Am I really sure about this?  Kendra thought as she stood in front of a large iron gate.  Before her was a large sprawling mansion.  She could hear the sound of voices carrying just beyond the gate.  Kendra couldn't actually see anyone though.  It made her nervous.  People in general made her nervous.  Kendra had heard about this place from some mutant she met.  He had told her of a safe place for mutants.  He said it was a place where mutants learned and worked together.  Teamwork.  That wasn't really her strong suit, but then again what was these days?  Kendra stood outside the gate trying to decide weather or not to just turn around and walk away.  Her hair blew around her face in the light breeze as she readjusted her bag on her shoulder.

Kendra needed a place.  Through a series of freak coincidences her landlord had figured out she was a mutant and she was promptly evicted.   Was it right?  Hell no, but what was she going to do about it?  Kendra had been sleeping on a bench in the park until she heard about this place.  That was the only place she could really afford.  A pipedream?  That's the best you can do girl?  She asked herself sarcastically in her head.  She was still debating what to do when she noticed a security camera above the gate turning to follow her movements.  Kendra stared at the camera a moment.  Big brother is watching.  Then she noticed for the first time the glowing light on the gate.  An intercom.

Kendra hesitantly pressed down the button and spoke into the intercom.  She never took her eyes off the camera that was still following her with subtle adjustments to it's positioning.  "Um..... Hello? Sorry I don't mean to bother anyone, but I heard this place was safe?"

Kendra let go of the button and bit her lip nervously.  Biting her lip was a bad habit she had for as long as she could remember.  You could always tell how anxious she was by how chewed up her lips were.  This is it.  Guess we're about to find out if that guy was telling the truth about this place, though the camera studying her made her think about mutants being experimented on in the basement.

Maya was on watch, zoning out and soaking up the watery light of the spring sun when the roving breeze she sent to run laps for her blew some hair across someone's face. It seemed that there was someone at the gate. Rather than wait for the intercom, Maya hopped off the roof and ghosted into a cloudy mist. She raced along the ground riding a torrent of air and stopped just short of the gate so that she could pack herself together into a more solid form.

"Hi. Welcome to the Sister School for Gifted Youngsters. My codename is Ghost and I'm a member of the X-men team." Maya went from wisp of fog to fluffy cloud to something vaguely human shaped and translucent.

"I wasn't inside so I didn't hear you on the intercom, sorry about that. Is there something I can do for you?"

As she spoke Maya, better known as the X-man Ghost, came into her weight-- first touching down with the toes of her shoeless feet and sinking until she stood in the grass, a pale woman wearing a horribly mismatched skirt and shirt who never seemed to be looking quite at anything. Once she deemed herself solid enough, she offered her hand for a handshake.

One moment Kendra was standing there contemplating if this was a mistake; the next someone appeared right in front of her.  Kendra hadn't seen her approach. She was half turned around ready to leave when she arrived. Kendra gasped. It might've been rude, but it was jarring. She hadn't expected anyone, let alone someone you could partially see though. So this is a place for mutants?  That settled her nerves a bit. Her skeptical brain was already thinking about this being some sort of trap where crazy experiments were done on mutants.

Kendra's knowledge of mutants and the X-Men was rather limited.  She worked as a photographer and was offered a job finding and taking pictures of dangerous mutants, but she turned it down.  She instead took pictures of protestors and her pictures filled out the pages of articles about genetics and other mundane offerings.  Kendra smiled lightly.  She was suddenly feeling less like a freak and more like a welcomed guest.  She said her name was Ghost.  That's appropriate Kendra mused. 

"I'm Kendra.  I heard this place was safe..... For mutants?"  Kendra whispered the word mutant as if she were shy or embarrassed by it and looked around.  She was still a little apprehensive by all of this.  She had no other place to go and she was already here.  Kendra watched the girl hold out here hand and she hesitated.  Not because she didn't want to shake her hand, but because she wasn't sure if she could even grab hold of such an apparitional being.  She took Ghost's hand into her own and shook it with a warm, if not cautious smile

"I guess what I'm asking is, if this can be a place for me?"  Kendra waited for something to happen.  But nothing did.  She was standing there with a friendly inviting mutant and she had no reason to be skeptical at this point, but yet she was.  Her world had not been yet opened up to what it was like to be accepted by someone who understood what she was going through.

