Bewitched │Wolverine

CHAPTER 3: LOVE

THE AROMA OF DIOR FRAGRANCE PRACTICALLY SURROUNDED VANA, the familiar smell designed to mask her nervous energy.

Sitting in her black chevrolet, she adjusted the rearview mirror with satisfaction, ensuring her appearance was meticulously polished. The black leather jacket hugged her frame, offering a semblance of security against her insecurities, while she wore a white shirt under a tight fitting black vest. I feel like a waitress.

Her sapphire blue eyes which were usually so vibrant, were hidden behind large black sunglasses, and her jet-black hair was pulled into a curled bun - a few strands of her fringe framing her face.

The engine's purr was the only sound as Vana navigated the winding roads leading to the manor, the path so etched into her memory she could practically drive it blindfolded (obviously she wouldn't do that...). Towering trees lined the route, with the green overhead dappling the road with sunlight filtering through.

As the miles ticked by, Vana recalled the first time she followed this route. She could see herself, only fifteen at the time, sitting anxiously in the passenger seat of another car. Her older cousin Betsy was at the wheel, her demeanour a mix of concern and care. The purple haired woman insisted on driving her to the school after Vana's mutant abilities started to grow and manifest in ways the Braddock's couldn't manage.

It was almost routine for mishaps to occur; a day outside of the house leading to a tree getting psionically decapitated, an accidental spell that turned the family cat invisible for days (honestly it was much funnier than it sounded as it meowed like a ghost-cat), and an eerie, unexplainable glow that would appear to sometimes surround Vana when she got particularly upset.

"Vee you're going to be absolutely fine." Betsy reassured the then teenager, her voice steady despite the uncertainty. "This place, this school, it's where you'll learn to belong. Everyone here will understand you."

Vana remembered how she had pressed her face against the cold window, trying to hide her tears. She never meant to do anything against her cousins, or harm the pretty trees, never mind the cat. Why did this gift feel more like a curse?

The road back then felt like an endless stretch of uncertainty as Betsy held her hand briefly at a stoplight, a small but comforting gesture to remind Vana she wasn't completely alone.

She found herself smiling softly at the bittersweet memory. The school had been a beacon of hope then, a promise of understanding and acceptance; she hoped it would be the same now.

As Vana pulled into the front yard of the mansion, the grandiose structure came into full view. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters stood as imposing and majestic as she remembered, its grand facade framed by perfectly manicured gardens and ancient oak trees.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.

This is it Vee, don't get your knickers in a twist.

You're fine! you're fine!

You've literally been in fights before with really powerful people and almost died a million times, like you're literally fine.

But what if they know i'm actually shitting myself right now? No they won't.

Or maybe they will! Oh god this is awful. I should never have come back. I think i'm going to be sick.

What if he's here? I can't deal with him being the first one I see. Oh god. Okay just stop, you're cool. You're literally so cool, snap out of it bitch.

Vana Vaughn, I am Vana Vaughn and I am so cool. I am going to show them all that I am so undeniably cool and amazing and they won't know what's going on because I just radiate coolness. Okay, great pep talk Vee. You've got this.