winds of change ~ wolverine

five

"You guys actually live here?" I gazed at the wonderfully green grounds and the towering mansion overlooking them as I descended the jet ramp.

Storm chuckled beside me, patting my shoulder. "Yep. It's pretty sweet, huh."

I raised my brows as I stepped away from the jet and turned in a circle. "Sweet is a bit of an understatement if you ask me."

Before either of us could say more, Logan strode back to us, an odd expression sitting over his face. Jean walked slower behind him, a bit of a twinkle in her eye. "You can tour it later, but first we should take you to see the Professor."

I frowned at the mention of someone new. "Who's that?"

Jean was the one who answered. "He's what you'd call our leader. And he owns all of this." She gestured loosely to the property.

I nodded, my nervousness coming back over me like a cresting wave. "Right. It's only polite to greet your host first." I twisted the rings on my fingers to hide their shaking. What the hell was I even doing here again?

Logan gave me a long look, as though he wanted to say more, but thought better of it and turned toward the mansion to lead the way. Jean piped up before I could walk after him. "I'm gonna go see Scott, I'll catch up with you later Bailey alright?" I didn't know who Scott was, but I nodded and waved at her as she began to walk away.

Storm squeezed my arm reassuringly. "I gotta get that jet off the lawn and in its nook." She smiled at my likely terrified expression. "Don't be nervous, I'm sure it'll be just fine." I nodded, though not fully convinced, but tried to control my face to look a little less apprehensive.

I had to run a bit to catch up with Logan's wide stride. "So what's this Professor like?" Logan glanced down at me, noting how I was almost jogging to keep up with him and thankfully slowed the pace of his long legs just a bit.

"Kind, patient... very perceptive." He said that last bit with a barely perceptible smirk, like he knew something I didn't. "So don't bother trying to lie to him."

"I wasn't going to!" I defended quickly. "... most likely, anyway." Finally reaching the building, he opened the door and walked in after me.

Once inside, I was struck by how many people there were. Even more so that most of them were children. "Is this some kind of daycare?" I whispered to him as the kids bustled past.

He shook his head. "It's a school for mutants." He nodded at one of the teachers walking past us.

"Oh." I was a little lost for words. "I didn't know anything like that existed."

Logan didn't comment on my surprise, navigating the maze of hallways like it was the back of his hand. "Pretty sure there's nowhere else like it."

He stopped at an ornate wood door slightly ajar. Knocking on the threshold, he pushed it open and stepped inside. "Professor." He greeted with a respectful nod. 

I smiled cordially to the elderly man seated behind the great wooden desk at the end of the small room. He closed the book he'd been reading and took me in with a small smile. "Ah Logan, I see you've brought a guest." I was surprised for a second when instead of standing, he maneuvered his silver wheelchair from behind his desk and into the center of the room. 

I stepped forward and held out my hand for him to shake. "My name is Bailey."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Bailey." He said in his deep English voice. "I've heard much about you, I am Professor Charles Xavier. Thank you for coming," He glanced behind me to Logan with that clever little smile he seemed to permanently have on. "I understand it might not have been your first choice to come all the way here."