W.I.T.C.H.E.: Evolution

By: Sokai

Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. - I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. Nor do I own Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men series franchise (even though this story isn't even really related to the series, at least not super super directly, anyway. Just don't want to hear law suit claims LoL). However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM both series.

Note: Sooo . . . hi? Been a bit of a 'ghost town' around these parts, hasn't it? Life, man, I tell ya. . . . While yes, I am very much still attempting to finish off the remainder of my other stories whenever Evie allows me the opportunity, this idea kept pestering me for a while now to get out, so here it is. =)

It is still solely a W.I.T.C.H. focused story, with its various characters . . . except they're mutants, instead, with a slight "X-Men: Evolution" feel out of all the X-Men series' various incarnations (with the whole "we're all teenagers, just trying to come to terms with our new mutant abilities" premise it had).

Also note that none of the X-Men are within this story/exist, although two will be very briefly featured within this chapter.

Um . . . what else, what else. Oh! And the world isn't yet aware mutants exist within this story, either, so's we're clear. =)

Okay! Enjoy, my Lovelies!

This story/chapter was written/created in October 2016.

Chapter One

"Hey, man! Toss it over here!"

"Go long, then!"

On the surface, this place certainly looked as normal as any other private school . . . at least, from what she'd always seen within the media, or personally imagined, anyway.

A grand, admittedly impressive front landscape served as a pristine canvas for the pretentious, cream colored and four story building which intimidatingly loomed before her within nearing distance.

Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters.

'Gifted.'

That was certainly putting it mildly, to say the least. . . .

Several of whom were believed to be fellow students appeared to be taking advantage of the unseasonably warm, Upstate New York September weather that early Saturday afternoon, with a few engaging within various athletics and gaily running past her without a second thought, while the remaining congregation chose the more lackadaisical approach by lounging about the lush and freshly cut grass.

If she hadn't known what this particular educational institution was before her mother, Susan, had enrolled her, she honestly could have sworn it really was just like any other 'run of the mill' private school for the truly intellectually blessed . . . which honestly would have made her feel infinitely better than she presently did over having been sent off to an entirely new place, new state, all alone.

I'm still having an extremely hard time believing that each of these kids and I are . . . are. . . .

"I'm a . . . mutant? W-What does that even mean, Mom? W-What are you saying?"

"Oh, honey . . . I wanted to tell you for the longest time . . . and I know that I should have, especially because I knew that there might have been a chance you were born one . . . like your father. . . ."

It would figure that the only thing her estranged father, Thomas, would have bestowed upon his daughter, before promptly exiting from her life at the tender age of just four-years-old, would be freakish abilities she had absolutely no say nor control over.

That, and her unfortunate, crippling habit of avoiding fully opening up to anyone within her life at all costs, besides of course her mother (which was now a bit ironic, given the latest developments), out of fear of further abandonment if she ever did . . . something which had nearly become the case on the day that her powers had awakened. . . .

Well, wherever 'Dear Ol' Dad' is right now, out there in the world and doing whatever with whomever, he gets to be free . . . while I'm stuck in this place for -

"Hey, there! Need any help with your belongings, or finding your room? If it's the former, then I'm definitely your girl, as lifting heavy objects isn't that big a deal for lil' ol' me!" a lyrical, jovial female voice suddenly called out from behind, effortlessly breaking through her brooding thoughts and causing her to nearly let out a cry of alarm . . . which most certainly would not have been a good thing, for either one of them. . . .

". . . . Uhhh, hello? Miss, um . . . annnnd I don't know what to call you because I obviously don't know your name! But, oh! Duh! You don't know mine, either, huh? Name's Hay Lin!" the continually cheerful young teenager grinned as she introduced herself more properly, lightly scratching at the crown of her waist length and free flowing, raven colored head. Her warm, inviting brown eyes began to twinkle within continued delight as she then watched as the mysterious, bob styled redhead before her at last decided to turn around to face her. "There we are! I know, I know: First day at a new school, with new people can totally rattle anyone's nerves, right? But then we go and throw in the added bonus of being a school full of fellow mutants and well – ! O-Oh, but no worries, seriously! Everyone here is really nice! I should know: I've been here for nearly two years, myself, now, and it's honestly made fitting in and just controlling my powers in general a lot easier!"

Hay Lin could feel her wheat colored cheeks grow a bit flush within mild embarrassment as she curiously watched as the new girl standing before her gaze within her direction as though she were the greatest thing she had ever seen within her entire life.

If Hay Lin's particular mutant ability had been of the mind reading variety, then perhaps she might have been better privy as to why the unnamed girl was currently struggling to conceal the shy smile which so clearly wished to be more openly revealed.

Before she could have inquired over the admittedly peculiar matter, the redhead finally responded.

