The Way The Water Flows

Came in From the Cold

After Charles explained what he'd appreciate Maya do while she was there—he wanted her to do some training classes at the very least so they could test her limits—the door opened to his office to reveal Storm again. However, she was in casual clothes instead of the dark uniform she had worn earlier.

"Ms. Munroe will take you to your room," Charles said, flashing Maya a small smile. "She is also one of the most knowledgeable teachers here, so, if you stick by her, I'm sure you'll adjust fine."

Maya stood up from the chair, slinging her bag over her shoulder again as she turned to Storm. She glanced back at Charles and gave him a slight nod before she followed Storm out the door. The halls were empty now as all the students found the classes they were meant to get to, which gave Maya an even better look at her new home. There were a lot of windows, letting in natural light that looked beautiful cascading across the wooden walls, casting certain parts in a golden glow.

They walked up the stairs, certain steps creaking under the pressure. "So... you have a last name?" Maya asked Storm, tilting her head as she looked at her.

"Yes," She chuckled. "'Storm' is just a codename, but most people call me that anyway. My real name is Ororo." Storm explained with a nod, hand sliding up against the railing.

When they stepped onto the second floor, Storm led Maya into the West wing of the mansion. "The East wing is where all the students sleep, usually in the same room. But we thought you might appreciate more privacy since you're older. It's also where we," She motioned to herself as they walked down the hall, "The teachers, sleep. So if you need anything, we're here."

She opened a door at the end of the hall, nodding at Maya as she peeked inside. "I'm just a few doors down on the same side." Storm watched as Maya entered the room, looking at everything like it was foreign. "There isn't a bathroom attached to this one, like most of the others, but there is one next door. No one really uses it unless the showers in the student wing are full."

"And," Storm took something out of her pocket. A phone. And handed it over to Maya. "It already has mine and Charles' contact information on it. As well as Scott, Jean, Hank, Colossus, and Logan—the other teachers. You can do whatever else you want with it."

Maya couldn't help but feel conflicted. This place was so nice. The room was bare-bones, a plush-looking bed tucked into the side of a room, a few end tables on either side, a dresser, and a desk with a chair but... God, it was more than she's had in a while. More than she's had ever. She was even given a goddamn phone. The flat kind with no physical buttons on the screen. She swallowed the lump in her throat and set her bag down on the bed.

"Thank you." She whispered, voice breaking ever-so-slightly but Storm caught onto it.

Storm leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed as she smiled at Maya. "Of course. Mutants have to stick together."

Maya hummed softly, not sure if she completely believed that yet. She had been faring okay by herself, but it was nice to rest for once. "I'll see you tomorrow." She turned back towards Storm.

The shorter woman pursed her lips but didn't say anything. She lifted a hand to squeeze Maya's shoulder but she moved away from the touch. Storm took her hand away and then gave Maya a light smile before she left her alone.

As Maya closed her door shut, she caught a glimpse of a man leaving the room across from hers but she didn't dwell on it. She sat down heavily on the bed, the mattress making her bounce slightly under the weight as she ran a hand through her hair and tried to gather her thoughts.

She laid down on the bed, still in all her clothes and boots as she stared up at the ceiling. She wasn't sure what to do. She could go exploring but she didn't want to accidentally run into a kid, nervous about even interacting with another person besides Storm.

Looking a little closer at her new phone, Maya looked at the different apps downloaded. Basic stuff, apps she presumed came with the phone rather than going to the app store. Maya might not know everything about the modern world, things have changed pretty quickly in thirteen years, but she remembered what it was like to use a phone.

The one thing she missed the most was music, listening to it with her friends with those white-wired headphones. When she was taken, the only sounds she heard were her own screams and the voices of scientists or military men. After escaping, she heard some newer songs on the radio when she stole cars but she didn't have any way to choose a specific song. Now, though...

After searching for a little while, Maya found a playlist of some of the most popular songs from the last fourteen years and let the notes wash over her. She couldn't believe how many genres were making a comeback, the differences of pop in 2010 versus now.... She liked some better than others, to say the least.

As a song ended, Maya glanced at the digital clock that sat on the end table to her right. It was nearly midnight already. A part of her wanted to look out the window, just to see how dark it was outside but she refrained. Something about Native American superstitions and deer standing on their hind legs itched at the back of her mind.

She got a little too carried away with the music so she sighed, glancing down at herself. She needed to clean herself up, maybe even do laundry or something. Her jeans were stained at the edges of each pantleg, had a few gashes, and her top half didn't smell the best.

Shower it is.

The more Maya thought about it, the more she became comfortable with the idea. Everyone should be asleep. And, even if they weren't, they were likely on the other side of the mansion. So she was safe from prying eyes.

But not prying ears.

To be fair, it wasn't his fault that he had advanced hearing. Logan was already tossing and turning in bed but when the combined sound of a shower running and the buzz of music started, he completely gave up trying to sleep. He hoisted his legs over the edge of the bed and pushed a hand up his face and into his hair.

Whatever kid who decided to use the bathroom at the end of the hallway, right next to his room was a little shit in his book.

Logan sat on his bed, hands resting on his thighs as his leg started bouncing. Sure, anytime he slept, he'd get a nightmare of some sort—maybe something from a past life or a particularly hard mission—but he still appreciated his sleep. And he was fucking tired. He could deal with the noise of a shower but with the added beat and melody of screeching loud pop music from a phone speaker, it was a match made in hell designed for him specifically. He was sure everyone else was blissfully asleep at this hour, completely unbothered.

When the shower ended, Logan let out a breath of relief but he stood up to give that fucker a piece of his mind. He swung the door open but nearly immediately closed it to a small slit he could see out of.

Out of the shower, he could see a girl, in her twenties probably. Her hair was jet-black, straight, and wet causing droplets to roll down her skin and disappear underneath the towel wrapped around her body. He swore he could see a sliver of a deep blue color in the hair sticking to the back of her neck. She was tall, possibly a few inches smaller than he was and he could see the muscle underneath her scarred siena skin.

Oh, and her scent. A delicious mix of citrus and amber. It was intoxicating and made Logan's brain reel. It was so strong. But people always smelled strong after taking a shower, he found. The water cleansed all the other smells off their body until it was just them. But not even Jean's pure scent made him as dizzy as this.

"'Cause after midnight I'm feeling kinda freaky, maybe it's the club lights. I kinda wanna kiss your girlfriend if you don't mind. I love a little drama, let's start a bar fight 'cause everything good happens after midnight." The girl hummed to herself, adjusting the towel around her as she turned to the door across from his.

Logan could see the muscles in her back and shoulders moving, feeling his mouth dry. He closed his door, taking a deep breath. The sound of her voice... the deep, raspyness of it, repeated over and over again in his head. He pushed a hand to the side of his head and screwed his eyes shut.

He found plenty of young women attractive but only had eyes for Jean, even if she was taken. His heart only belonged to one girl. This would pass. Whatever it was. But when did things ever go how he thought they would?