The youngest member (X-Men Evolution)

Mutant Crush

Marigold was sitting in the Library. She had a book from one of the many shelves and found a corner to hide from everyone in. (although being the library was a good enough hiding spot on it's own, she knew for a fact that Kurt for one would never step foot in here) She held it closely to her face as she tried to distract her mind. She had woken up a few hours earlier to a nightmare. One that was re-accruing since the night that the facility she had been held in exploded a few weeks ago.

"JULIE!" She cried out. She should have hugged her. She should have hugged her, why didn't she hug her one last time?

The building was burning all around her and the only thing from keeping her from being burned alive was the shield that she had put around herself. But she still felt the heat, she could still smell the smoke, she could never forget the eye melting out of the guards eyes as they burned in front of her, and she still felt like she was dying. suffocating.

Marigold felt a hand land on her shoulder and she jumped out of her thoughts to see The Professor behind her. "Hello Marigold, what are you doing down here at this time?" He asked, giving the girl a look that said he already knew. "I couldn't fall asleep after the nightmare...I'm sorry." She said picking at her fingernails, avoiding looking up at him. 

"Marigold we have talked about this. You know that neither Ororo or I mind you coming to us for comfort, and I instructed you to come to one of us if you suffered from another nightmare." He said, folding his hands over his lap. "Why do I have to go wake you or Ororo up in the middle of the night if you can use your telepathy and know that I'm having a nightmare?" Marigold asked, trying to get him off topic. But as expected The Professor didn't fall for her trick. "Because...I want you know know that you can trust us. And I need to know that I can trust you to be honest with us before we let you go to school, and on anymore X-men missions." He said. 

"Well, what if I don't want to go to school or on anymore missions?" She asked standing up from the corner she had tucked herself into and walking over to the bookshelf where she had found her book hours ago. "We can work out a home-school program for you. But you and I both know that you won't be satisfied with that." He said rolling up beside the girl while she put her book back on the shelf, but not before folding the page so she could get back to the story later on.

 "Julie saved you from that place because she wanted you to have a full and happy life, and I know that right now you are going through transactions and changes that are frightening. But if you hide from everything that scares you inside these walls will you really be living that full life Julie wanted for you?" It was silent as Marigold processed his words. She felt something painful in her heart and she pressed the palm of her hand against her chest. Ever since Marigold left the facility, there were times when she felt emotions they felt so big that seemed like they were going to explode out of her chest. 

"I didn't ask Julie to die for me...why did she do that?" Marigold asked him, her voice breaking off at the end of her question. Her throat felt like it was caving in on itself as The Professor gave the girl a sympathetic grin. "We don't know a lot of details about what happened that night we found you since we lost the backpack Julie had given you. The facility was a branch of HYDRA, and a rebel group that we don't know about took them down, and Julie loved you so much that she made sure you escaped and had a new home to come too...isn't that enough for now?" He asked the girl.

"I still want to know more about what really happened that night, and more about who I really am." Marigold admitted. "And we will, but as important as your past is...your future is just as important to who you are." Marigold agreed with him, even though it didn't make the sad pain in her heart lessen. "Now lets go get ready for breakfast, everyone will be waking up soon, and since your up first you get first dibs on the bathroom." He said taking the girls hand and leading her out of the library.