". . . . Will. My name is Will Vandom, Hay Lin. . . . O-Okay, well, maybe it's actually Wilhelmina, but we're all definitely going to be calling me 'Will,' instead, just . . . just as a head's up," she slowly revealed within initial timidity, before quickly picking up steam and even managing to allow her previous simper to at last shine through upon her naturally tanned face, unhindered.

She could then finally feel her entire body relaxing for the very first time since she'd arrived to her new school – Indeed, since she'd left her familiar, cozy loft back in Heatherfield, Maine earlier that morning.

True, Will still did not wish to be there at all, as the prospect of now being forced to live under the same roof with not only perfect strangers, but those with Heaven knew what sort of mutant abilities at each of their disposal completely, and utterly terrified her, understandably.

However, because of that ever present fact constantly running over and over through her mind during the past two weeks of preparing to arrive there, it hadn't honestly occurred to Will that any of them might actually be friendly, after all, as a bit silly as it now felt for her to realize. . . .

". . . . S-So, uh . . . what . . . what is your, um . . . power, anyway? I know you said something about . . . 'lifting heavy objects,' but . . . from the, well, size of you, I don't really see how that'd be possible. Oh! N-No offense, though!" Will inwardly groaned as she resisted the immense urge to smack a palm to her face within humiliation, her previous want of attempting to break the ice as best as possible, given the overall circumstance, effortlessly falling flat as a result.

Hay Lin hadn't appeared to be within agreement, however, as her lips suddenly spread into a grand, Cheshire Cat like grin within response, as though having been waiting for the other girl to finally make a direct query about her unknown mutant abilities.

Without another word uttered between them, Will then watched within growing curiosity as the more petite girl standing next to her calmly extended her right hand, palm out, toward Will's momentarily forgotten luggage set down in front of her.

As the wind around them suddenly began to peculiarly pick up, the next thing Will found herself witnessing was all four of her variously sized, black colored duffle bags eerily and inexplicably rising from off of the ground . . . and floating nearly three feet above it. . . .

"Aerokinesis! It means that I possess the ability to control and manipulate the air around us! Pretty cool, huh? Although, actually, I didn't even know that that's what my mutant powers were when they first manifested two years ago, since the very first thing I'd ended up doing with them was . . . well, this," Hay Lin gaily explained, clearly within full control and at peace with both her abilities, and being a fellow mutant in the first place, which managed to illicit an initial feeling of immense envy from Will . . . before it immediately gave way to mounting trepidation the moment she watched Hay Lin carefully lower her belongings back onto the ground, and readily lifted her own self, instead. "See? Of all the things I've been learning while I've been here, flying is definitely still at the top – No pun intended! Besides, for now, at least, I honestly can't really get any higher than above your head, like so, and –! H-Hey, you okay, Will?"

Will honestly began to wonder for a moment what the other girl was going on about, her mind and overall senses still quite bewildered by what she was seeing, before the regrettably now very familiar, prickly and hot physical sensations swiftly brought her out of her previous reverie.

Looking away from the still hovering Hay Lin before her, Will quickly raised both of her now shaking hands in front of her to see that her own mutant ability was once again flaring up . . . just as it now apparently always would whenever her emotions, especially those stressful within nature, got the better of her.

. . . . Just like when they manifested and I . . . I. . . .

". . . . W-Will? I asked if you were all right? By . . . By the way your whole body's reacting like that, I take it that clearly you've got the power of Electrokinesis, then, am I right? That is totally -"

"- I-I've gotta go," Will hurriedly interrupted the now taken aback Hay Lin, who had just then gently landed back onto the ground and to her side, before the clearly flustered redhead picked up her luggage as quickly as she could and practically jogged the rest of the way toward the front double doors of their shared school.

". . . . What I wouldn't give to trade powers with her right about now, so I could freaking fly myself to my stupid bedroom and not come out until graduation," Will muttered bitterly to herself, keeping her mahogany colored eyes downcast as to avoid the random stares from fellow students she was undoubtedly receiving within the next passing moments, as she continually struggled to calm herself down in order to reclaim what little control she presently had over her electricity based abilities.

It was suddenly no longer a wonder why Hay Lin was so sickeningly jubilant over living at the school, and for the past two years at that!

All she probably had to worry about on a day to day basis, regarding her aptly named 'Aerokinesis,' was perhaps accidentally blowing out another person's birthday candles before they did, if she'd ever end up sneezing while within the vicinity!

Meanwhile, what Will could possibly do within contrast with her own powers . . . what she had already done . . . it was taking all of her willpower not to just turn right around and run far away from there, from everyone, and never look back if it meant that no one else would ever get hurt because of her. . . .

