Play Your Cards Right

Ch 7: The X-men

Eli's P.O.V.
Training with the Professor

I bit my lip hard trying to concentrate but not getting anywhere. Sitting crossed legged on the floor of the bomb shelter looking room I tried to summon even a spark of my powers. But I couldn't even feel the familiar pulse of it under my skin, I could feel anything at all with these stupid gloves on.

"It will come with time." The Professor said sensing my frustration. "Perhaps you have tried enough for today, why don't we have a break?" I sighed in response standing up, he look at me with a questioning gaze.

"It's nothing." I murmured rubbing my arm, looking down at the concrete floor. He waited patiently and when I looked up I could tell he was waiting for me to go on. "Well, it's just that I haven't been doing anything lately and I'm getting restless just sitting around and doing nothing. I want to do something other than read. I miss my old job, at least it gave me something to do."

"Going a little stir crazy?" He chuckled wheeling forward.

"A bit..." I sighed again shrugging. "I don't know, I just feel bad staying here for free like it's a paid vacation. I want to pay you back..."

"There's no need, Eli." He said kindly. "Everyone should know how to control their gifts just as much as they should no to read. You don't see public schools making students pay do you?"

"Yeah, I know but maybe I could help out in the library or something?" I asked. "I mean, I notice you don't have a librarian and I don't know if you need schooling for that but I wouldn't mind. Something to do at least."

"Perhaps." He agreed. "But for right now, I would like to show you something."

"Sure." I followed as he lead me out of the concrete room back into the metal walled hallway. We passed a few doors before coming to a section of the wall with glass compartments. In each one, there was a suit made of black and yellow material hung up. A name was written on a plaque on each for them. Charles answered my questions before I could ask.

"They are the uniforms for the X-men." He said. "A group of mutants who both protect the school and any others who need to protecting."

"Oh." We passed another plaque, this one larger that held a bunch of names.

"Those are the names of anyone who is or ever has been on the team." He said, and I looked down the list of names not spotting Remy's among them. Turning back from him, I bit back from asking why. "Here we are." The door open up to what I could only equate to being a teachers lounge. There were different people spread throughout the room, some eating others making coffee or just talking. "Everyone, if you haven't already met her, I would like to introduce you to Eliana Duncan. She will be taking over as the librarian shortly."

I fought back chargin as he put me on the spot. Everyone in the room staring at me before their was a chorus of hi and hellos. A woman with striking white hair walked up to meet me and the professor.

"Ororo Munroe." She greeted shaking my hand. To my quite literal shock, when she grabbed my hand small sparks of energy happened.

"I'm so sorry." I immediately apologized shoving my hands behind my back but she didn't seem the least bit phased. Why did they all of the sudden have to start acting up now, why not a few minutes ago! I was completely mortified but she just smiled back calmly at me.

"You can control electricity, right?" She asked nicely.

"I wouldn't exactly say control." I murmured embarrassed.

"We were all like that at one point, you'll get in soon enough." She said cheerfully, her voice lightly accented by a language I couldn't exactly put my finger on. "I can manipulate the weather, and by association lightning."

"Really?" I asked suddenly very interested.

"I don't know if it works the same way but maybe I can give you a few pointers." She offered with a small smile.

"That would be great actually." I grinned back at her.

I'm not a hundred percent sure when the professor left but it was after Scott and Jean joined the group. Currently I was sitting with Storm and her group of friends, all of us laughing and joking lightly. I made sure to keep my hands away from everyone and avoiding any skin to skin contact. Eventually after a little while, some of them had to leave to go to class including Ororo. The numbers were slimmed down until it was just me, Scott and someone else who sat in the corner of the room grading papers. They never looked up and made no attempt to socialize.

Originally when Storm introduced me to him, I got the impression that he really didn't like me. But whatever it was seemed to have passed and we were now chatting very openly. Somehow the topic came to the X-men and he spoke very freely about what they did and where doing to me.

"Mainly, are job is to protect and teach the students." Scott said. "But then there are times our kind are threatened by groups like the Brotherhood and we step in."

"The Brotherhood?" I asked feeling a little dumb for not knowing.

"You really are innocent aren't you." He chuckled, although the tone was still friendly. "The Brotherhood are a group of mutant extremist that want to take over the world. They think that humans are weak compared to us."

"Thats awful." I mumbled in response.

"Yeah, you got to see them first-hand at Comic Con." He said and my eyes widened. "Didn't you know?" I shook my head. "The man who grabbed you is there leader, Erik Lehnsherr or Magneto."

"Who was the one with the claws?" I questioned.

"Logan or Sabertooth? Sorry, dumb question you wouldn't know either way." He said. "Sabertooth was the bad one and Logan was the one with metal claws." I nodded in response. "We have problems with them a lot but I always find a way to handle it, I'm their leader by the way." He said, a slight tone of bragging at the end.

"Are all the teachers here X-men?"

"No, not all of them. The plaque lists them all if you haven't seen it..." He answered.

"I did, I just wonder because I didn't see Remy's name on there." I commented.

"Why would you." He scoffed.

"He's not an X-men?" I asked confused. "I thought he was."

"No." He laughed darkly. "Remy Lebeau is a no good criminal and a thief. He steal for fun and the thrill of it. And even did a few jobs for the Brotherhood." My eyebrow went up in shock. I mean I remember Remy saying he was a thief and all at Comic Con but I thought that was a joke. "Why do you think they call him Gambit?"

"I didn't really know." I murmured.

"Eliana, I really like you. I mean you are a good person, I can see that." Scott said and I looked up at his red sunglasses covered eyes. His face was pinched in worry and I could here the sincerity in his voice. "Stay away from him, he's not someone you want to associate with. He likes to act all nice and charming to get into girl's beds. I don't want you to end up like them."

Did I completely misjudge Remy completely? Everything he is telling me goes against everything that happened last night, or did it? I mean he was so kind and gentlemanly like to me but Scott was the leader of the X-men. Something Remy wasn't even apart of because he was a thief.

"He's just no good." Scott continued. "He's a liar and a thief and he's going to hurt you, Eli. I don't want to see that happen." He said softly.

"Thanks Scott for telling me." I whispered as I got up and left.

On my way back to my room I passed by a section of the hall where the metal gave way to glass. It allowed you to looked down into what I guessed to be a exercise/training room. I could see Remy sparring with the man Scott referred to as Logan. Seeing me in the window, Remy stopped to wave up at me. Biting my lip again, which I needed to stop doing before it became a habit, I turned hurrying away without waving.