The Blood Phoenix: An X-Men: First Class Fanfiction

Chapter 7: Wanting To Be Normal; Wanting Friends

'Have you ever wanted to be normal?' one of the new mutants, Raven, asked me.

'What?' I raised my head from my notebook. Ever since we had moved into the new facility under the CIA's direction, I had been keeping a careful record of all that had happened since Charles found Erik and I on that night. When I almost drowned. I looked up at Raven from the notebook.

'Have you ever wanted to be normal?' she asked again.

'I hadn't given much thought to the subject. Why?'

'Well, I've always wanted to be normal and I thought that you would probably feel the same, being Erik's daughter and all.'

'Normal is overrated, Raven. Why would you want to be normal? My father told me what he told you. He said that if he looked like you, he wouldn't change a thing.'

'Is he wrong? I mean, you probably won't understand unless I actually show you what I mean.' With that, she took my hand and led me into another room. After shutting the door, she suddenly, before shifting into a beautiful blue form. Her clothes were gone and blue scales were all over her body, complete with a blue bikini-style outfit that seemed moulded to her body. I, at first, had the strong urge to look away, but as I looked closer, the mutation was indeed beautiful.

'Raven... the mutation is... stunning. So you're... a shapeshifter?'

'Yeah... I guess.' She looked down at her feet. Taking her hand, I put my hand on her cheek.

'Raven... this is the real you. And while it's quite revealing, I would agree with my father. It's beautiful. Erik knows. He sees your true beauty. What puzzles me is that Charles wants you to hide.'

'He doesn't understand,' she responded.

'My father does though. The next time you and him are together... don't hide. This is the real, true, authentic you. Embrace it. Don't run from it.'

'Really?' she said with a sparkle of hope in her golden eyes.

'Yes, Raven. Yes.' Then, suddenly, she changed into me. I jumped back, startled. She wore my green Army-colored shirt and my dark blue jeans. The brown hair that was mine was let down and curled. She even had my dark blue eyes. 'Raven!' I spoke in a mockingly reproachful voice. 'You stole my looks!'

'You do look like a miniature version of your father. It's kind of cute. It's good that you don't have to hide.' She shifted back into her human form, with her blond hair and leather jacket with a pretty skirt. She was gorgeous in her real form but I had to admit, she was beautiful in her natural blue form.

'I have to say: shapeshifting is a sick mutant power. You should use it more often.' She smiled and suddenly, she hugged me. I took the hug rather stiffly, then she let go.

'Is everything alright?'

'Yeah... it's just, giving and receiving emotion, even when it was with my mother, was never my strong suit. My father and I just don't give and receive affection so well. But thanks for the hug. I needed that.'

'Did you ever have to hide?'

'Girl, you have no idea. I went to a normal school all of my life. I had to practically die to my mutant self... to blend in. To be human. That's hard. No guy ever wanted to date me in high school. Now I'm eighteen and I have never been asked out by any man.'

'That's a lonely way to live.'

'I agree.' I sighed a little, then opened the door. She stepped through with a small 'thank you.' In that moment, I felt like like I had made a special friend... one who knew what it felt like to hide and to truly rediscover themselves.

(Flashback in sleep)

I (my twelve-year-old self) ran inside the two-bedroom house that my mother and I shared, crying. It had been a long, hard day at school with more kids calling me a freak and a teacher's pet. And not in a nice way. I ran into my mother's waiting arms. She pulled me in and spoke sweet nothings in my ear while she waited for me to recover. When I did, I lashed out, using my powers to sink a knife into the wall. I was angry and my mother knew it. When I saw the knife buried in there, I fell to my knees and cried.

'Why do I break things, Mama?' I wept. She pulled me close again and spoke.

'You have your father's power.'

'If he hadn't left, Mama, he could have helped me control my powers.'

'You know full well why your father left. He couldn't risk your safety. You are very precious to him. He promises he'll be there to meet you on your eighteenth birthday. And I will be there.'

'You will?' My blue eyes brightened as I looked up at my precious Mama.

'Yes, my little munchkin. I will be there.' I smiled and hugged my mother tighter. All of a sudden, I could feel myself being shaken awake...

I blinked and opened my eyes. There was my father, who had the lamp on in my bedroom, leaning extremely close to me.

'Please mind the personal space, Erik,' I said, biting back the barbed tone in my voice. He got up and put a file on my table. On it was a CIA symbol with the name 'Shaw, Sebastian' in big, bold letters. I picked it up.

'This is it,' he said, looking into my eyes.

'I know.' I flicked through the file absentmindedly, then put it on my nightstand. 'Are you ready to kill this son of a bitch?'

'Yes. Are you?'

'Yep,' I replied, popping the 'p', 'just so long as I don't come close to drowning again.'

'Don't worry. I won't let that happen again. Get dressed. We leave in five minutes.' Taking the file, he left the room.

 

It was near midnight when Erik and I left the CIA building that the mutants were living in for the time being. I had hurriedly dressed in a pair of jeans, including a black, knotted-up shirt that exposed a little bit of my stomach with a leather jacket over it. As we walked down the lane-way that led to the road where we were going to take a car, I heard the one voice that I didn't think I would hear at this time of night.

'From what I know about you two, I'm surprised you've managed to stay this long.' We turned and Charles walked up to us.

'What do you know about us?' Erik snapped.

'Everything.'

'Then you know to stay out of our heads,' I spoke. Taking my hand, Erik turned to leave. Just then, Charles spoke again.

'I'm sorry, Erik, but I've seen what Shaw did to you. Adelaide, I've seen your pain. I've felt your agony. I can help you.'

'I don't need your help. And I'm sure my daughter would agree with me.'

'Damn straight. We don't need your help, Charles. Stay out of our way.'

'Don't kid yourself; you two needed my help last night. It's not just me you're walking away from. Here, you have the chance to be a part of something much bigger than yourself. I won't stop you two leaving. I could. But I won't.' He continued to walk away from us, then turned and spoke again. 'Shaw's got friends. You could do with some.' With that, we parted ways from each other.