As she forced herself to block out the personally nauseating sounds of faint, although nonetheless obnoxious popping and crackling her generated, and woefully unchecked electricity made as it continually surged throughout her entire body, Will somehow was able to allow herself a few moments to better collect herself once she'd made it inside the building.

Closing her eyes tightly and taking deep, rhythmically slow and meditative breaths, Will thankfully began to feel that her newly adopted, calming technique was already beginning to work, slowly smiling to herself within immense relief to no longer hear the electrical buzzing which was previously deafening her eardrums. . . .

Gently readjusting the luggage within her now electricity-free hands and across both shoulders, Will exhaled one final time before reopening her eyes, which then began to widen over the sight of her newest surroundings.

First, merely the outside of the Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters had been rather noteworthy, even that elaborate, angel sculpted outdoor fountain she'd noticed as she'd run inside, which was erected ever so precisely within the middle of the vast yard for all to admire.

Now, there she was, standing only within the golden, and red velvet schemed foyer of the monolithic establishment, and Will was once again trapped within awe, in spite of herself.

Geez . . . Mom and I could easily fit our entire loft within this one room, alone, she mused with a light gasp, crimson eyebrows slowly raising as her eyes followed the seemingly never ending, grand staircase laid out straight ahead her and split within both directions of the left and the right at the very top.

Will couldn't help but let out a low whistle of continued amazement as she surveyed the blatantly expensive décor, particularly the gargantuan, crystal chandelier which she'd just then at last noticed dangling directly above her head upon the quite high, and intricately decorative marble ceiling.

If both the main hall and outside of this place is this obnoxiously fancy, I wonder what the hell my new room's gonna be like, Will privately wondered with an unexpected, faint smile of intrigue, once more about to nearly forget for a moment where she was and why . . . that is, until another, random student just then descended the main staircase.

To be fair, several fellow pupils had been continually going up and down the stairwell, or simply passing by upon entering or exiting the various, surrounding corridors, and all of them – Just as those Will had seen milling about outside - had appeared every bit as 'normal' as she once was.

However, Will's mind instantly began to frantically wonder what sort of mutant powers – Moreover, mutants in general presently existed beyond the walls of the school, if the one continually traveling down the grand staircase looked the way she did. . . .

It was honestly as though Will had stepped into a children's book as she apprehensively watched as a . . . fairy gently fluttered the rest of the way down the stairs.

A fairy.

Will was currently looking at (and trying her absolute best not to completely freak out over) a real life fairy!

If she were still six-years-old she might have found the present development to be a wondrous, once in a lifetime experience. At sixteen, however, and knowing that the bubblegum pink haired, pointy eared and dragonfly winged fellow teenager was instead a . . . mutant just like her, it was all Will could do to prevent herself from having another panic attack.

"Hey, Megan! You ready for Monday's exam in 'U.S. History' class? I'm sooo tempted to just ask you to cast your Sleeping Spell on me so that I can maybe fake an illness and skip it!" Will continued to gawk, although as subtly as she could, as the fairy mutant apparently known as Megan suddenly looked up from the random textbook she was quietly reading from while having finished her descent, and toward the female voice which was beckoning her.

"Are you takin' the piss, Jubilee? And risk demerits for misusing my spell casting powers – Which you know full well I've only just started getting the hang of - and only a week away from finally going to Karmilla's next concert? Besides! How is it that you're the one born within this country while I'm from Wales, and yet I'm the one with higher marks in that class than you? Talk about irony, butt!" Megan teasingly responded within what she had conveniently revealed for Will's admittedly uninformed benefit to be a Welsh accent, momentarily catching sight of the redhead's ongoing stare as she floated by and smiled genuinely at her.

Will honestly felt utterly thankful that both Megan and the raven haired girl who was her apparent companion were already heading within the opposite direction from where she continued to stand, so that neither could have seen her lingering alarm upon realizing that even the girl's eyes were 'unnatural.'

While the sclera of Will's eyes were white, just like any other human, she had briefly seen that not only were Megan's pitch black, but that even her irises were not of a normal shade, both being every bit as bright pink as her hair. . . .

". . . . W-What the hell have I gotten myself mixed i-into?" Will whispered to herself in between slightly labored breaths, her momentary repose completely disintegrating as her previous anxiety returned, and her entire body slowly began to grow warm as her clearly unbridled Electrokinesis threatened to bubble back up to the surface at any moment.

"I see that you have met one of our more . . . visually unique students, Megan Gwynn! Truly a remarkable young pupil, and not simply because of her half pixie lineage, either! But I . . . suppose getting into the fact that such beings also exist, so soon after having just learned that we mutants do as well would be a bit much for the time being, hmm? Especially right now, it would appear," Will surprisingly felt her renewed, electrified body immediately beginning to relax upon listening to the only familiar voice she'd heard since first arriving to the school, and quickly turned around to properly face the newcomer.

