Broken Claws

Chapter 1

I didn't know what to do anymore. My powers where growing and I was starting to have trouble controlling them. I rolled over onto my right side in my white sheets. My red hair settling around my face. I stared at my left hand. I focus on my hand and slowly it disappeared. The many coloured bracelets that sat around my wrist and down my arm slowly faded with it. I sighed and my hand reappeared.

"I'm such a freak...no wonder David left me.." I mumbled to myself. I continued to stare at my left hand, remembering the thin gold band that used to rest on my third finger.

I sat up thinking of all the things that recently happened in my life. I thought back to three months ago when David and I were out at his favourite bar. It was Karaoke night but instead of singing he got up on stage and purposed to me in front of everyone. I thought everything was going great.

I had discovered my powers when I was 16, at the time I could control them and I managed to hide them. I know David and everyone else would never except me if they knew what I was. But two weeks ago, I'm not sure how it happened, I was washing dishes after I had made us some dinner. I was passing David a plate so he could dry it and put it away, but clumsy me dropped the plate- It had all seemed to happen in slow motion- I reached for the plate after it slipped from my hands trying to catch it, a harmless enough jester, but I couldn't control it and a small force field appeared around the plate stopping it from smashing into pieces.

David moved out that night.

I had been so depressed and lonely since then I hadn't gone into work. I hadn't gone to meet my friends for our weekly 'girls night out'. I hadn't left my apartment. Life seemed to stop for me after that.

I decided I should try and eat something so I slowing pulled myself up and out of my white room and headed for the white kitchen. Most things in my small apartment were white, it gave it a very angelic feel. Even the nicely fitting, knee length night gown I was wearing was white.

I grabbed the open box of pop-tarts out of the end cupboard and opened a pack, throwing both on a plate. I sat at the small, white, two person table in the kitchen and nibbled at them.

Ring...Ring...

I ignored the phone as I had done all week. I let the machine get it. It was a woman's voice and i recognized it at once but didn't move.

"Nicole, its me Moria. You remember me don't you? You know, your BOSS? Well I'm sorry to do this but its been two weeks and your absences has been holding this company back. I've found someone else to run the art department. I'm going to have to let you go. Goodbye Nikki."

I just sat there staring straight ahead as the message ended.

"Goodbye Trends Magazine." I muttered to myself in barely a whisper.

I dropped my plate carelessly in the sink and found my way back to the cover of my bed.

. . .

Three hours later I still laid in my comfy white bed. "Should I go out or something?" I muttered out loud, "Was Moria right? It has been two weeks should I just go and try and be normal again?" I sat up and stared out my window. The gloomy autumn afternoon did seem to call to me. "maybe just a quick walk to the park." I jumped out of bed and pulled on some clean clothes, a gray tee and black skinny jeans. I grabbed my black coat and pulled my grey chucks on. The last things I grabbed where my keys and my purple beanie.

The streets were quiet. I passed very few people as I made my way to the park, it didn't matter anyway, I didn't look up at any of them. I got the park and sat on the closest bench. It was under a large oak tree. I watched as each leaf carefully drifted to the ground.

I suddenly go an idea. Maybe it would cheer me up. I looked around to make sure I was alone. As the next leaf drifted down, I raised my hands and carefully used my powers to guild it around in a swirly pattern. As more leaves fell I joined them into my swirl and twisted it so they made a sphere. I smiled, I was finally able to be myself for a moment without anyone judging me. As more leaves joined I made them orbit around the sphere. I giggled to myself. Another thing I hadn't done in a long time.

"Thats an amazing power you have."

I jumped at the sound of this new voice. I lost my concentration and all the leaves fell to ground. I looked all around me for the source of the voice. However, there was no one to be seen. "Who's there?" I called

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier. And I have been observing you for some time and would like you to join my team of X-man."

His voice echoed in my mind. I stood up, still looking around. I didn't know what to do or what to say. I searched franticly for...something...anything that proved what was happening didn't make me crazy.

His Voice spoke again.

"I see...well if thats what it takes we will see you shortly."

My heart was pounding in my chest. I knew the voice was gone but I didn't feel safe. I ran back home to once again be in the comfort of my bed. I acted like a child pulling the blankets over my head for safety. I was really acting like a 24 year old.

My mind finally stopped racing and I had time to think. 'What was that all about? What did he mean by 'team' and 'x-men'' I was so confused. I thought about everything that happened today until I drifted off to sleep.

