Chapter 1
Laughter and talking filled the room as the students filed in, each taking their assigned seat- complaining when they couldn't sit next to their best friends. Happy faces filled the classroom as Erik set up his desk. He looked around the room, smiling at the commotion. He noticed one little girl stood in the back of the room, face devoid of emotion, but colored with bruises.
"Quiet down everyone, let's take our seats." He stood in front of his class of thirty students, and waited with arms crossed as they began to calm down. Jean Grey didn't move a muscle until everyone else had taken their seat.
He took a mental note of the behavior, and continued.
"My name is Mr.Lehnsherr, you may not call me Mr.L, you may not call me Mr.Teacher. My name is Lehnsherr and I am proud of it! Please address me as such." He smiled as he spoke, writing his name on the board. "We can take a moment to go around the room and introduce ourselves. Let's start from the back, you sir?" He pointed to a young boy with glasses. The boys face turned pink before he spoke.
"My name is Hank Mr.L-Lenser". The student next to him snickered.
"His names not Lenser footfreak, it's Lehnsherr. It's German, like my gran." He laughed again, causing other students to join in, though they tried to hide it.
Fantastic, it's not even nine o'clock and we've already got one.
Erik cleared his throat before he began, looking directly at the blonde boy he spoke, "My name is Lehnsherr, you are correct. I understand some may find it harder to pronounce, it's okay. What is your name?"
The boy smiled wide, "My names John, but everyone calls me Johnny."
"John. This is your first warning. In this classroom we do not interrupt our classmates, and we do not call anyone names that aren't their own." He gave a stern look, and Johnny had the decency to look ashamed. "You may apologize to Hank."
"Sorry Hank." The boy mumbled out. The room was quiet. Erik let out a sigh.
"I know that we only recently integrated our schools, but understand that calling anyone freak or mutie or any derogatory names is personally very hurtful to me as your teacher. And will not be tolerated. You are ten year olds! The future of the world and the role models for the younger kids at this school." With the wave of a hand he brought his metal chair to the front of the classroom. The students eyes widened, small gasps from the room. He smiled softly, seeing the boy Hanks smile. "Now, let's continue to introduce ourselves, civilly."
The girl next to Johnny began enthusiastically, "my name is Susan, can you move things with your brain?" Her eyes were filled with innocent curiosity.
"Per the school board, no teacher is allowed to discuss their mutation without consent from all parents beforehand. So I cannot answer that question." He had fiercely argued it of course, getting into a shouting match with Mr.Xavier in front of the superintendent. "Nice to meet you Susan."
The students continued to introduce themselves, row by row, some making attempts to ask about his mutation, but after the third time giving the same response the questions ceased.
When they reached the little girl with her bright red hair and bruised face she stood up, "My name is Jean. I'm a level five mutant. I'm required to let everyone in class know that I have an inhibitor bracelet" she held out her left arm pulling up her sleeve and showing the tight band on it, "if you do not feel safe I am required to leave this classroom." Her face staged expressionless as she spoke, no emotion in her voice, no inflection at all. Erik felt like his blood was boiling. He saw some students shift uncomfortably, whispering in the back row.
"Quiet every." Erik clenched his jaw, trying to keep his voice calm, "you may have a seat Jean. No one will be making you leave this classroom. You are entitled to an education, just as much as everyone else."
She blinked confused at him and sat down, looking down into her desk.
Moving to the next student, he tried to take deep breaths.
"My name's Kitty, and I'm a mutant too!" She waved at Jean and reached out her hand to shake, "we can be friends! Did you just move here?" Jean cautiously reached out her hand and shook.
Erik smiled, seeing a new generation of mutant camaraderie always made him proud, "we can all make friends after everyone introduces themselves." The children continued to introduce themselves until Erik finally had a name for each face.
"Alright, let's get started." He began his day of teaching, unable to stop himself from seeing Jean absent-mindedly fiddle with the inhibitor bracelet. A shackle on her wrist.
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Dr.Charles Xavier was proud of the life he had made for himself. A child psychiatrist, advocate for integration of human and mutant education, and school counselor to a school with one of the largest communities of mutant attendees in the country. He loved everything about his job. Except of course, the yelling.
"How DARE you not inform me we would have a child restrained in my class." Erik Lehnsherr burst into his office without so much as a knock. Charles immediately took the defensive.
"Don't assume that I had anything to do with that. Jean Grey is a fine child, and I fought for her to not have that inhibitor." Charles did not shout, but the coldness in his tone could freeze hell over.
"Oh I'm sure you did. Always rushing to help the cause." Erik's sarcastic remark stung, he always knew how to hit Charles where it hurt.
"As a matter of fact I did. I of all people know what Jean is going through right now." He was the one who had placed her with Erik. As much as he loathed the man, he knew Mr.Lehnsherr would never let other students shame her for her mutation.
"Until you've walked a mile in mutants shoes you know nothing of what we've gone through." Erik's self-righteous tone made Charles want to pull his hair out. If he wasn't so furious he would have laughed.
Charles Xavier was a Class Five mutant himself. And at times like this he wished that he was out like Erik. But that would me inhibitors, additional scrutiny, accusations of favoritism towards mutant students. Until the world was more accepting, he had to fight for mutant rights from the inside. But Erik wouldn't know anything about that. Mutant and Proud, always.