". . . . So . . . y-you're telling me that . . . that there are more of . . . her kind wandering around the world right now?" she asked a bit absentmindedly upon locking eyes with the elderly, ivory haired woman, whom both she and her mother had met only just two weeks prior when she was still back in Maine.

Will exhaled slowly as she gratefully felt her powers quieting back down inside of her, before her entire face became, quite possibly, as red as her hair as she then realized the harsh implications of what she had said in regards to the apparent mutant-pixie hybrid, and promptly averted her gaze from the wise woman calmly standing before her.

"I-I, um . . . sorry about that, Missus Lin . . . or is it 'Professor Lin' now that I'm officially here? I didn't . . . I didn't mean it to sound as I know it just did," Will managed to meekly apologize, her natural timidity effortlessly coming to the surface as she could regrettably still feel the older woman's bistre hued eyes resting steadily upon her.

The pair had only seen one another upon two separate occasions before that particular moment, yet during both times, in spite of how trying and pessimistic the overall circumstance had been, Will had been able to readily deduce that Professor Yan Lin, herself, certainly was not.

In fact, having made her acquaintance at all was probably the only positive thing about having Will's mutant powers suddenly manifest, what with the natural, almost eerie way the antiquated woman had managed to effortlessly soothe the young girl's understandably frazzled nerves each time they had met, almost giving her hope that perhaps her life wasn't as terrible as she now firmly believed it to be. . . .

"Finding out that you are a mutant does not mean that you are no longer Wilhelmina Vandom. You are, and always will be that same individual, through and through. Having the powers that you now do simply means that you've encountered an extension of yourself . . . and are becoming whole, even if it does not yet feel that way," Will remembered the kind woman assure her a few days before the redhead was meant to say goodbye to her mother, as well as her old life.

Even with so much of everything happening in just a few days, and even though I didn't and still kind of don't believe her words, Yan Lin somehow managed to make me feel like everything was going to be all right . . . and that maybe my powers and I really aren't . . . aren't. . . .

Unable to finish her train of thought, perhaps fearing that in doing so would make what had been her main concern ever since having first awakened her electrical type of powers to be true, Will instead chanced another glance and was relieved to see that Professor Lin was simply smiling warmly at her, rather than bestow upon her the disapproving frown the younger girl had honestly been expecting, given her unsavory and prejudiced comment moments prior.

"I understand, Will, I do . . . although perhaps we should let that sort of talk cease here and now, before officially joining the student assemblage, yes? If there is one thing you will find out rather quickly by being here at 'Kandrakar's School for Gifted Youngsters,' it is that we nurture acceptance, equality and unity, attributes which I – Indeed all of your professors – strongly advocate, and strive to armor our students with as . . . well, sadly, sometimes this can be a rather fruitless ambition for others out there within the world," Professor Lin calmly explained with another smile, although this one was a bit more faint than the first. "While we as mutants have yet to be made publicly known to the rest of the world, one day we may, and when that day comes it is our hope that it will be met with civility, understanding, and respect . . . and that is why it is imperative that it must first come from ourselves. . . ."

If Will hadn't previously felt greatly ashamed of her rather ignorant statement, she certainly did within that moment, especially knowing that she was better than that, that her mother had raised her to be better than that.

Although . . . to be fair to myself, I don't think anyone else would have had a better reaction upon meeting a real life . . . pixie, she briefly mused as she couldn't help but automatically defend herself a moment, before her mind then wandered to just minutes earlier, and the behavior she'd displayed upon witnessing Hay Lin utilizing her Aerokinesis.

She had been every bit as friendly as Megan appeared to be by default, and had merely wished to be helpful, and Will had treated her as though she'd possessed three heads . . . a visualization which the redhead was steadily beginning to believe was an actual reality somewhere out there within the world for a different mutant. . . .

Choosing not to dwell upon that final thought, lest she say or even do something she'd once again regret, Will instead nodded slowly within understanding, her cheeks becoming all the more flushed.

". . . . I get it, Professor Lin . . . I do. I mean, you already know that all of this has been pretty . . . rough on me, to say the least, but . . . what you probably don't know about me yet is that I'm not like that – Prejudiced or anything, I mean," she clarified softly, awkwardly beginning to rub at her left arm before a sudden, only slightly unrelated realization just then occurred to her. "O-Oh, wow. . . . I-I think I might have just met your . . . granddaughter outside, didn't I? Hay Lin, right? I don't know why I didn't make the connection earlier of why she already seemed kinda familiar to me! She's so much like you! E-Er, that is . . . I mean that, from what I've seen so far, anyway, both of you are pretty friendly and welcoming right off the bat, and honestly . . . have this weird way of sort of 'Zen-ing' people out. . . ."