I felt calm the next morning as i pulled myself out of bed. I got up and did my morning routine. I only noticed it was my afternoon routine when I finished my shower. At 3 in the afternoon I dried my hair and put on clean clothes. I didn't know why but since I had woken up I felt the need to visit my bench in the park again. I remembered the joys I felt when I made the leaves danced. I didn't remember why I had left in the first place, it was probably just all the stress with losing my job and everything else.

Once again I pulled on my coat and shoes. I headed back for the park, not looking up at anyone or for any reason, I just had to get there. I knew it.

I stopped as I came to its grassy edge. My toes only half an inch away from mother natures carpet. I looked up at the very top of my bench, I could see the tree as well. I release it was on a slight hill. This was the first time I had even taken time to stop and look at it.

I signed.

I took my first fateful step into the wet grass. Everything around me seemed to stop at that moment. The wind stopped. The clouds stopped. The birds stopped. I was still in time. I kept my blue eyes on my mark. Never letting it out of my sight. As I neared the top of the hill I could see someone else sitting on MY bench. I could tell it was a women. She had the same red coloured hair as me, but it was short and flipped out.

I slowed my step as I neared her. I was nervous but there was something tugging at the back of my mind telling me she was safe. I reached the bench and stopped. I could see her side profile. She was beautiful. Her check bones sat high on her face as they held i loving pink colour that matched the shade of her lips.

This beautiful woman turned and smiled at me. "I'm glad you came Nicole," She gave me a sweet smile. Her voice rang clear like a bell. "I'm Jean Grey, please sit with me"

Something inside me told me she was safe. I sat down next to her, within seconds that feeling began to subside and I began to question my actions. I looked over to the woman sitting next to me and debated if I should stay or run.

She continued her sweet smile with a giggle, "Please don't run, we traveled all night so we could meet you." '

Did she just read my mind?

"Yes," Jean answered my unasked question, "but don't be afraid we are here to help. We watched you use your powers yesterday. We were all very impressed."

My jaw dropped. I didn't know what to say. My mind was racing a mile a minute.

I stammered out the only question that I thought would make sense. "who's we?"

She stood up. "Follow me." was all she said. I sat there a moment looking up at her. Her knee length, dark, brown leather jacket was wrapped tightly around her, her jeans were a dark blue colour that flared a bit near the bottom. Her pointed toe brown heals matched her coat.

I stood as well. Neither of us said a word as we headed for an unknown destination. Her strides were long but I had no difficulty keeping up with her. The wind began to pick up again and the sounds of the earth in motion came back to me. Jean lead me through the empty park and down into the valley near the south end. As we neared the center of the field I could see an outline of something large against the trees.

"What's that?" I questioned Jean.

She turned to me shocked. "How did you know there was something there?"

"I could see the outline." I stated in a matter-of-fact way.

Her jaw hung open, "But thats impossible..."

"No its not Jean." A male voice rang trough the clearing.

I knew that voice, it was the one I heard yesterday. "Yes I'm the one who tried to contact you yesterday." His voice was clear and strong. He seemed to appear out of no where with two other men. As they walked down the somewhat invisible slope it became a solid black form. A large jet now stood in front of me, it match perfect with the outlines I was seeing before.

"Professor Xavier," I mumbled remembering everything. I stood there in fear.

"Please try and relax Nicole," The Professor the turned to Jean, "She can see the jet because she, herself can become invisible. Her invisibility power also makes her eyes very keen." Everyone in the cleaning was eying me up and down. The Professor turned back to me, "Nicole this is Scott Summers and Logan." He gestured to the two the men behind him.

Both of them stood tall with brown hair. Scott, on the Professors left, was wearing a black, zipped up turtle neck and plain jeans, ending with black tennis shoes. He also was wearing a pair of blood red sunglasses. Logan, to the Professors right, Was wearing a plain white t-shirt under a worn leather jacket. His once dark jeans were faded with a rip in the left knee. On his feet he wore what appeared to be worn out work boots.

I stood there like an idiot gawking at them. I didn't know what to do or what to say. Jean walked over to Scott and place an arm around him, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek. They turned to me very serious. The Professor then spoke, "Nicole I'm going to keep this short and simple for I cannot be away long. I've seen what you can do and I know your powers are growing, and if you continue to ignore them you may hurt yourself or the people around you. Now I run a school for mutants, like yourself, where can learn to control there powers. I want you to come with us and become a student at my school."

I stood there shocked, but what he was offering sounded better then what I had now. I had just lost the love of my life and the greatest job I had ever had, but still I was 24 and didn't really want to go back to school. "I'm 24, don't you think I'm a little old for school?"