"Mr.Lehnsherr, I apologize that you were blindsided today, but I assure you, I tried to call you about Jean two weeks ago. When I was along fighting the school board to allow her to even attend!" He looked back down at the forms he was filling out. Knowing Erik wouldn't go away.
"She's got bruises Xavier! All over her face! Do you think she would have those if she didn't have that torture device wrapped around her wrist? It marks her as a mutant and a target for other children!" Erik's fury would have scared a lesser man. But Charles couldn't care less about that, focus now narrowed in on Jean's safety.
"What kind of bruises? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He wheeled out from behind his desk. "Where is she now?"
Erik crossed his arms, "she's at lunch, with the rest of the fifth graders. I told you as soon as I could."
Charles pushed his chair towards the doors exit, "next time there's a student who is hurt, maybe focus more on that and less on your own emotional outburst." He could hear Erik cursing him out in his head.
Wheeling himself to the cafeteria, he reached out to graze the minds of the students. Jean Grey's mind was like a blazing fire, bright and powerful, even with the inhibitor dulling her ability to sense him. She was sitting at the end of a table, Kitty Pryde next to her chatting. Charles watched the interaction for a moment, Jean was not engaging in the conversation at all, staring blankly at the empty spot in front of her.
She didn't have any food.
Charles wheeled himself over, smiling at the children who waved excitedly at him.
"Mr.X! Mr.X meet my friend Jeanie! She's like me and Hank!" Kitty shouted excitedly as Xavier wheeled himself over to their table. Jean looked at him and her eyes widened.
"You're like me." She whispered. Emerald green eyes locking with Xavier's blue.
He looked at the yellowing bruise on her eye, and the red spot on her chin, and something overtook his sensibility.
Yes Ms.Grey, we are more alike than you realize.
Her eyes widened further, and she clutched her left wrist.
It would seem I'm not the only telepath around anymore. He projected the thought into her head and watched as the realization hit her.
"Jeanie don't be silly, Mr.X isn't a mutant! But he is the coolest teacher in school, he's in charge of our debate club, and newspaper." Kitty drank from her milk carton as Jean tilted her head.
They don't know about you? She couldn't project, but the thought was clear as day.
I couldn't work here if they did. Telepath's aren't allowed in the school system. He had been fighting for years to change it, but anytime a potential agreement was reached Erik Lehnsherr and company would argue that it was too restrictive.
"Ms.Grey as a new student I would like to speak to you more after lunch, Ms.Pryde if you would be so kind as to let Mr.Lehnsherr know where she is, I'll ensure she's returned without missing too much." He smiled at the enthusiastic Kitty, who agreed instantly.
"I'm done, I can go now" Jean scrambled out of her chair, looking expectantly at Charles. "Lead the way, please."
And this is how the rescue of Jean Grey began.
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She, like all the children, looked small in the giant plush chair in Xavier's office. Sensory friendly items scattered around the room, Jean was curiously looking at every item.
"I've never met someone like me before." She said, not looking at Xavier.
"There are very few of us. It's not a common mutation." Charles explained.
"Can you move things too? Is Mr.Lehnsherr like us? He moved his chair." He could feel the curiosity in her mind.
"I cannot move things, no. My mutation is solely surrounding the brain. I can hear, see, and control what others are thinking." He explained softly, "Mr.Lehnsherr is able to move things, but only metal."
She nodded in understanding, "I can only hear people. And move things. But I'm not very good at it." She tugged at her hoodie sleeves.
"You're very young Ms.Grey! You'll gain control of your mutation soon enough." He wanted to encourage her, guide her. "Can I ask you a question though?"
She nodded, still looking around the room.
"How did you get these bruises on your face?" He had his suspicion, but he hoped he was wrong. Hoped to God it was another student, another child.
The flash of memories crashed into him, Jean's father, the belt, the shouting, a chair flying across the room, Jeans father hitting her so hard she fell to the ground.
"I've always been very clumsy. I fell down the stairs." Her eyes were full of tears and fear as she whispered.
I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made him mad. The words in her head told him everything he needed to know.
"Jean, it's not your fault, and he is never going to hurt you again." Charles looked her in the eyes as he spoke, meaning every word.
She furiously shook her head, "He'll hurt you too Mr.X, he's really strong. And you won't be able to fight him." She looked at his wheelchair as she said it, heartbreak in her voice.
Charles placed a hand over his heart, "Ms.Grey, you don't have to worry about him hurting you, or me. I'm gonna make a few calls, but you are not going back to that house, okay? Do you have any family?" He could see the car crash as he said it. Her mother, her infant sister, dead on impact.
She shook her head no.
"He's all I have, I'll be dead on the streets without him." He knew those were the words he had said to her, and his heart broke for her.
"Jean Grey. I will never, ever, let that happen. Let me make some phone calls, you're not going back to class today okay?" She nodded, holding a fidget toy she had seen on his desk. "Take a seat okay, I'll be right back."
Wheeling to his desk he called the receptionist, "Hello Ms. Mandy, please let Mr.Lehnsherr know that Jean Grey will not be returning to his class today." He hung up before she could ask any further questions, and quick picked up the phone once more to dial Child Protective Service.
Jean Grey would not be harmed again.