She whispered the word mutant like it was a naughty word or taboo. That tugged at Maya's heartstrings. What rock had this poor darling been hiding under? Hopefully not an abusive one. They saw that all too often these days. She shook her hand as best as she was able. Even if Ghost had gotten used to her spatial vision, it was still curious talking to people without the normal social cues. She'd been raised on them, after all.

"Oh yes. Quite safe, Miss Kendra." Ghost had been wrong before, but with an introduction like that, she presumed that Kendra was a mutant as well. "We have a robust security system and X-men are often assigned for patrol solo or in pairs. In fact, I was just running the grounds now which is how I noticed you standing here." She input her code from the inside and with a buzz the gate began to swing inward.

"This is a safe place for those with gifts and a certain special few humans. Uhm. You don't appear to be school age, though. Do you have a job in the city or are you new to New York?" It was a little more uncommon for someone to come to the Mansion that wasn't school age, but not unheard of. After all, X-men weren't required to live on campus, but considering the scheduling, they all usually had a room to crash in after missions.

Kendra watched as the gate swung open and waited before taking that first step. It was as if her first step on the grounds was an important milestone in her life. Even though she wasn't entirely sure why she was here. Kendra was socially awkward, even before she realized she was a mutant. She didn't look like a mutant, but she was in fact a mutant. Kendra was a dream walker and could interact with the world while she was asleep the same way she could as if she were awake.

Kendra's heart fluttered a bit as she stepped inside.  The palms of her hands became itchy.  She adjusted her messenger back on her shoulder.  There was nothing inside it except a few changes of clothes and a few well worn books.  Everything she owned practically except for the high quality camera hanging around her neck.   Kendra could see others walking the grounds now.  The thought that everyone one of them were mutants almost floored her.  She was in awe that such a place existed.  How had she never heard of it before?

"I'm new to the city.  I came in by train.  I'm a photographer, most of my work is just emailed in.  So yes I have job.  I just don't have a place to go...."

Kendra's voice was soft and quiet.  She was looking around, taking in the sights of the mansion's grounds.  She didn't realize she was just spouting out ramblings and stating things "mater-of-factly"  She blushed and allowed her shoulders to slump a little.  Somewhere off on the grounds birds were chirping happily in the trees.  The sounds of laughter drifted across the grounds and the warm sun beaming down on the bright green grass painted a picture of peace and civility.  Not a sight you'd be used to as a native New Yorker, she mused quietly.  Kendra grew up in Georgia.  She tried to hide the country twang in her voice.  She didn't want to be viewed as some country bumpkin.  Though, Ghost seemed perfectly pleasant and welcoming thusfar.

"I dream.  And when I dream it's like ..... It's like I can move through the world and interact with things sort of like I'm a....."

Kendra blushed harder for a moment.  She was about to say Ghost.  She thought it might have been offensive for a moment, even though the girl had introduced herself as GHOST.  Though, she wasn't sure.  It wasn't exactly like being a ghost, but it kind of was.  No one could see Kendra when she used her power.  She was often so bland and unimpressive that no one usually saw her when she was awake either.  Not really.  She just faded into the background. 

"Sort of like I'm not even there I guess."  Kendra finished her sentence.  Her words spilled from her mouth like soft tears, filled with sorrow and bringing up bad memories.  She lingered on it for a moment before her eyes moved back up to Ghost's face.  Kendra was smiling.  She didn't know that Ghost couldn't see that, but she wanted Ghost to know that she was glad to be here. 

It was a big moment. Ghost waited patiently while Kendra scraped together enough courage to take that first step. And then she tried her hardest to make the rest of the conversation seamless so that Kendra wouldn't be any more uncomfortable than she already was.