Thankfully, Professor Lin merely chuckled softly at this, deep brown eyes twinkling as she lightly nodded.

"I can attest that you are not the first to say such a thing about my young Hay Lin and myself, Will, and will most probably not be the last. It has warmed my old heart so greatly to have her here with me these last two years, you know . . . although, to be honest, I was a bit surprised," she lightheartedly explained, turning her snow white colored head within the direction of the main entrance of the private school, where many of her pupils were continually walking into and out of as they spoke. "You see, as I had told you when we first met, I have been a teacher here at this institute for nearly thirty years, and had truly expected to eventually see my own child, Chen, be enrolled at 'any time.' However, as Life would have it, his mutant powers hadn't developed until he was twenty-one-years-old, thus making it far too late for him to actively attend. . . . But! Worry not, as under my direct tutelage, my son has since become quite proficient with his Opinokinesis, or his ability to manipulate the senses of himself and others, within layman's terms, all the same! And now, finally, a fellow late bloomer like her father, Hay Lin is already shaping out to be every bit as capable! In fact, at the rate she is progressing, I feel quite confident within saying with esteemed pride that she will certainly surpass even my own Aerokinesis!"

Will was about to ask what sort of mutant powers her new professor possessed, herself, as the older woman had yet to display them in all the time they had briefly known one another thus far . . . which, up until that moment, the redhead had admittedly assumed that perhaps whatever Professor Lin's powers had been, they might have faded away due to old age.

Now, however, she was wondering not only if there were specific types of mutant abilities which were passed down within families, the way Professor Lin's Aerokinesis had apparently skipped over her son yet was bestowed onto her granddaughter, but also what sort of firepower the elderly woman had at her own disposal, given what Will had just witnessed Hay Lin being capable of doing, herself, and only two years into learning to control her powers. . . .

Will was about to openly inquire about this within better detail, momentarily wondering with a bit of mounting anxiety what her already lethal Electrokinetic powers could possibly grow into, as well, when a slender, cyan eyed brunette with shoulder length, free flowing hair suddenly whizzed past both women on what the redhead had only just managed to see were a pair of blue and white colored roller blades.

Professor Lin let out a low, elongated exhale before turning her gaze toward Will once more as she suddenly, although politely excused herself.

". . . . One moment, if you would, Will," she said with a curious smirk, her naturally friendly brown eyes not leaving Will's own as she calmly raised her left hand, palm open, toward the quickly retreating student . . . a gesture which very much mimicked Hay Lin's from earlier, and thus immediately made Will realize what was about to occur.

With a sudden, swift flick of her wrist, Professor Lin turned her palm back around to face both Will and herself before lowering her arm back to her side, just as a sudden gust of wind billowed into the grand foyer from outside and slammed straight into the now yelping brunette with expert precision.

"W-Whoa!" both Will, and the unidentified girl, cried out at the same time, causing Will to jump within her spot within affect, while the poor student had toppled recklessly onto the marbled floor and landed firmly upon her backside.

Geez! Professor Lin barely even flexed a muscle, or even looked at what she was doing before summoning that giant blast like that! the redhead thought within a mixture of both awe and mild fright, as she finally witnessed just a mere taste of the raw power her new teacher clearly possessed. Gotta remind myself never to get on her bad side. . . .

Apparently sensing her newest pupil's concern, Professor Lin gently rested a hand upon Will's shoulder and smiled.

"My apologies for displaying my powers to you for the first time within such a manner, Will – Trust that this sort of behavior is certainly not habitual! However, Miss Lair over there knows fully well – As you soon will, as time goes on – That horse playing is not permitted, especially not within the walls of the school," she stated, her voice still remaining quite amiable, although her overall posture now carried even more an air of regard than it had already.

"Ohhh, my head," the mystery brunette gently moaned from behind Professor Lin, as Will slightly craned her head over the woman's shoulder just in time to watch the young girl begin rubbing at her buttocks, rather than her head as she had been complaining over.

Shaking her own a moment, Will gave a gentle smile of slight understanding toward Professor Lin before both women moved to approach the previously reprimanded student, who'd just then finished carefully standing up and wobbly whirled around upon her apparently frowned upon roller blades.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Professor Lin! I know it's against the rules to have them on while inside, but I was in a rush to get to the mall before the 'Weekend Madness Sale' was over! And seeing as I unfortunately don't have super speed, nor the ability to fly like your lovely granddaughter, I had to improvise! I just . . . was kinda hoping that you wouldn't have seen me coming, since I saw you were busy with another newbie, here," the russet haired girl apologized with a crooked smile, it promptly melting away as she began glaring at the various, fellow students who were lightly chuckling at her expense as they passed, clearly knowing what was to come next.

