Angels and Demons (An X-Men first class fanfic)

My family

There's not much I can say for myself. My name is Laura Manylightnings and I'm 17 years old. I grew up in a Ojibwe Rez in the UP of Michigan with my family. We lived a decent life, but we were tight on money. My dad, Joseph, is the local mechanic in town, a good-natured and loving, he was a respected man within the community. Usually, he would give folks discounts or for instances he would give free repairs if his patrons were struggling to pay or need to their vehicles to support their families. Although commendable, his generosity was almost the source of their income troubles. Joseph served within the 5th Marine Regiment, which he was often known to jokingly refer to as "the fighting 5th". He has been stationed in Camp Pendleton, California in 1950 and had set sail from San Diego to the city of Pusan in Korea in the same year. My dad had been part of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, a company that saw a great deal of combat throughout the duration of the Korean War. I was five years old when my dad had went to fight for his country.

My dad rarely spoke of what he had done in Korea, though his eyes had told the story better he could ever have. The wounded, tortured of a man who had slain countless communists to defend his nation and family. He had likely also witnessed many of his peers, friends, laying down their own lives in order to do the same. I cannot hold his reluctance to speak about it against him, however. Rather, I try to understand why he would prefer not to dwell upon it. War can make monsters of even the most noble men and for that reason it has never been something I wished to try my hand at. Though his time in the Marine Corps had forged him into a stern and reserved man, he wasn't uncaring. He raised us strictly and had high expectations of us, though I know now that he only wanted what was best for us. He wanted us to succeed, to do better for ourselves than he had. Joseph was quick tempered with my siblings and I when we make a mistake, but would always teach us how to avoid making said error again in the future. His compassion for the our people who lived in the reservation knew no bounds, though I had always wondered if it had been bred out of guilt. Perhaps he had come to regret some of the things he had seen and done in Korea and had acted as he did in the hopes of atoning for it. I couldn't say for certain, for he disclosed to told me the details surrounding his tours of duty. It didn't stop me from speculating, though. Especially, since my mom's passing was difficult for dad, he remarried to Becky, a couple years later. She and I had a complicated relationship. She wanted me to send me to an boarding school, but dad didn't want to send me or any of his children away. I have an older brother named James. He's alot like dad, by looks and personality. He's became an Army recruit a year after graduating from school in 1960, wanting to live up to dad's expectations.