"Whereabouts are you from? I've been in New York for almost ten years now, but before that my family was overseas. I'm a military brat." It was good that she had some income, not because the Mansion needed it- they had their own endowment to fund them- but because if she ever decided to move away, then she wouldn't be dependent on the Mansion any more.

"Oh. What kind of photography do you do? Portraits? Or fine art? Or-" An idea, wholly perfect and sublime made Maya gasp as they crossed the grassy grounds of the Mansion. "Weddings!? We had an engagement recently. The counselor, Gemma, is an amazing woman. She's dating, I mean, engaged... She's engaged to a watermancer." It was all good fun once you got to know everyone's powers. Maya hoped she wasn't overwhelming the new woman.

> "I dream. And when I dream it's like ..... It's like I can move through the world and interact with things sort of like I'm a....."

Maya smiled. If Kendra wouldn't say it, she would. "Like a ghost?" The power sounded interesting. "So, you're a dreamwalker then." Not very combat oriented, but that was okay. The Mansion took all kinds.

Maya indicated the heavy front double doors and had a gust of wind push them open from the inside. "Would you like to fill out paperwork and be all official-like or do you want the tour first?"

The front hallway was all polished marble and warm wood paneling with two giant swooping staircases. "Up the stairs we have the living quarters, girls," She indicated one way, "And boys." she indicated the other. "Adults are over on top of the administration area." That would be the small side doorway that opened to a separate hall. So the choice was hers. Administration for paperwork or the grand tour?

Kendra listened as Ghost jumped from one topic to the next. She asked about her job, to which Kendra replied that she took pictures for human interest pieces for her job, but her passion was photographing nature. Kendra smiled even bigger when Ghost mentioned her possibly taking wedding photos. She had never taken wedding photos before. She felt like she was talking to a long lost sister who hadn't seen her in ages and wanted to fill in the cracks of everything they had missed over the last ten years.  It was a little intimidating.  Kendra felt a little bad that she wasn't so enthusiastic. That she was just a little nervous.  The tension was all but faded though Kendra was trying to get a feel for the  place. 

"We can do the paperwork now.  Get it out of the way."

Kendra leaned against a wall and watched as students moved past her to go to or from classes.  She smiled.  It was good that these kids had this place.  It was good that this place existed.  Kendra reached up and brushed strands of red hair back and tucked it behind her ear. 

"What do they learn in the classes?  I mean.... If they all have different powers how do you set a curriculum?"

Kendra was subtly searching for answers.  She was wondering if there was someone here who could help her learn how to control her own powers.  She had no control over it at all.  Every time she went to sleep she dream walked.  She couldn't turn it off and she was always exhausted.  This was a place for mutants, a school no less.  Kendra figured they had to teach people how to control their powers.  Kendra wasn't smiling anymore.  Her brows hunched in curiosity.  Maybe this place is a godsend.  All she had to do was wade though a bit of paperwork.  Bring it on!  Kendra thought.

Paperwork first. Easy-peasy. Kids slinked past. Weren't they late for class?

Ghost ushered Kendra toward the administrative hall with its plush carpet and dark wooden wainscoting. There were far fewer children in these parts. They tended to avoid going where they would have to if they were in trouble.

"Well curriculum is mandated by the state, actually. We just have some extra offerings for PE substitutes depending on the kind of mutation and the amount of control. It works out nicely that the X's are here since we cover a broad spectrum of powers. We can usually help mentor the younger ones where control is needed." Maya had been working with Aiden, the snow-mancer, on his snow form. Snow and air weren't terribly different when the powers shook out.

"This is ColdSteel's office. He does ice." Maya touched a door as they passed. She couldn't remember if his name was on it or not. "He helps organize and lead the X-men. Most of the adults you'll see around are on the team. Not that you have to be to live here, he's just persuasive." No pressure or anything.

"Mister Kipperling," Maya touched another door as they arrived. "He's headmaster and he makes clones of himself so don't freak out if you see a few of him around."

