Having found her way to the administrative office, Kayla paused outside of the door and sighed as she struggled to recollect her composure. It was time to meet the faculty; time to make a good impression as a student and as a guest in the mansion. She furrowed her brows, frustrated by how unprepared she was for the situation at hand, but after a moment of contemplation, Kayla managed to collect her fortitude and open the office door.

Inside she spotted beautiful furniture scattered across the room, and marvelled at how aesthetically perfect the room appeared to be. Hard wood flooring, a tall ceiling, elegant curtains draping over a double window, and a luxurious carpet stretching across the room struck her down with intimidation and she spotted another person in the room. At first the sight of the woman, startled her to the point of becoming paralyzed with fear, but she gradually adjusted to her presence and mustered enough strength to speak.

"Oh, hello! My name is Kayla Hollister," she said. "I just recently enrolled and...this is my first time actually being here in person."

Her heart thrashed against her chest as she spoke. As always, the fear of saying something stupid or inapporpriate plagued her like a flu bug, but she forced herself to remain calm and composed. If she broke down and panicked now, then it certainly wouldn't do her any favors and it would certainly crash her first impression head-first into the ground.

Many teachers got the summer off, and the idea sounded lovely in theory. Rebecca was thankful to have a smaller workload for a few months. Spring semester was her first as a teacher and she loved what she did, but she was balancing her classes and her ViewTube career. The Summer had been a great time to spin fewer plates, putting out more videos and taking some time to work on things with Agnes.

It had been quite a Summer, but she still dropped in at the Mansion two or three times a week. She was tutoring some students who had need for personalized attention with reading or writing, and she volunteered to cover some admin time in the office. The Summer was obviously not as busy for the school, but the Mansion was more than a place of education: it was a safe haven for mutant children. It was important to do her part not just as an X-Man or a teacher, but as a resource for lost, confused young mutants.

Rebecca was sitting at the solid wooden desk pouring over her syllabi for the upcoming school year. It was a time-consuming amount of prep work but it would save her butt during the year. (She looked forward to being more prepared than her first semester, at least.)

>> "Oh, hello! My name is Kayla Hollister. I just recently enrolled and...this is my first time actually being here in person."

”Oh! The timid voice caught Rebecca by surprise, pulling her from a list of potential reading assignments. She looked to the door to see a teenage girl looking back at her expectantly. ”Oh, Ah’m sorry, ye caught me distracted,” she said with a chuckle. It was entirely on her, considering she was in the office to be available for students—particularly new ones!

Wait, new student? Shouldn’t that have been in the…

Yep. She looked at the papers left on the desk by the last faculty member. “NEW ARRIVAL TODAY: KAYLA HOLLISTER.” Smooth, Rebecca. All she could do was bounce back and be welcoming. ”Richt,” she affirmed in her signature Scottish accent. ”We were expecting ye, actually! It’s nice tae meet ye, Kayla.”

Rebecca walked around the desk and extended a hand and a smile. ”Ah’m Miss Grey.” The moniker was still feeling weird on her tongue, even after half a year of teaching, but it gave her a degree of professionalism she lacked as Becca.

Kayla extended her hand to shake Miss Grey's and gave her a kind smile. She had not meant to catch her off guard upon entering the room, and felt guilty for having done so. However, Miss Grey appeared to be the friendly sort, and that was something Kayla vastly appreciated, given that it was her first day at Xavier's.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Grey," she replied, taking note of her Scottish accent and finding a peculiar fascination with it. She had never met someone with a Scottish accent in person. On every occasion she had ever heard one, it had been either on TV or over the Internet. Getting back on track with her earlier train of thought, Kayla remembered her "be friendly" resolution and smiled once more. "Thank you for accepting me into your school. I'm really looking forward to my time here, and I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people."

It was perhaps the most standard way of expressing gratitude, but Kayla had a standard wish. She wanted to learn how to live a decent life, despite everything that had happened in the past, and despite her powers manifesting. Meeting new people and forming new social circles would be a big part of that. So far, she had met Andy, who she definitely liked because of his quirkiness, and now she knew Miss Grey.

