Too Powerful? [COMPLETED!]

6- Mutant, Mutant

Wolverine:

I led Alexandria down the stairs. I had been right in thinking that Scott did not even care whether or not she could find her way downstairs. In fact, I thought to myself as I mentally cursed Scott, I suppose he’d completely forgotten all about Alexandria. Poor girl. Although I’ve only met her for 24 hours, I was already incredibly fond of her. She seemed like a decent, well-behaved girl, despite the fact that she came from a filthy rich family and was probably spoilt rotten by her parents. The Professor had not told me anything about her, but I could tell that she was miserable; something had happened that had made her come here, to this school, after all these years being amongst ‘normal humans’.

Still, she tried being strong, and for that, I admired her.

As I sat her on the dining chair, turned down her persistent offers to make her own breakfast, and heated up some leftovers, I thought hard about her history. The professor was hell-bent on not letting anyone know about her powers. She, herself, seemed tormented by them.

I tried to put pieces together.

While we were passing the training room on the second floor on our way downstairs, where some of the students were exercising their powers, Alexandria had immediately averted her eyes from the room. It was as if she was scared to look at Kitty, who was practicing her ability to pass through things. It was like she couldn’t bear to see Bobby and Pyro unleashing their ice-and-fire powers against each other.

“Good morning, Wolverine!” Rogue came bouncing in, breaking my concentration. She reached me for a quick hug (well, she hugged me anyway. I wasn’t one to give hugs), and when she turned around, she saw Alexandria, who was looking at her with a kind of interest.

“Oh, wow, you must be the new student, right?” Rogue gave Alex a big grin. Her platinum hair streaks were clipped behind, and she had tied her hair into a neat ponytail. Shiny studs glimmered on her ears.

“I’m Rogue! Well, actually, my real name is Marie, but who cares about them here! I’m 19, and I’m a mirror. Who are you?” Rogue was practically bouncing, and I could see why. Apart from Jean and Storm, she was the only other female around here. Sure, there were Kitty and the other kids, but they didn’t count. They were still kids, for god’s sake.

Alexandria seemed to be dumbstruck, and I could see why.

“Alexandria, when Rogue says she’s a mirror, she means that she can… well, mirror other people’s powers.”

Alexandria looked shocked, so Rogue quickly took over.

“Yeah, that’s why I have to wear this gloves all the time.” She showed Alexandria her slender arms, which were enveloped in black, tough-looking, elbow-length gloves. Rogue had always had a bordering-punk look going about her.

“See, when I touch another mutant, I mirror their powers. Or I suck them up, depends on how you see it.” Rogue gave her another grin, and continued. “So, technically, I don’t have any real powers. I just suck up other mutants'.”

Alexandria smiled tentatively.

“Hello, Rogue, I’m Alexandria. Or Alex. It doesn’t really matter. I…” Alexandria paused, biting her lips, arranging her next words.

“Is that what I am, Rogue? A mutant?” Alexandria blurted out suddenly, in a small voice. Her recent enthusiasm had evaporated, and she looked very small in her seat.

Rogue’s face dropped, and I could tell that she was sorry that she had used the word. To us, who have been in the school for years, the word just sorts of loses its degradation. We’ve accepted it. We know we’re not like other humans, we’re gifted. Or, if you want to be technical, our DNA changed some, somewhere along our lives, and we exhibit signs of mutation. Powers. Abilities.

I knew exactly how Alexandria felt, however. The word ‘mutant’ doesn’t exactly carry the same amount of normality in the human world. When I first enrolled, I couldn’t bear calling myself a mutant, too. In fact, I hated myself, extremely so, for being part of a ‘subspecies’, as that was what the public believed of us, mutants. That feeling I had, that of repulsiveness and self-hatred, was still strong in my memory, so I felt sorry for Alexandria.

For someone so decent, she didn’t deserve this.