A quick knock and Ghost let them both in. The office was large, but relatively tidy. "Excuse me, headmaster, but Miss Kendra needs a resident's application." He smiled and split off a copy of himself to access the filing cabinet at the back of the office.

"Well now, you look a bit beyond high school. Just looking for a place to stay then, Miss Kendra?"

Something bumped against Ghost's heel and she yelped to Kipperling's great amusement. A loud chorus of Another One Bites the Dust started up.

"We ought to promote him to full X-man. He's gotten three of you today!"

The Kipperling clone returned with a hefty packet of papers for Kendra: map, school schedule, brochure, and some forms. The paperwork all seemed pretty straight forward, though the mutation form would be new to Kendra. They had to know if she was safe to touch and what kind of control she had, if any, so that they could decide on her room placement. There was no mention of payment. The endowment allowed to cover the cost of a few adults.

"Mister Kipperling! You have got to stop allowing the children to tape knives to DJ Roomba." Ghost huffed and knelt to remove the butter knife.
"Go ahead and fill that out now if you like. We're clearly not interrupting anything important."

Kendra was handed the folder of paperwork and her shoulders slumped. Holy cow! That was a lot of paperwork. Kendra barely batted an eye when the man shedded off clones of himself.  It wasn't the craziest thing she had seen at this place so far.  Kendra sat down and began on the paperwork. She dotted the I's and crossed the T's on every last bit of it except the mutation form. 

Kendra sat down with the final form and thought about it long and hard. She wrote that she had little control over her power but she was completely harmless to anyone and everyone. The most she could do was play pranks on people in her dream state. She wasn't a threat to anyone. Kendra didn't realize how powerful she actually was. She didn't realize that her potential was locked away.  Kendra didn't know that she had powers she hadn't even realized yet and she was more than capable of combat. Not now mind you, but down the road some day.  She would discover new abilities within herself that would be helpful to the X-men. Still, she wanted to be on this team.

"Is there a form I can fill out to join the X-men?"  Kendra didn't know what she was asking for.  She didn't know what exactly the X-men did on their missions, she only knew she wanted to help.  Her whole life she had been afraid.  Afraid of people, afraid of standing up for herself or others who needed help.  She didn't want to be afraid anymore.  She didn't have much in the way of fighting style but she wanted to learn.  She wanted to learn to control her power and learn to stand up for what was right. 

Kendra finished filling out the mutation form that said she was a Dream Walker.  The form stated that she could move things and speak to those in the waking world.  She could have her uses on the team.  She could slip into places unnoticed to retrieve important thing and bring them back.  Anything she was holding upon walking up would instantly transport back to her body.  She could wear an earpiece to communicate with her team and tell them in her disembodied voice when to wake her up.  Kendra could be an asset to the X-men and a unique one.

Kendra turned in the final form.  She looked between Ghost and the man who clones himself with a shy smile.  Kendra would like to make her stay at the mansion more than just a stop along the way.  Oddly enough, this place felt like home.  "I'm willing to do whatever you need me to.  I just want to help."  Kendra said as she set the pen down on the desk and waited for a response.

What kind of devil tape was this!? Maya sat in front of the robot on the floor and failed at disentangling the tape from the knife from the vacuum robot. It didn't help that every time she thought she was getting progress, her fingers dematerialized and she lost her grip. The tape had a higher tensile strength than her fingers could hold, apparently...

There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground

"Stop it. You didn't bring me to the ground!" Where were those DJ controls!? Ghost wrestled with the robot as it spun its wheels and tried to back away from her.

The song abruptly changed.

Move b***, get out the way
Get out the way b***, get out the way

"RUDYARD! This is inappropriate!"

Ruddy shrugged as Ghost slapped a foot down in front of the robot. It bounced harmlessly against her bare foot which triggered the wall sensor and turned the little vacuum in slow motion until the knife was pointed at Ghost's body.

Maya's eyes widened.

>"Is there a form I can fill out to join the X-men?"