"Maybe things can turn around for me after all?" Kayla thought silently to herself, noting how well her experience at Xavier's was going, but then cringed at the wording of her own thought. "Ugh. 'Turn around.' Sounds like a bad joke, given I can literally make people turn around. I need to stop saying stupid stuff like that."

The two women shook hands, and Rebecca got her first good look at the new student. The most obvious thing to jump out was, of course, the girl’s eyes. Rebecca was not accustomed to meeting other people with heterochromia. Back in July, she met the Alternate-Version of herself, but that hardly felt like it should count. Becca wondered if the moment of surprise and admiration she was experience was symptomatic of how people felt when they saw her own eyes for the first time.

However, while eye contact was important, staring was rude, so she focused on Kayla’s thanks. It was not Rebecca who technically accepted Kayla, but she was a face of the Mansion for the students, so she would accept the thanks regardless. ”Ay coorse, we’re nae in th’ business ay turnin’ awa’ mutants fa want tae learn an’ hae a place ay their ain.” The world was slowly improving, but there were still pockets of the world, even in New York, where mutants did not feel safe. She was glad the Mansion stood as a place for students to be themselves without feeling scared.

Kayla mused to herself about turning her life around before something occurred to her. Rebecca stifled a laugh with the back of her hand because she did not want to come across as rude, but she could empathized with the moment. ”Relax, Kayla,” she said, hoping to reassure the girl. ”If anyain understands accidentally makin' a corny pun, it'd be me. Ah dinnae hoo often Ah’ve said something abit mah ‘magnetic personality.’ Girlfriends have e’en loched tae joke Ah’m ‘naturally attractive.” Rebecca chuckled at the thought; magnetism really gave them no dearth of potential puns to work with.

Returning to the matter at hand, Rebecca considered their options. ”Okay, Ah coods either bring ye tae yer room, ur Ah coods gie ye a brief tour ay th’ campus. Yer choice.” She waited for Kayla’s decision and they left the office to move onward.

As Rebecca locked the door behind her, her curiosity got the better of her. ”Sae ye turn things around? Ah’m guessin’ ‘at has tae dae wi’ yer mutation?”

>>  ”If anyain understands accidentally makin' a corny pun, it'd be me. Ah dinnae hoo often Ah’ve said something abit mah ‘magnetic personality.’ Mah girlfriend e’en lochs tae joke Ah’m ‘naturally attractive.”

Kayla maintained her smile and laughed as she processed Miss Grey's magnetism pun. That was something Kayla was quickly becoming infamous for, but in a stroke of good luck, her horrible pun had brought a moment of connection between herself and Miss Grey, and that was a gift in of itself. As she laughed, Kayla suddenly noticed the woman's eyes. They were...they were mix-matched too! That caused her to relax; it wasn't every day she met someone else with heterochromia, and just knowing there was someone else in the building with it was a huge relief.

>>  ”Okay, Ah coods either bring ye tae yer room, ur Ah coods gie ye a brief tour ay th’ campus. Yer choice.”

Kayla thought about her trip across the mansion grounds, where she had met Andy out by the pool, and got her first chance to see the outside of the mansion. It had been a pleasant experience, like walking through a forest under the shadow of twilight. The expeirence led Kayla to wonder what the rest of the mansion had to offer, and if it gave her a chance to talk to Miss Grey and potentially meet other students, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Oh, I was actually kind of curious about the mansion. A tour would actually be really cool," she replied as her overwhelming excitement caused her to buckle on the inside. Following Miss Grey out of the administration office, Kayla made sure to pay close attention to her surroundings, and perked up at her second question.

>> ”Sae ye turn things around? Ah’m guessin’ ‘at has tae dae wi’ yer mutation?”

Kayla nodded as she followed Mis Grey through step-by-step. "Yes mam," she replied. "If something is in motion, I can change what direction it moves in. Its vector. It has to already be in motion, though. I can't actually make stuff move."

Kayla did Rebecca the kindness of laughing at her terrible jokes, which was enough to earn the girl initial brownie points. As an English teacher, she firmly believed puns were a lost art form.

