Read My Mind ↳ charles xavier

4. Sebastian Shaw

Angel wings? Freaking angel wings?

Why here? Why now? In a building full of people who expect me to be comfortable with these kinds of things? Why did this have to happen?

The dress I am wearing is not enough to keep my new wings contained, so now there are two very large holes in the back. Let me tell you, this is not a very good look for me.

In the areas where the wings emerged from my back, the pain is still present, but it is slowly lessening. I debate whether or not I should just hide in here until later and then sneak out, but a booming sound goes off in the distance, followed by multiple gunshots.

Panic flows through me before I remember to relax. When I feel panicked, people die.

Number one rule of all situations: remain calm.

I find a spare jacket in a closet as I follow the continuous sounds of men yelling and guns going off. I freeze when I come upon a dead CIA agent, lying limp on the ground with his gun still in hand.

Thinking rationally, I pry the gun from his grasp and head down the hallway, making sure that the weapon in my hand is loaded and ready to fire.

I stop at the same time the noise stops. Stepping carefully and quietly, I dodge the dead bodies on the ground and head for the room with the other  mutants to make sure they are okay.

I stand with my back against the wall and turn, peeking inside. A man's back is facing me, and the man's front is facing the rest of the mutants.

Raven's eyes widen when she sees me, but the strange man does not seem to notice. I put a finger to my lips and move back against the wall and out of sight as I listen to Shaw speak to the mutants.

"—when mankind discovers who we are, what we can do... each of us will face a choice. Be enslaved, or rise up to rule."

This man speaks with hope as he attempts to make the younger mutants feel the same way, but they still look terrified and unsure.

"Choose freely," Shaw continues, "but know that if you are not with us, then you are, by definition, against us. So, you can stay, fight for the people who hate and fear you. Or you can join me, and live like kings." I furrow my eyebrows together. "And queens," Shaw adds, eyeing a young female mutant with dark hair and dark skin, whom I do not recognize at all.

Alarms go off in my head as the girl takes Shaw's outstretched hand, a gesture more than words, a silent agreement. She follows him towards the big gaping whole in the wall, that used to be a window until someone shattered the glass.

"Angel," Raven says. That must be the girl's name.

"Are you kidding me?" Someone else says. Angel turns to them.

"Come on," she says, nodding her head towards the door. "We don't belong here. And that's nothing to be ashamed of."

I debate whether or not to pop out of my hiding place and empty the gun in my hand at Shaw, but decide against it. This whole 'self-identity' concept is very unfamiliar to me, but I'm pretty sure I don't deserve to rule the world. However, I cannot change the way the rest of them feel.

"We have to do something," Raven says quietly to the dark-skinned boy in front of her as Angel and Shaw walk away.

Two of the boys seem to have a silent argument before one of them shoves the other.

"Stop," the dark-skinned boy says, turning and walking towards the window, "I'm coming with you." Angel and Shaw both smile proudly as he approaches them.

"Good choice," Shaw says, obviously satisfied to have another teammate, "so, tell me about your mutation."

The boy shrugs. "Well, I adapt to survive. So, I guess I'm coming with you." I turn my head and lower my eyebrows in confusion as I see the remaining mutants spread out across the room, as if they are preparing for battle.

"I like that," Shaw says. The boy moves to stand by Angel.

"Alex," he says loudly, "do it!" His skin suddenly takes on a different form, one that looks like stone, and he wraps himself around Angel to protect her.

"Get out!" A blonde-haired boy— Alex— says, and the rest of the mutants obey him, running for the door.

The door that I'm hiding behind, that is.

"Blake?" Raven asks, her eyes widening at the sight of me. I brush her off and focus my attention on the scene in front of me.

Alex groans as he moves his body, and suddenly, huge, red rings form around his body. He seems to be producing them, and then he hurls them at Shaw as if that could hurt him. If this guy can absorb energy, then I imagine there isn't much out there that could even put a scratch on him.

"Protecting your fellow mutants?" Shaw ponders, amused with Alex's attempt. I was right— he seemed to absorb the rings, because he doesn't look the least bit injured. "That's a noble gesture. Feels good."

Suddenly, the dark-skinned boy goes to punch Shaw, but the elder mutant catches his arm before he can do that. Shaw grasps his jaw and forces his mouth open.

"Adapt to this," he says, pushing some kind of red aura into the dark-skinned boy's mouth. The red is the same color as the rings that came out of Alex's body.

I quickly put the pieces together.

I frown in disgust and, in the heat of the moment, fire my gun multiple times at Shaw. He smiles in amusement and with a flick of his hand, he sends one back my way. My eyes widen and I move out of the line of fire, but not quick enough.

I feel the bullet fly through the air with a soft whoosh, and somehow, it only nicks my side.

The pain still comes, though, and my vision start to cloud up with black spots. There's a slight possibility that the bullet hit me a little harder than I think.