Ethereal | (X-Men: First Class)

10. Begin

To go into the first part of a process, to come into existence, to have a starting point.

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It was ridiculous that Marianne could still be afraid of flying after what she had just faced, but it was true. This time, though, she kept her hands off the seat to keep herself from gripping the armrests again and exposing her terror. She focused on looking out the window, watching the country pass below them, and listening to the others talk around her.

When Raven told Charles, Erik, and Moira how Marianne had attacked Shaw, Erik actually laughed out loud, startling everyone. He laughed so hard he ended up having to cover his mouth with his hand to stifle himself, but everyone could see him smiling behind his hand. His shoulders shook with silent laughter for ages afterward. Marianne ended up smiling herself out of pride.

Marianne made sure to tell everyone how Darwin had protected them all, always stepping in to shield them and being the first to lead them to safety when the guns started firing. When Darwin tried to shrug it off, the others swooped in to start praising him. Darwin grinned at the praise, ducking his head bashfully when Moira commended him for his actions. Charles and Erik (who was still clearly trying not to laugh) also expressed their pride in him, and some of the stress still left in Darwin fell away as they did.

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The childhood home Charles had described was nothing like Marianne had pictured. It was not a home, it was a mansion - it was practically a castle. The grounds, all belonging to Charles and his family, stretched on for miles. The only sign that they were anywhere near other people was the gigantic satellite dish in the distance.

Marianne couldn't even imagine growing up in a house like this. It was as though she had stepped into the world of her books.

"This is yours?"

The group stood in the driveway, the rental car a few feet behind them, staring up at the mansion with varying degrees of surprise. None of them had expected anything like this. Even Marianne, who had assumed Charles had led a privileged life - a private plane, for God's sake - was taken aback.

"It's ours now," Charles corrected Sean.

"Honestly, Charles, I don't know how you survived, growing up in such hardship," Erik quipped, raising an eyebrow.

Marianne smirked at the remark but stopped. For just a second, right after Erik had said it and right before Raven had stepped forward and joined Charles' side, Charles had looked uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why.

"Time for the tour," Raven said, looping her arm through Charles' and leading them all inside.

The mansion was just as impressive on the inside as it had been on the outside, if not more so. It was obvious that Charles came from a very wealthy family. Everything was probably worth more money than Marianne had ever had in her life. Her entire store could have fit in the foyer. The staircase alone was something out of a romance novel. Plush carpeting in deep blues covered the floors, crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, huge windows along the stairwell allowed light to stream in, pieces of beautiful artwork hung on the walls - there was even a suit of armour in the hallway.

Charles explained that the castle had been built by his grandfather, and improved by his step-father in Charles' childhood. Many of the objects in the building were antiques passed down through his family for years. Beyond that, he remained mostly quiet, with Raven being their primary guide, and only spoke up when Raven forgot something or got something wrong. He even drifted towards the center of the group, then further back to where Moira, Erik and Marianne had been following the younger adults.