They all let out a small chuckle. "I would never ask you to do that, because you had kept your power dormant for so long so that we could not detected them until now, you are much older then most new recruits we pick up. However, we would all be willing to help you in our free time if you are willing to learn. As well, perhaps we could find you a class to teach." The Professor said.

Me teach a class? I had ignored the fact that I was a mutant for so long that I hadn't realized what I could have. I didn't know what to say, I knew I had nothing left here but did I really want to just leave and start over? I looked around through the park to the city that surrounded it. Everywhere here were memories of David, I knew if I stayed I would never be able to get over him.

I continued to pondered as the Professor started to speak again. "Of course we understand that this is a lot of new information to handle at one time so we will give you some time to think. Unfortunately we have to return to the school tomorrow because we all have classes to teach the following day. SO we would like an answer by tomor-"

I cut him off. "I'll go." They all seemed shocked at my sudden reply. "I want to go." I repeated more slowly. "I'll be ready to go in an hour. I just need to pack." suddenly I was in a hurry to leave. I knew I had to and these strange, wonderful people had giving me that chance.

The Professor nodded, "Jean go help her pack. Logan go with them in case they need help carry bags. Scott, go help Ororo prep the jet for take off." They all nodded.

I turn and began heading of my apartment, I couldn't get there fast enough. Logan and Jean were on my heals. I pushed the door. Like lightning I ran to my closest and pulled out my travel bags. I throw the largest one on my bed and started picking up handfuls of clothes and throwing them into the bag. Without a word Jean grabbed my second bag and went into the bathroom, cleaning it out. Logan looked out of place as he stood in my small, white kitchen, watching us.

I finished with my clothes and headed into the spare bedroom, which held all my paintings, and other pieces of work. I headed to my desk and started putting my art supplies in the top of the beg. Logan came in behind me. "Do you need help with anything?" I heard him speak for the first time. His voice was rough and deep. It suited him.

I turned to him. I nodded and pulled a large, black portfolio case out from behind my desk. "Please put all my artwork in here, and please be careful with them. They mean a lot to me." I said as I handed him the case. He didn't say anything, he just took it from me and began his work.

"What else do you need." Jean asked entering the room, the half filled bag in here arms.

"Movies and books." I called over my shoulder without turning around.

Within a half hour my small apartment was packed into two bags and an art portfolio. I stood in the doorway and took one final look at my old life.

"I'll go on a head and tell the Professor we are ready to go," Jean said, I nodded and she began down the hallway.

Logan picked up my bags, one in his hand, the other on his shoulder. I took my portfolio and cradled it lovingly in my arms. Logan spoke "Lets go kid." I shut the door and didn't look back. I opened the door to the stairwell for him and began to follow him down.

"I'm not a kid." I said to his back. He stopped and turned to me, cocking his eyebrow. "I'm 24."

He gave me a lop sided smile. "And I'm 28, that makes you a kid." He turned back and continued down the stairs. We left the building and began down the street. Thank god its only a two block walk. "Hold this for a sec." Logan said handing me the smaller of the two bags. He then reached into his jacket and pulled out a thick cigar. Putting it between his lips, he flicked open a lighter and deeply inhaled.

I sighed, "Keep doing that and you'll be lucky to see 40."

"I already have, its not that great," He lightly chuckled, taking another drag from his cigar.

"What do you mean, I thought you said you were 28?"

"I am, well I stopped aging around 28 I think, I have no fucking clue how old I am." I looked up at him stunned. He smirked at me when he realized I didn't know what to say.

"Well, you...you look good for your age." I stammered. His smirk widened. I blushed. We made our way back to the jet without another word. He through his unfinished cigar away as he got to the park, "the Professor hates it when I smoke." He simply stated. I nodded and I followed him into the jet. We put my bags down and took our seats. I strapped myself in and leaned back, trying to forget everything. This, right now, and these people were all that mattered to me now.

I stared out the small window beside my seat as the world passed us by, or rather we passed it by. Since we had taken our seats I had met the driver of the jet, Ororo, and learned about some of their powers and 'names'.

"So what powers do you know you have?" Scott/Cyclops asked.

I gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?"

"Well Nicole," the Professor began, " because you have been hiding your powers for so long we don't know if all of your powers have surfaced yet. You see, most Mutants gain there powers at puberty but you ignored yours and kept them weak. Finally after they built up inside you after all this time and now you cannot control them properly. That is why I have invited you to my school. Also I believe you may have more potential then you realize."

"So you think I have more powers other then invisibility and creating force fields?" I ask.