Will, meanwhile, began to slowly blush with a light frown over being called a 'newbie,' this particular day increasingly reminding her of how out of place she'd felt when she'd first moved to Maine with her mother five years ago, and especially at her old school before this one, Sheffield Institute.

Still, as badly as that first day had gone, this one was most probably going to top it, she was sure. . . .

Professor Lin momentarily flashed the blue eyed girl a sympathetic smile, before shaking her head and extending out both of her withered hands toward her, immediately leading Will to believe that yet another aerial onslaught was about to recommence.

However, the brunette teenager apparently seemed to understand what was happening, as she briefly pursed her lips together as though attempting to suppress the urge to perhaps object, before then silently bending down to remove both of her trouble making roller blades.

". . . . You will get them back at the end of next week, Irma, while you will sadly have to miss out on your little shopping spree, as you will be staying on campus for the rest of the day," Professor Lin adjudicated as she gingerly seized the girl known as Irma's roller blades from out of her grasp, before suddenly turning her attention onto Will. "Instead, you can help our new student, Will Vandom, here, get properly settled into her dormitory! And when you've finished with that, you can return to yours and review your studies for your 'U.S. History' exam on Monday, yes?"

"W-What? But I already d –! . . . . Yes, Professor Lin," Irma complied hollowly, her shoulders now slumped and face contorting into one of great vexation, although she was nonetheless clearly trying her best to conceal her true feelings from the surprisingly authoritative older woman, as she then appeared to be pretending to scratch away an itch from her perfectly shaped eyebrow.

Well, wow . . . suddenly it feels like I'm back at home still dealing with my mom, or something, Will mused sympathetically as she shyly smiled at Irma, who seemed to be already regaining her composure, at least long enough to look back at her and actually manage to smile back.

"All right, then! I suppose I will leave you girls to it! Will, again, welcome to our fine school! And do remember that it may feel profoundly overwhelming right now, but soon enough you will find your footing and flourish prosperously, I am sure," Professor Lin assured, her original peaceful and engaging nature effortlessly returning as she smiled warmly at both girls, before turning away and headed down the left hand corridor to places yet unknown to Will.

Beginning to uncomfortably rub at her arm once more, Will looked every which way but at the new girl before her, as she was beginning to feel tremendously guilty for technically being a part of the reason why she'd gotten into trouble in the first place.

"Bah, don't sweat it, babe – I usually don't, seeing as this sort of stuff kiiiinda happens a lot with me around here for one reason or another . . . although I was so looking forward to finally snagging a pair of these really killer knee high boots I'd been eyeballing for a few weeks, now," Will was then relieved to hear Irma say with a clear smile within her voice, causing her to chance looking back within her direction. "So! You're a newb – I mean 'new student,' huh? Name's Irma Lair, although The Prof actually already said my name several times earlier, didn't she? A-Anyway, sorry! Still feeling a bit rattled, thanks to that wicked typhoon of hers. . . ."

Will managed a weak smile within return as she slowly nodded and now instead rubbed the back of her neck, before heading back to her temporarily forgotten belongings and began picking them up again.

"Uh, yeah . . . I really am sorry that that happened, though, Irma, since . . . it kinda is my fault you got caught. . . . See, Professor Lin's granddaughter, Hay Lin, had actually offered to help me with my things back outside a little bit ago, but I . . . thought I could handle the rest of the trek on my own," she feebly explained, strategically choosing to omit the true reason out of lingering shame. "So . . . yeah. I guess if I had taken her up on her offer, then I'd probably already be inside my bedroom by now, and you might not have gotten spotted by Professor Lin, otherwise. . . ."

At this, Irma let out a sarcastic scoff and waved her hand within dismissal, her now bare feet gently stamping against the smooth marble floors as she too made a move for Will's luggage.

"Again, you're new here, babe, so trust me when I say, once more, that this sort of stuff happens a lot with me on and off! Besides! Now I get to take yet another new mutant under my wing and show 'em the ropes, just like this other chickadee who enrolled about a week before you did! But she's so far a lotttt more neurotic about her powers and all that jazz than you seem to . . . not be, I guess? No biggie, though: Like I told her, not all of us embrace who we are right off the bat, y'know? You'll just get there when ya get there!"

Will briefly wondered whom the other new student was, feeling more than empathetic toward her apparently mutual contempt toward her mutant nature, before smiling thoughtfully at Irma as she watched her pick up her two remaining duffle bags, and led the way up the main staircase before them.

Professor Lin really wasn't kidding when she said that teaching the concept of acceptance and understanding was an actual thing here, she thought with another faint smile as both she and Irma silently climbed up the remainder of the stairwell, before taking the left hand corridor at the very top.