It was also nice to see Kayla make the right choice in accepting a tour. Well, “right” was not fair, because plenty of students were dead-tired from traveling to get to the Mansion and needed to crash in the nearest bed at the first convenient opportunity. For those who had some energy to spare, it was never a bad idea to get a lay of the land and really experience the place that would become their new home. ”Weel, Ah’m happy tae shaw ye around!”

As the office door closed behind them and they started walking through the school hallways, Kayla gave Rebecca a brief rundown of her powers. It was always fascinating to learn the gifts of mutants she met, particularly when they were her students. It was equal parts interesting and informative, since it never hurt to know which of her students might spontaneously combust at their desk.

In Kayla’s case, she could cause objects to switch directions without stealing away momentum. It sounded like proper mess of a physics problem, reminding her why she gravitated toward English. ”Ah’d loove tae see that ain day! Ye know, nae in a hallway. Or inside. Or near windaes.” Just because the Mansion was well funded did not mean Rebecca could be reckless. They had enough accidents already.

Rebecca gestured her hand at the doors they were walking past, jumping into tour mode. ”Thes is th’ ‘school’ wing ay th’ Mansion. Ye’ll be seein’ me an’ th’ rest ay yer teachers haur when Faa semester rolls around.” Classes felt right around the corner, like the Summer just skimmed by.

They left the classrooms behind and quickly made it to the living room. Rebecca thought back warmly on her own memories in the space. ”Thes is th' livin' room fur aw yer hangin' it needs. It has a wee kitchenette wi' snacks, games ay th' board an' video varieties, cozy couches, an' ay coorse, th' telly.”

Rebecca took a moment to peruse the game shelf and was pleased to find a box. It had become worn down over the years, but she smiled knowing the Twister mat within withstood the test of time. ”Nae a bad place tae get together fer a party,” she added dreamily, before returning to the present. ”Actually, thinking abit it, hae ye met any ay yer fellow students yet?” It was possible Kayla went straight to the administrative office, but it seemed hard to believe she would not cross paths with anyone along the way. The question was whether the seemingly timid girl was coming out of her shell just yet.

Kayla kept her eyes glued to the floor as she wrestled with a heart-wrenching flashback of the day she discovered her mutation. It was a curse, she thought back then, just something else to alienate her from the happy and normal life she wanted for herself. However, that belief quickly died after meeting her newly adopted father, Jack, and she grew to appreciate her powers for having saved her in that moment of desperation. Had she been the normal girl she wanted to be at that moment, her step-father would have undoubtedly blackened the whole left side of her face.

>> ”Ah’d loove tae see that ain day! Ye know, nae in a hallway. Or inside. Or near windaes.”

Miss Grey's words broke Kayla out of her stupor, which was something else she was appreciate of, and she connected her comment with the hasty explanation she had given of her powers. Laughing a little bit at the thought of sending a rogue projectile through one of the mansion windows, she instantly felt more at ease. Laughter really was the best medicine. Walking alongside her new teacher, Kayla focused on her surroundings so that she would not fall victim to her troubled memories yet again.

>> ”Thes is th’ ‘school’ wing ay th’ Mansion. Ye’ll be seein’ me an’ th’ rest ay yer teachers haur when Faa semester rolls around.” 

Growing even more fond of Miss Grey's accent, Kayla nodded along with her guide's presentation of the wing. It was regal, following suit with the outside of the mansion, and she felt a bit intimidated by how sophisticated the place appeared to be. Keeping herself calm and making an effort to appear confident, she chased this feeling of inadequacy away as well. The tour continued with Miss Grey's guidance, and Kayla made sure to keep pace.

>> ”Thes is th' livin' room fur aw yer hangin' it needs. It has a wee kitchenette wi' snacks, games ay th' board an' video varieties, cozy couches, an' ay coorse, th' telly. Nae a bad place tae get together fer a party ”

"Ah nice, there's video games? That's pretty awesome," Kayla allowed herself to admit. Ever since her days in San Fransisco, she had been a gamer to the core. It was her second true love, competing only with her first love: soccer.

>>  ”Actually, thinking abit it, hae ye met any ay yer fellow students yet?”

