The Marble Notebooks

Chapter 16

I woke up in Storm's room alone. After all, it is a Wednesday I'm sure she had classes to teach and responsibilities to deal with. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and fix my messy dark green hair. I barely recognized myself anymore with this hair now that I've been brown for so long. I thought of changing into regular clothes but I don't want Magneto to think I've let my guard down. I put a bulky black sweater of Storms over the top of the outfit so I didn't stand out much in the halls. I went to the lowest level where the private kitchen is. Alex was sitting at the table reading the paper with coffee, Professor next to him doing the same thing.

"No classes for you boys this morning?" I asked joining them at the table.

"I do afternoons now," Professor said.

"And I have to go soon, just wanted to see if you were still here," Alex said standing from the table. I ignored the little dig.

"So Magneto?" I asked turning to Charles.

"Hasn't left his room yet," he answered not looking up from his paper.

"Mhm," I raised my hand and used my power to pour myself a cup of coffee and bring it over to me. I use my powers here constantly, for everything, like they are a third hand. At the compound I don't as much, it doesn't feel as natural there.

"Want to come to class with me?" Alex asked. "It's physics, pretty basic stuff but you can sit in the back and zone out like always,"

I scoffed, "I only zoned out in the boring classes... So, I'm in," I smiled and followed him up the steps and through the halls to his classroom. I sat at the teacher's desk as the students came in, I said hi to a bunch of them. Although it's been a couple of months, I feel like they all looked older. Seeing these kids all day every day to never was still strange to me. Alex began teaching at the front of the room and I zoned out like he said I would.

Alex's powers were intense, they call him Havok. I remember when he showed up here. We were 13 and his parents dropped him off and left faster than you could imagine. He had no control over the cosmic energy he produced. He could create these red beams sporadically and they cut through concrete and set fire to trees. Hank, our science guy, was able to create a suit for him to control his powers. And after months of working with the Professor, he got it under control. He still has a very hard time controlling it without the suit, which has always upset him. But the power he possesses is unheard of. I always would tell him that being able to control his powers at all already makes him strong and powerful. I know he will eventually be able to use his powers without the suit, the Professor still works with him on his control when they have free time.

Alex's first night here the Professor made me sit with him at dinner. The Professor always made me talk to the new and scared students. And luckily with Storm and Alex, I found best friends. He told me that he was a kind kid, just confused, as we all have been. I sat at his table and chatted his ear off as he ate. He nodded a couple of times but barely spoke. I thought he felt I was annoying. But at breakfast the next morning he sat next to me again. Eventually, he came out of his shell and I didn't have to carry every conversation. And since then we have been great friends. Our romantic relationship went on from, 17 to 22. It was pretty long, but it ended fast. Now, years later, I can barely remember the reasons we ended it. I blame myself for a lot of it. After I spent 8 months under the control of the Brotherhood, the longest I was ever captured, I returned differently. He waited and was so patient with me for a while. My attitude and PTSD were a lot for anyone at the time, so I understand why he left. But at the time I felt like he was stabbing me in the back, and at times he was. But we both have chosen to move on and overcome our differences to work together seamlessly again.