Flickers (Charles Xavier)

Chapter 38

Iris walked through the corridors of the school with a smile on her face. Over the last few weeks since they'd rebuilt the school, the students had returned, and things had started to feel normal again. The school felt like a safe haven for the students once more.

She felt a breeze blow past her, sending strands of her hair out of her ponytail. Her eyes narrowed.

"Peter!" She shouted, "Are you sure that leg of yours isn't still broken? You stayed still a lot more with that cast on."

Peter appeared in front of her with a grin, "Sorry, Iris, just getting back into the swing of things. Let me tell you, not being able to run made me realise how slow and boring everyone else is."

She laughed, shoving him down the corridor, "Are you sure it's been ten years since that time in the Pentagon? Because you're still acting like a teenager."

"Am I not allowed to have any fun around here?" He muttered with a grin, "Jeez, perhaps I should have left weeks ago."

Iris stopped by the doors at the end of the corridor, "You like it here, really. Now, get in there. Raven's probably waiting."

The doors slid open, revealing Raven, Kurt, Scott, Ororo and Hank standing there waiting patiently.

"Sorry I'm late," Peter called out as he walked in, "Iris slowed me down. It must be her age."

Iris started to call out after him with a laugh, but he whizzed away with a shout. She rolled her eyes and started to say something, but stopped when she heard footsteps coming down the corridor.

She spun around and spotted Jean walking towards her with a faint smile on her face. She'd changed into the gear that Hank had designed for all of them, and the sight of it reminded Iris of the day in Cairo. She dismissed the thought quickly as Jean stopped next to her. Although she was smiling faintly, her eyes were edged with worry.

"What's the matter?" Iris asked quietly, glancing at the other students standing with Raven and Hank. None of them were paying attention, talking amongst themselves instead.

"I..." Jean shook her head, "I've not used my powers as a weapon since we were in Cairo. I'm worried I'll hurt someone when we're training. You saw what I can do -"

"Hey," Iris whispered, "You're strong, Jean. Worrying constantly about your power, it's only going to make it worse. If you believe that you have control, you will be more confident with the use of your powers. You are in control of them, don't forget that."

Jean shook her head, "It's still within me. The... force that I unleashed in Cairo. I can still feel the flames."

Iris rested her hands on the young girl's shoulders, "That force cannot control you unless you allow it to. For now, you need to be the controller. You choose what you do, don't let your powers decide for you."

Slowly, Jean nodded, glancing down at the floor. After a moment, she thanked Iris, "I suppose I ought to go in there. I don't want to delay them any longer."

"You'll be amazing," Iris winked, "Between you and me? You're the most powerful one in there."

Jean's cheeks flushed as she turned and walked into the training room. Scott caught her eye and walked towards her quickly, beginning to speak to her. He reached out and brushed Jean's hand gently as their heads bent together. Iris watched them for a moment before turning away and walking further down the corridor to where Erik and Charles stood, talking quietly.

Erik had stayed for as long as he could, but he had made the decision to move on and live somewhere else. The thought of having Erik leave when he had just returned to their lives saddened Iris considerably, and she knew that Charles felt the same way.