anyone that has a nose fer it." Logan quietly gave couples extra homework assignments with the promise of "Telling Chuck," if they didn't agree to the silent punishment.

Walking down the hallway he opened a few doors pointing out a few classrooms. The first part of the tour was boring. Eventually he did make it to a game room that had a pool table, one of those arcade basketball shoot out games, a ping pong table, and even Foosball. "Back room has some old standup arcade games but since the systems got more advanced people played those things less."

"What else do ya wanna see?" Logan asked looking back to the young woman.

 

[scarlettnuit]

“Dude, I was just kidding. I don’t let guys even touch me, much less ogle my jublies.”

She got up and followed him around the house. The entry way was a given. While she had zero fucks to give about the superbowl, she was glad that at least they encouraged everyone to have a good time. Her eyes opened a little wider when he spoke of the stairs and the smell of sex. She couldn’t even imagine getting caught by anyone. She turned a little red.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about me in that department.” She said and was happy to follow him elsewhere.

When he took her to the game room she was impressed. It looked like a genuinely fun place to hang out, of course, she still wished there was a bar in it.

“So, are we allowed to go out or do we have to stay here she asked? Are there any hard “do nots” here? Because I might have some stuff on me that I wouldn’t want kids to get into.”

 

[Dreamwalker85]

"I'm just sayin'. Some students have tried, all failed. Not sure if you were the type to flaunt yerself a little fer an easy 'A' or not. You'd be surprised by some people," Logan learned real quick not to just a book by its cover when it came to students. Some that dressed scantily were actually pretty modest. Then there were a few that looked like book worms that tried to do or say things that would have made sailor's blush.

When Dani said she wasn't going to be a worry he just shrugged, "Never know kid. Give it time ya might find yerself with a boyfriend here. Then we might have to worry about ya," Logan said softly. Dani was still a teenager. All teenagers had some kind of hormones and drive. Sex was good, but at least Logan was subtle when he had a lady friend over.

"You can go outside. Can't leave the grounds unescorted if yer a minor. Friday and Saturday it's free reign til' 11 pm or midnight dependin' on age. If yer over eighteen ya gotta be back by Sunday Mornin' or the cops get called. If ya get busted fer something illegal Chuck'll take it on personally, see what happened. So keep yer nose clean. Trust me, ya don't want Chuck snoopin' fer the truth. He'll get it," Logan had seen Charles mentally probe a few students when things got hairy. It didn't go well for the students. Some were expelled, others were let back in. Each time it was a case by case basis.

"Durin' the week outside from goin' to the store, maybe catchin' an early movie ya gotta be back here by 10pm. No exceptions," his gaze went to Dani to see what she would have done with a curfew. "If yer out wit' a teacher they can vouche fer ya. Cover, but only if."

 

[scarlettnuit]

Dani shrugged a little bit. “I’m not exactly the belle of the ball. I don’t imagine anyone would be interested in me any more than they would be interested in a fleshlight. My experience has been that I’m apparently only good for scratching an itch, and that’s about it. Not that I’ve let anyone touch me of course.” She sighed. “You’re the first decent man I’ve met.”

“So, I imagine I’ll probably be the nun of the ward.”

He continued the tour and she listened to what he had to say. She wasn’t entirely sure she was thrilled with all the restrictions, but having a safe place to be far outweighed what she didn’t like.

“I’m 19. I don’t know where that puts me on the scale. I guess you wouldn’t take me to a bar would you? I’ve got a fake ID.” She grinned at him, wondering if he would be game.