"So! Where ya from, originally? Me, I'm from Florida, myself, which, given my mutant abilities, that's probably one of the best states to live," Will could hear Irma state cryptically with an amused tone as they continued to walk down the long, dimly lit hallway, where several ivory colored and numbered doors aligned both sides.

". . . . Oh, um, I'm from Maine, Irma. Well, no, I moved to Maine with my mom five years ago, but I was born and lived in Vermont before then," the redhead guardedly revealed, briefly wondering what Irma's mutant powers could have been, as her natural walls of self preservation began climbing up within her before she could stop herself . . . although she honestly felt that, for now, at least, doing so around the obviously extroverted girl perhaps wouldn't be necessary. "Oh, and my dorm room number is fifteen, by the way. . . ."

She'd felt that way about Hay Lin, as well, truth be told, before witnessing the girl's aerial abilities and having been regrettably scared off.

Although Will truly did yearn to be back home more than anything, besides her mother, she hadn't really anyone else waiting for her there, when she thought about it . . . no one whom she could have honestly deemed true companions, anyhow.

But . . . maybe the real reason why I've never really been able to truly connect with anyone before was never because I wouldn't allow it, like I always thought . . . but because it turns out that I'm different, Will pensively grimaced as the possible realization washed over her with a stinging coldness, while simultaneously listening to Irma respond within natural ignorance to her current woes.

"Ahh, a fellow East Coaster, right on, right on! So you went from maple syrup and dairy products, to seafood and corn chowder – Neat!" Irma remarked with a smirk, stopping within her tracks a moment as she turned her head to look at a now clearly befuddled Will. "Sorry. I know, random. That's just me doing what The Prof told me to do and re-review my notes for my 'U.S. History' test on Monday. I've been staring at that damned textbook for so long this past week that I feel like my head's gonna explode . . . but, hey! At least I now know that something's actually been absorbed, right? So, thanks for that, Will!"

Will couldn't help but chuckle at the naturally comedic girl's declaration as they then resumed their mutual trek, privately deciding that, in spite of herself, if she saw Irma again after today that that necessarily would not be such a terrible thing. . . .

After only another minute or so of walking within renewed silence, Irma abruptly stopped in front of what Will just then realized to be her dorm room, as her brown eyes met with the large, golden brass number of 'fifteen' perched within the middle of the white door.

"Here we are! Welcome to the East Wing, by the way, where you'll find only the Girls' Dormitories, so don't bother holding your breath thinking that you might be sharing your room with some hottie boy, as they're all crammed together over on the West Wing within the Boys Dormitories, 'natch," Irma stated with a purposefully dramatic sigh, before shifting one of Will's duffle bags onto her other shoulder so that she could open the door for them both. "Might suck for you, I guess, being the new girl and all and wanting to check out the meat – And I don't mean it like that, thanks – but when you've been here as long as I have, the prospect of living day to day with any potential boyfriend becomes far less appealing than what's initially imagined within your head, trust me. . . ."

Will's cheeks grew a bit rosy as she suddenly realized for the very first time since arriving to her new school that she indeed would be cohabiting with the opposite sex for the next few years, even in spite of having previously seen quite a few of them roaming about the halls, as well as outside as furthered indication.

Considering she had been in only one relationship within her life when she was fourteen, and it had ended rather poorly, not to mention also before it even really got started, Will wasn't exactly what one would refer to as a relationship expert.

So now knowing that these random boys would be able to see her around the clock, on both her good days and her bad, and also now with the added bonus of being an uncontrollable mutant, she was fairly positive that her chances of dating anyone new wasn't suddenly going to increase. . . .

As Irma gently pushed the dorm room door open with her left shoulder, Will let out an abrupt gasp at what she saw next.

". . . . This is my room?" she breathed within sheer awe, slowly stepping inside after a now chortling Irma, who continued to lead the way before carefully placing Will's bags down onto the hardwood floor and up against the cream colored wall behind the door. "My bedroom back home is like a shoe box by comparison!"

It was true.

Although a bit on the small side, Will had grown to love her old bedroom in Heatherfield, and truly made it her own, particularly by way of decorating it with far more amphibian paraphernalia than she could now possibly count throughout the years, as frogs were her absolute weakness . . . among all types of animals, actually.

This room, however, was something straight out of a millionaire's dream, what with its light pink, velvet drapes elegantly covering the three, large bay windows which welcomed a view to a peaceful looking balcony on the other side. There was even a cozy, beautifully crafted marble fireplace inside of the room, as well, with a gold and white, antique chaise longue placed before it, and yet another, incredibly expensive looking chandelier hanging delicately above it from the ceiling.