Remembering back to her conversation with Andy out by the pool, she smiled as she remembered him once again and looked to Miss Grey with a smile. "Yes mam, I met a guy named Andy outside when I first got here. He was super nice." A passing thought of meeting new students during her stay at Xavier's passed through her mind and she frowned as she wondered if they would be as nice as Andy, but as she always did, Kayla forced herself to remain optimistic. "I'm hoping to meet even more people, now that I'm here and stuff."

Like many of the kids of her generation, Kayla gravitated toward the video games. Rebecca could respect the choice; she might not have been the gamer Vanessa was, but she still liked to escape into a digital world when she found some time in her week. Rebecca was sure the girl would find like-minded friends in time if she was willing to expose her nerdy side to the world.

As anticipated, Kayla had already crossed paths with at least one fellow student, though Rebecca was not yet familiar with the boy. Evidently, the Mansion was experiencing a surge of enrollment, which meant more students for her to get to know in the Fall. It was nice to know how new students were already getting accustomed to one another, forming new connections before the schoolyear even started. ”Ah’m sure yoo’ll make plenty ay friends. Ah did, an’ Ah was a shy wee lass.” She had come a long way from the timid foreign exchange student she once was. Kayla was clearly concerned about her own new experience, but Rebecca was sure she would flourish as well, given time.

Rebecca slid open a glass door and gestured outside. ”Let’s take a look ootside. It’s beautiful it.” New York was not always so kind, so when it provided a late-summer day with a pleasant breeze, it was wise to take advantage.

Leading the young woman down the path, Rebecca wanted to get to know her a little better. ”Sae where ur ye frae originally, Kayla? Ur are ye a New York native?” Kayla did not sound like a New Yorker, but accents could sometimes be deceiving, so she made it a point not to jump to conclusions.

As she listened, she led them down the path toward the athletics areas: the tennis courts, basketball courts, and of course, the soccer pitch. It was nothing incredibly official, but Rebecca remembered practicing on the grass fondly. She liked bringing new students on tours, because the Mansion was always going to hold good memories for her. ”Ah’m nae sure if ye’re a sporty lass, bit if sae, we definitely hae options fur ye.”

>> ”Ah’m sure yoo’ll make plenty ay friends. Ah did, an’ Ah was a shy wee lass.”

This caused Kayla to smile a bit more. She had been fretting about that since arriving at Xavier's, and was relieved to know someone besides her adopted father believed in her. However, she found herself unsure of how to go about making such friends, even after her conversation with Andy by the pools. "I hope you're right, Miss Grey," she said, daring to remain at least somewhat optimistic and continued following her.

>> ”Let’s take a look ootside. It’s beautiful it.”

This was something Kayla could very much agree with. To say Xavier's was 'beautiful' was an understatement. It was outright gorgeous, and the beauty of the campus alone made Kayla feel better about calling Xavier's her new home. Looking across the grounds as sunlight spread along the perimeter, coating the grass in a lovely golden aura, she breathed a sigh of relief. There was a time in her life where the only time she saw sunlight was in the realms of video games; locked away in her room, where she had expected to stay forever and ever before the manifestation of her powers.

>>  ”Sae where ur ye frae originally, Kayla? Ur are ye a New York native?”

Kayla heart suddenly dropped upon hearing Miss Grey ask this. Ever since leaving Albany, she had refrained from allowing herself to think about her old home-with her abusive step-father and neglectful family. Stopping in her tracks, she couldn't stop her voice from quivering as she said, "San Fransisco." It was technically a lie, and at the same time, technically true. San Fransisco was her hometown; where she grew up with her beloved mother before moving to Albany and being subjected to the aforementioned terrors. Forcing herself back into motion, she continued following Miss Grey.

>> ”Ah’m nae sure if ye’re a sporty lass, bit if sae, we definitely hae options fur ye.”

Kayla lit up like a star as the topic of sports came up. "Oh, yes mam! I'm kinda big on sports. Soccer mostly. I've been playing for years, and I'd love to get back into playing it again." "Love" was also an understatement. Soccer was her passion, something that helped her to focus on the present, rather than becoming too absorbed intothe past. It was an escape from her dilemmas, and a sorely missed element of her life.