Oh no, the fight's out
I'mma 'bout to punch yo lights out

"Iiii am so glad you asked!" Ghost was on her feet in an instant ready to snatch up the paperwork and read... nothing. The page was as blank as anything since her spatial vision had robbed her of all light sensing.

Rudyard snatched the papers out of Ghost's hands in a mirror of what Ghost had just done to Kendra. "Ah. Looks like any room will suffice." He opened a drawer and DJ Roomba bounced off of Maya's heel again. Ghost stepped on top of the robot and its motors whirred under the extra weight. Headmaster Kipperling pulled out a shiny brass key and set it in front of Kendra.

"Room 206. Adult wing. Ghost?"

"Yes. I know where it is." Maya smiled to Kendra and motioned to the door with her head. "Don't mind the DJ. He's really just a glorified janitor."

Aghast, Rudyard corrected her. "Please stop stepping on my co-administrator!"

Kendra was actually pretty amused by the tiny knife wielding robotic nuisance.  She watched as Ghost tried and failed to pull the tape free and had to restrain a chuckle from escaping her lips.  Some music came on and it only added a soundtrack to the frivolity of her efforts. 

Kendra's paperwork was taken from her and the head guy looked over it.  Kendra watched as he smiled and told her that any old room would do.  Then there was a key sitting in front of her on the desk.  Room 206.  Adult wing.  Kendra took the key from the desk.  "Thank you."  She said quietly.  She stood up and followed Ghost out of the room. 

So this is it.  I'm going to be living here.  I hope I can figure out a way to soundproof my room.  Kendra thought as they moved through the hall.  Kendra tripped over a piece of carpet.  Ugh! Clumsy fool!  She scolded herself as she fell flat on her face.  Great.  Way to show that you're a world class klutz.  She thought.  Kendra was very clumsy.  She pushed herself up and dusted herself off.  She checked her camera that was still hanging around her neck to make sure it wasn't damaged.  The lens cap was still on.  It appeared ok.  Kendra appreciated Ghost for taking her around and getting her settled in, but still she was curious.

"Have long have you been here?"  She asked.  Mostly because she was interested in the young girl's story, but partially to distract from her face plant.  She wanted to hear all about her guide and how she came to be here.  Was Ghost on the X-Men team?  If Kendra was allowed to join the team, who else would be on the team?  What were their powers?  She had so many questions, but the one question that leap out at her the most was how long have you been here?  Kendra sort of got a sense by now that Ghost couldn't see that great so she felt a little more at ease about her own clumsiness after the demonstration with the rumba.  Kendra straightened out her shirt and turned to face Maya.

"Yay!" Out the door and then it was down the hall a bit and up the stai--Kendra, uh, fell before they even actually got to the stairs. Maya would have liked to have caught her, but she would have just fallen right through anyway. Was she supposed to pretend that didn't happen?

The elemental was rescued from having to help Kendra up by her question. Maya rocked from her heels to her toes as Kendra checked herself before she potentially wrecked herself again.

"I've been in New York for ten years now, at least. I was in the registration camps and then I came to live at the Mansion for a bit until I got my feet under me. Now I'm part time here and part time in an apartment in the city." An apartment in the city with her honey. The thought was a humongous step up from wrongful incarceration.

"So what's your story? Seems like a pretty small moving bag..." She wasn't meaning to be insensitive, just trying to keep things light with her tone.

Kendra was embarrassed only for a moment.  Wasn't her first fall on her face.  It wouldn't be her last.  She was a bit of a clumsy klutz.  She hoped it didn't hurt her chances on joining the team.  She moved through the halls and listened to Ghost's story.  She was only part time here?  That made Kendra frown.  But she quickly smiled again.  Hearing that light chipper tone in her voice.  She asked Kendra about her traveling light. 

"I'm nobody.  I'm just trying to get a fresh start."  She said.  The somber tone of her voice was quickly replaced by a lighter more cheery tone. 