The Professor half nodded yes and half shook his head no. "I'm not sure if you have more powers or if you can just use the ones you have in more ways then you know. Yesterday when you moved the leaves it seemed more like telekinesis then what you were actually doing. If you had been a physic our minds would have connected yesterday. I know there is more to you then we see now, i can sense it."

"I see..." I mumbled to myself.

Ororo/Storm didn't really talk, she was focused on flying. The Professor and Jean seemed to be having an unspoken conversation and Scott kept to himself. They knew I was in thought and didn't bother me. Logan was the only one who either didn't notice or didn't seem to care. "So you make force fields huh?" I looked over at him, "That must come in handy in a fight."

"I can't say I've done much fighting."

"Well that will change soon enough." he stated.

"What?"

"Hand to hand combat is the best part of training, you have to get in close...real close." I knew he was doing that on purpose, after I had embarrassed myself on the walk here he just had to keep going.

I blushed. I blush so red I just wanted it to disappear.

Logan started laughing wildly. Everyone else turned to me and began to laugh lightly. Trying to hide it. I tried to cover my face with my hands. I looked at them and realized I had turned myself invisible, but they could still see my clothes with no body in them. Logan had made me blush so hard that I disappear. I used my powers to turn my clothes invisible too. I hid myself until I had stopped blushing.

At least I had recently learned to turn my clothes and other things i touched invisible with me. When I first realized I was a Mutant I could only turn myself invisible but everyone could still see my clothes.

Jean suddenly jumped into the conversation, "What he means is that we do combat training at the school. Just in case we need to defend ourselves." I nodded, though she couldn't see me.

No one talked the rest of the way to my new home. I thought about everything that had happened. I reappear about ten minutes after Logan had stop laughing.

"Five minutes until landing everyone!" Ororo called back to us.

Once we had landed Logan once again helped with my bags. I followed them outside and stopped in front of the giant mansion. My jaw dropped. Part of me still couldn't believe this was my new home. I sighed and took everything in. It seemed to perfect. The house seemed spotless, perfect and beautiful. The sun was setting behind it, through the gap in the near by hills/mountains, casting a golden shadow over everything.

"Will you stop gawkin' and get your ass in here?" Logan shouted through the open front door, another cigar hanging from his lips. His presents seemed off in this fairy tale like house but at the same time made it more real. This was really happening. I ran towards him, slowing down when I neared the house to walk through the front door. He held the door open for me as I made the final step into my new life. Logan shut the door once I was through, almost as if he was making this official.

I looked around the grand entrance room. There were some many new eyes staring at me. All of them belonging to children or teenagers, suddenly I felt old.

"Please follow me," i turned to see Jean being the source of the voice. She was standing at the base of the stairs, her coat hung in her arms to revile the pink t-shirt she had been wearing under her coat. It fit her nicely. I began to follower her up the stairs, Logan in tow. She lead me through many long halls until we reached a right turn.

"Your room is the one in the corner," Jean said opening the door to the inside corner. "Mine and Scott's room is across the hall and Logan's is next you yours. If you go around the corner, that's where the student's resistance begins."

I nodded and gave her my thanks. I entered my new, empty room and looked around. There was a small bed in the center of the far wall. A night stand against the right wall and two doors in the wall that connected Logan's room with mine. Both doors were open and I could see one was a closet and the other a bathroom.

Thump.

I turned as Logan leaned against my doorway. His arms folded over his chest, and his cigar still hanging out of his mouth. He had dropped my bags on the floor. Neither or us spoke. We just stared at each other.

After a few moments Logan gave a deep sigh and starting into the room. He stood in front of me, we where only a foot apart. I couldn't move. I finally noticed how much taller he was then me. I was only 5'5'' he stood at least 6'1'', probably taller. He took a quick look around the room then back down at me. I looked away, staring at the gap between our feet.

He took his cigar between his index and middle finger. Using his other hand, he cupped my chin and forced me to look up at him. I began to blush. The corner of his mouth pulled up slightly. Using the same fingers that gripped his cigar he pushed a stand of hair behind my ears. I blushed harder.

"You know, your cute when you blush." With his words I felt myself disappear again. Once again leaving my clothes there with no body. He once again broke into laughter. He let go of my chin and walked out of the room laughing to himself.

I throw my art portfolio to the side. I stood with my back to bed and covered my face with my hands. I let myself plunge backwards onto the bed as I felt myself reappear once more.

I knew that Logan had only done that to entertain himself, but still, there was something in his actions that made them seem sincere.

That night I unpacked slowly. Then drifted off to sleep under the new warm covers.