Kayla definitely had her suspicions, and still held onto a few reservations to help her account for the possibility that she may not be able to integrate into the culture around Xavier's due to her anxious nature, but if Miss Grey and Andy were any indication of the school's intentions, then she knew she could expect good things from Xavier's. Soccer helped improve her outlook too, of course.

Kayla seemed like a well-intentioned young woman, but she was clearly nervous about her new life. It was nice to hear the optimism finally creeping into her voice. In many ways, the Mansion was like a typical school, but it was also a place for mutants to gather as a community. She believed that was what made it easier for most of the students to click with one another; they all shared that one thing in common and came to seek refuge together. Kayla would be fine given time, she was sure.

Teaching students who, in many cases, were runaways, Rebecca was learning to realize when she made a misstep. Mutant children could deal with horrible things out in the world; she had been lucky and she was aware her experience was unfortunately atypical. The way Kayla’s tone changed so starkly and suddenly when asked about her hometown, it was clear Rebecca was treading on sensitive topics. She was not a counselor and she left the heavy lifting to Gemma, but she could at least do her best not to cause Kayla stress as she learned to acclimate. ”Weel, yer haem noo, regardless,” she said, dismissing San Francisco and moving on in the conversation.

Thankfully, they had reached the athletic fields, and Kayla’s face lit up. Rebecca had brought her to the right place, and as luck would have it, Kayla was a footballer herself. The teacher beamed proudly. ”Ye can usually fin’ someain around tae play wi’ oan th’ pitch when th’ weaither’s nice,” she assured Kayla. ”When Ah got haur, Miss Taylor helped sit me up in a local yooth league, sae Ah dornt see 'at bein' a problem fur ye, either.” They had a relatively small student body, so it would be hard to field a team of their own, and other schools would likely complain about “mutants having the edge thanks to powers.” It was easier to arrange for a student to join an independent league so they were not deprived of a high school experience they might want to enjoy.

The two women walked across the green grass, with the basketball courts in view from a distance. Becca tucked strands of hair behind her ear as a pleasant breeze rolled by, displacing them. The campus really was beautiful when one took the time to appreciate it. ”If ye loch th’ ootdoors, we hae plenty fur ye. Walkin' paths an' benches, a hedge maze—be careful wi' 'at one thocht.” The hedge maze had a reputation for misplacing students for hours at a time.

”Thaur ur gardens an' th' most lovely greenhouse ay plants an’ flowers.” A greenhouse Rebecca had notably not stepped foot in recently, knowing how many memories it would kick back up. ”Let’s keep walkin. Plenty ay campus left.”

Kayla quickly began to feel ashamed of herself for having not been able to answer Miss Grey's question without succumbing to her own hyperactive anxiety. "Home" was like a trigger word for her; everytime she heard it, visions of her abusive step-father's fist flying across the room came to mind. She knew this shouldn't be the case. She knew it was time to let go and to focus on her new life with her new dad, but for Kayla, letting go was the hardest part about learning to reconcile with herself.

>> ”Weel, yer haem noo, regardless.”

Kayla perked up at this. Miss Grey's words reinforced what her conscience was telling her. Xavier's was her new home...Jack was her new father...and it was time to let go. She wondered why she couldn't accept such a simple mantra, and realized one thing about herself that she had not really been able to take into account. She hated her step-father. She hated his neglectful family, and in the end, her experiences with them had left her afraid of humans. So much so to the point of which she resented them. Upon realizing this about herself, Kayla couldn't decide if she was relieved to have finally pinpointed the source of her inner turmoil, or scared that her resentment towards humans would cause conflict during her time at Xavier's.

>>  ”Ye can usually fin’ someain around tae play wi’ oan th’ pitch when th’ weaither’s nice. When Ah got haur, Miss Taylor helped sit me up in a local yooth league, sae Ah dornt see 'at bein' a problem fur ye, either.”

Miss Grey's words snapped Kayla back out of her self-focus and she smiled upon learning that Miss Grey was an athlete too at one time. This caused Kayla to grow even more fond of her new teacher, as she found it easier to talk to people she shared a common interest with. Taking into account how fortunate she was to have a teacher who understood her so well, Kayla looked up at the red head with admiration before turning her attention back to the tour. "That's really cool that you were an athlete too, Miss Grey. I haven't really met many people other than Andy who like sports too."

