Shattered Bonds [Book Three]

Chapter 1: Advocating for All

        Ten years have passed since that deciding day on the lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. Ten years is a long time for society to find new distractions, but the memory still remained around the globe of what happened that day—the day mutants were officially exposed to the world. Some prominently recalled the man who could control metal, the mutant known as "Magneto," who encased the grounds of the White House with an entire baseball stadium he had ripped up and set down with his powers. Others remember the face of the blue woman with her fiery red hair and yellow eyes, "Mystique," and how she put a stop to that man and saved the lives of the president and his cabinet, along with the then-esteemed Dr. Bolivar Trask.

        Since then, both mutants have disappeared from public radar. After so long, the hunt for them died down, the world too occupied with other developments. It left both Magneto and Mystique to their own devices. Anyone who knew them personally would have easily guessed that Mystique would go back to her old ways, disguising herself with her powers as she sought out true and complete freedom and liberation for mutants across the globe. It would only be difficult for anyone to guess that Magneto would come to settle in a quiet community in Poland, where he would marry and have his first daughter with his newfound love. A good, true life, hidden only with a false name to the community. 

        These are the facts hidden only by circumstance, for since that day in D.C., the world began to change. Where some people wanted to know what happened to the mutants they saw broadcast to the world that day, others wanted to know what would become of the other mutants in the world.

        This, naturally, became a concern for one Christiana Xavier.

        It took some time to get the school up and running once more after the events in D.C., but Charles was as adamant as she was to begin again. With the return of their son, Brian, and the help of their trusted scientist, Hank McCoy, it took all of a year to establish their home as an institution once more. At that point, Christiana was inspired to spread the word as far as she could—reaching out, at first, to those in New York to inspire student registration and enrollment.

        The first year went better than expected, but both Charles and Christiana knew that they could do far better. The war in Vietnam had torn their school and family apart the last time, but they would not give up this time. Brian especially inspired them, helping with as many classes and students as he could personally handle, as well as insisting that the school would one day be full of both students and teachers alike of their kind. They simply could not give up.

        So, Christiana set out further to spread the word about their school. Slowly, students began to come from all around, but still, they knew there had to be more. In time, Charles was able to use Cerebro once more to find students just as he had used it to find recruits the first time he and Christiana met. Yet something kept nagging at Christiana as she watched the news and scanned the papers for discussion of mutants. There was little to none, she realized as time progressed, for the world had seemingly moved on from that day in D.C. Assuming that mutants would stay hidden and keep to themselves, not to be worried about unless they stirred up trouble.

        It frustrated her immensely, the lack of discussion and positive representation for their kind in the media. That was what inspired her to take her position in society far more seriously, so within the following years, she began to create a platform for herself to advocate for the acceptance of mutant kind among the rest of the human race.

        Charles offered his support to her as she began traveling from state to state, spreading the word for mutants that they were not alone, and that parents of mutant children need not fear them rather than accept their children. In the following years, Christiana's advocacy inspired a greater influx of students—so many that they had to temporarily close registration for a few months in order to prepare the mansion for the greater capacity.

        It took them a handful of years, but they finally got their school running at the rate they had hoped for since they first started developing plans to open the first time. It was a sight to behold daily, the number of students they had roaming the halls between classes and wandering the grounds between their personal training sessions. To have their son as part of their staff was more than great help, as he provided instruction catered specifically to the students' needs beyond the classroom, and he was always willing to help Hank in his lab as much as possible.

        Things finally began to settle for them, but Christiana did not give up her position as an advocate for their kind. There were interviews and press conferences she would attend, providing insight and information to the world about their kind and the need for further acceptance. And when she was home, she gave her heart and soul to the school and its students, for their home had finally become the school of their dreams, and in doing so, it became an even better home for their family.

        Christiana could only hope that it would truly last, for all of their sakes. For their family, the students, and for all of their kind.