Kendra didn't want to be a downer to anyone.  Her story was a sad one and she didn't want any tears shed for her.  She came from a broken abusive home, but she didn't identify herself as a victim she didn't want to be seen as one.  She lied about it.  "I'm just an average girl.  Nothing standout about me really, except for my mutation."  When they found themselves outside room 206 Kendra unlocked the door and pushed it open.  The room was quaint.  There was a bed, a desk.  A window that looked out on the grounds and the gate where she first met Ghost.  A smile tugged at her lip.  Kendra set her bag down on the bed.

"I don't have much in the way of possessions."  Pun totally not intended.  She didn't know if Ghost could possess people, but it wouldn't surprise her.  It would be cool if she could!  Kendra would set up her room later.  Stepping back out into the hall she closed the door behind her and locked it.  She still had her camera hanging around her neck. 

"You said something about maybe doing some wedding photos?"  She didn't know if Ghost meant now but Kendra was ready.  She wanted to get some pictures around the mansion anyways.  The architecture was beautiful, haunting almost.  The stories these walls could tell.  Kendra held her camera up.  She didn't know why but she wanted a picture of Ghost, if she would even show up on camera that was.  "Do you mind?" Kendra asked holding up her camera.

"Everybody is someone, Kendra. Everybody." If she wasn't ready, she wasn't ready. Ghost offered a smile that she hoped was reassuring. She'd be here either way.

"Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world?" Journey lyrics went straight to the heart. Universal truth. Where was DJ Roomba when she actually needed it? "C'mon! You gotta have something! I'll start easy, promise. What is your favorite color?"

And Kendra was totally interested in the wedding photos! Maya didn't do a little dance, but she could have. She just didn't want to scare Kendra away. "Yesss! I'll have to send Gemma an email or you could go see her in her office. I, uh, I can't actually go with you for health reasons. Our abilities don't mix well."

Kendra fiddled with her camera and eventually raised it as if she was ready to take some shots now.

> "Do you mind?"

"Oh. Am I in the way?" Misunderstanding, Maya took a hefty step to the side and folded her hands in front of her, bouncing again on her toes while she waited for Kendra to finish with her shot.

Kendra laughed. Ghost was quite the character. She was cheerful and sweet. Kendra looked at her She was always afraid of ghosts when she was a little girl,  but how could you be afraid of Maya?  She was just infectiously sweet and kind.  It also helped that she was a bit of a goof.  Kendra liked that about her. When Ghost stepped out of the way so Kendra could take a picture of a blank wall Kendra's eyebrow raised.   Kendra raised her camera and took a picture of Ghost.

Kendra checked her picture and saw that she was mostly in the photo.  She still looked spiritual and ethereal.  She was still very pretty.  Kendra couldn't exactly estimate how old she was but she had a childlike innocence about her.  Ghost's body was loosely defined.  But she now had a picture of her.  Kendra didn't really portrait style photos, they seemed synthetic and staged.  But this was a good picture.

"My favorite color is pink."  She said lowering her camera.  Kendra looked down the hall and remembered something about Ghost mentioning at tour of the mansion.  Kendra was certain she would get to know this place like the back of her hand.  She would spend countless nights dreaming walking around lonely hallways.

Kendra smiled.  "You take a great photograph."  She said laughing and showed Ghost the picture.  "I hope you didn't mind.  I like to keep photos of people I like."  Maybe it was weird, but she kept pictures. 

"So how about that tour?"  Kendra said.  As they walked Kendra began to tell Ghost about her.  How she had never really fit in anywhere, she was a bit of a social outcast.  That didn't matter.  She wasn't an outcast here.  She was slowly coming out of her shell and Kendra was comfortable around Ghost.  As they walked a bit Kendra asked again about becoming and X-Man. 

Kendra was a bit hesitant at first to mention it again.  She had heard about the X-Men, but she knew went through much trouble to learn much about them.  She was extremely curious what they did, how they helped mutants and how she could help.  She would need training of course.  She was a clumsy mess but she had good intentions.

"I was serious ya know?  Bout joinin the X-Team."  Kendra finally said.  She was getting excited about the idea of helping out.  Whenever she got excited her Georgia Belle accent started to slip out more and more.