>> ”Thaur ur gardens an' th' most lovely greenhouse ay plants an’ flowers.”

Upon entering the greenhouse with Miss Grey, Kayla noticed the beautiful archives of flora and looked around, eyes wide with fascination. "It's...so beautiful," she whispered and looked to Miss Grey. "This whole place is beautiful, really. I'm just...having a hard time believing how 'real' Xavier's is. Out there, humans treat us like criminals...and just being out there with them is terrifying. But, here, when we're just around mutants...everything seems just so...I don't know...peaceful, I guess."

>> ”Let’s keep walkin. Plenty ay campus left.”

As Miss Grey motioned to leave the Greenhouse, Kayla stuck close by. For the first time since arriving, she felt okay. Xavier's appeared to be an oasis in the midst of a nightmarish world. That was what she needed; a safe haven where she could rest...and start to repair the damage done by mankind.

It was good to see Kayla coming out of her shell, even if it was just around Rebecca. She was the girl’s second-impression of Xavier’s. Her new friend, Andy, sounded like he gave her a good start with her peers, but it still felt just as important for her to do her part. Xavier’s was a home not because of the comfortable rooms and the nifty amenities; the people made the difference, and she was proud to be part of that.

”Ah was quite a striker in mah day,” she joked, immediately feeling much older than twenty-four. No more of those jokes. She shifted the focus back to Kayla, assuring her, ”Ance we gie ye oan a team, Ah'll be sure tae gang cheer ye oan in a match.” It would be refreshing to be out near the football pitch, feeling the excitement again, even if it would be from the sidelines.

Of Rebecca’s suggestions on where they could go next, Kayla seemed to latch onto the greenhouse. The teacher’s stomach did a flipflop, but she would handle herself for the sake of her student.

It was surreal being back in the greenhouse. It was the place she met Agnes and the place their relationship began. She had been avoiding the space as though it was holy ground for a faith she abandoned. The plants were still well-tended to, of course. She wondered why she expected different when she knew the new groundskeeper. In her head, the place should have withered away without its old caretaker. And yet, the plants moved on.

Rebecca lost herself in her thoughts, cradling the bud of a flower carefully in her hand when Kayla spoke in wonderment. She was struggling to realize how Xavier’s could truly exist. Her experiences out in the world since becoming a mutant were clearly challenging. Rebecca had seen other students with similar reactions, but it never failed to warm her heart.

As they walked out of the greenhouse, Rebecca placed a reassuring palm on Kayla’s shoulder. ”Ah dinnae want tae gie ye th’ wrang idea; nae aw humans ur gonnae treat ye poorly. Ah tryst yoo'll eventually fin' human friends.” Getting her involved in sports outside of the Mansion would go a long way toward that. ”Th' warld is becomin' mair acceptin' every day. Heck, mah lest girlfriend was human,” she joked.

Still, there was validity to Kayla’s concerns. ”Ye ur richt abit ain thing thocht. When th’ world sucks, it’s nice tae be aroond people who gie whit yoo’re gonnae through.”

Rebecca gave Kayla’s shoulder a quick squeeze before she pulled her hand away. ”Alricht, why dinnae we bring ye tae yer new room?”

>> ”Ah was quite a striker in mah day. Ance we gie ye oan a team, Ah'll be sure tae gang cheer ye oan in a match.” 

Kayla lit up even more upon hearing Miss Grey say she was proficient in sports. Not only was her new teacher an athlete, she was a good athlete. She found herself feeling a sense of exhilaration that she had not felt since San Fransisco and knowing there would be friends on the sidelines to cheer her on made the thought of it even sweeter. "That would be...so amazingly awesome. I haven't been on a team in years. Just thinking about joining one again is...uh, well, really awesome."

>>  ”Ah dinnae want tae gie ye th’ wrang idea; nae aw humans ur gonnae treat ye poorly. Ah tryst yoo'll eventually fin' human friends. ”Th' warld is becomin' mair acceptin' every day. Heck, mah lest girlfriend was human,”

Kayla frowned as she thought about this. She didn't want human friends, and while she didn't wish them any harm, she did feel compelled to stay as far away from them as possible. Miss Grey's comments didn't fall on deaf ears, though. Kayla subtly entertained a quiet daydream of what it would be like to have human friends. She had human friends when she was younger, back in San Fransisco...back when she thought she was human, but not since then. A lingering doubt fought her as she thought about trying to make friends with them again, and left her in a state of belief that did not allow her to get entirely on-board with the idea of being friends with people she often saw as being hateful.

>> ”Ye ur richt abit ain thing thocht. When th’ world sucks, it’s nice tae be aroond people who gie whit yoo’re gonnae through.”

Kayla nods at this. "Yeah. Being around other mutants has really helped me, just emotionally. My new dad, Jack, he's a mutant too. The day he adopted me was one of the happiest days of my life. Coming here and meeting you guys has been just as awesome."

>> ”Alricht, why dinnae we bring ye tae yer new room?”

Kayla nodded happily as she thought about putting down roots at Xavier's. Having a place to retreat to while she learned to live with her mutation would be a welcome addition to her life; it was one thing her step-father tried to deprive her of before she discovered her powers. "Yes mam," Kayla said and gave Miss Grey her best smile. "I'd love to see it."

So, it was going to take some time for Kayla to warm up to humans. Rebecca was not about to fault the girl for being apprehensive. The life of a mutant among humans was filled with potential pitfalls and Kayla clearly had those in her recent past. Rebecca firmly believed that mutant isolationism was not the path to mutant peace. It was part of why she stuck with the X-Men; she believed in the message of coexistence the team was founded on. She hoped Kayla would eventually see that good humans were out there, and they were quietly becoming the majority, but she was not going to push the matter yet. The girl deserved time to enjoy the uncomplicated microcosm of the Mansion.

They walked out of the greenhouse and Rebecca took a moment to close the door reverently before they turned for the Mansion. As they walked, Kayla pulled back the veil further, talking about her new adopted father. Rebecca’s parents had taken her mutation well, but she did have to wonder what it would be like if her parents could understand her on a mutant-to-mutant level. That was the kind of relationship Kayla needed, so it was nice to see she had a solid support structure back home. ”Ah’m glad ye hae Jack in yer corner, then,” she said with a smile. ”And know we’ll be in that corner, too, ay coorse.”

The women reentered the Mansion through the same door they left the living room. Rebecca led the way down a new hallway toward the dormitory wing. Along the way, the passed through the kitchen. Yet another room with honey-flavored memories of her years as a student. As long as she was still teaching at the Mansion, it was going to take a longer time than she thought to stop associating everything with an Agnes memory. ”Th’ kitchen is available tae all th’ students an’ perfect fer meals and late nicht snacks. We try tae keep things weel-stocked. Jist… try tae be conscious ay makin’ a mess.” It was good that students could take care of their own meals, but it was also a reminder that not all teenagers and children had the experience of keeping a workspace neat.

Kayla followed along, still taking in the sights of the mansion as she walked. She was glad to finally have the chance to get some of the feelings she had been holding back off of her chest, but elected to keep the serious talk to a minimum. This was, after all, Kayla's only chance to make a good first impression and she didn't want to muck it up by talking about how much she disliked humanity.

Miss Grey mentioned how she would be in her support corner, and this caused Kayla to light up. The thought of having so many friends made her new life seem like a farcry from what she was used to: complete and utter isolation. It made her grateful for her new powers, and she quietly realized that without them, she never would have met Jack or Miss Grey, or ever stepped foot inside of Xavier's. No. She would still be with her step-father and his delightfully evil kids. She would also be living in a dusty, spider-infested attic.

"Thank you," she said in response to Miss Grey's promise of support. "That...means a lot. I'm glad I came here."

Continuing their tour back inside of the mansion they walked past the kitchen and Kayla nodded as Miss Grey said not to make too much of a mess. She elected to follow that rule to the best of her abilities. This was her new home; and Kayla knew she had a responsibility to keep it clean.

"Don't be a slob. Easy enough," she replied, trying to sound a bit more upbeat and a little less introverted. "I'll try not to make a mess."