"Boy, if you're this impressed by just the dormitories, wait until you peep out the rest of this place," Irma remarked with a large, knowing grin, stretching out her arms in front of her before lazily pointing toward the two, identical king sized and ritzy looking canopy beds on the far left and right hand sides of the vast bedroom. "I mean, obviously you'll have a roomie just like the rest of us – Well, unless you're an upperclassmen, then you get the sweet, sweet honor of having this allll to yourself . . . which, honestly, when you think about it, is kinda moot, considering by the time that happens it's usually your final year here, anyway, so who really cares? But, a-anyway! Wonder who'll be your bunk mate – Hopefully you'll get along! I lucked out and have been roommates with my bestie, Hay Lin, ever since we both coincidentally arrived here on the same day two years ago, so living together is super cake . . . well, minus her ironic tendency to snore, sometimes. . . ."

Will's previous smile began to fade as she not only learned that Irma was apparently rather close to the girl she'd been more or less rude to by running away from earlier, but also the fact that the redhead would soon have another complete stranger be her roommate.

". . . . Do you think there's any way I could get to live in here by myself, even though I'm not an upperclassmen, yet?" she quietly asked, her oncoming anxiety nearly beckoning her yet to be controlled powers to return as she'd only just then noticed that there really were two beds within the room instead of the expected one.

Irma hadn't seemed to notice, however, as she simply waved a hand within dismissal at the prospect.

"Pfft! Better mutants than you have tried and failed miserably, m'dear! No worries, though! Whomever will be sharing this room with you might not have even enrolled, yet, so you could be in here all by your lonesome for weeks, or even months on end!" she remarked with a smirk a moment, before it curiously faded away as her turquoise colored eyes suddenly appeared to hold an unexpected look of understanding the longer she stared at Will. ". . . . Hey . . . in all seriousness, though – Which, I know, shocker for someone like me, seems like – but . . . I do get it. . . ."

At this, Will felt her body tense up within discomfort, quickly bending down in front of one of her duffle bags as though looking for something, in order to hopefully conceal her true emotions as best she could . . . and silently prayed that her powers wouldn't flare up at any moment.

"H-Huh? I don't . . . I don't think I understand what you mean, Irma," she responded as casually as she could, unzipping one of her bags and began randomly rummaging about inside, as she could then curiously hear the brunette's still bare footsteps echoing from behind across the floor and over to what Will then chanced a peak to see was evidently the bathroom.

Neither girl said anything more as Will's eyebrow slightly arched out of wonder while watching, now less discreetly, as Irma opened the lavatory door and walked inside only a few steps . . . before curiously stopping in front of the sink.

Catching the other girl's facial expression of sheer perplexity, Irma smiled softly and held up an index finger into the air as she at last spoke.

"J-Just –! Bear with me, here, okay? I'm better at explaining things with visual aids," she announced with another smile as Will slowly stood back up and nodded, wrapping her arms around herself protectively as she willed herself to take a step toward her.

". . . . A-All right, I guess," she replied nervously, already beginning her meditative breathing and hoping that the discussion did not become too personal as she already sensed, as Irma clapped her hands together within excitement.

"Yes! I always enjoy giving these kinds of pep talks! Okay! Sooo . . . here's the thing: However you might be feeling right now, you know, about being here, being a mutant, and whatever circumstances which might have brought you here, I'm telling you right now that it's absolutely, one-hundred percent okay to keep feeling it!" she started with a firm nod and chuckle, especially once having caught sight of Will's clearly taken aback expression upon hearing so. "No, seriously! Look, even though I've only been here for two years, like I said, I have already seen sooo many different people, from all walks of life enter this school and walk these halls, Will, each with such unique stories and reasoning behind their mutant abilities, and how or why they ended up here. And I've seen some of them easily accept whom they are, no problem, whether they've always known they were mutants, or just found out the day before coming here, or something . . . and then I've seen others have quite the uphill battle before they could say the same, regardless. . . . My point to all of this, Will, is that while we all may be mutants, living together under the same roof as we learn to better control and understand our powers, we're all still very much people, with varying emotions just . . . trying to figure out what all of this will mean for us down the line, really. So . . . it's okay if you feel like you might want to hide away for the next century or so, because believe it or not it does, and will get easier, bit by bit. . . ."

Irma suddenly felt her face becoming incredibly hot as she watched as Will blink rapidly at her, as though she had been invisible that entire time and had suddenly appeared before her within that moment.

"O-Oh – ! C'mon, now! I know that I've been joking around with you up to now, but I do have a levelheaded, super insightful side, too!" she huffed with a light frown, before both girls began to giggle simultaneously, something which, unbeknownst to the brunette, greatly surprised Will.

"I-I'm sorry, Irma, really! I'm just . . . really glad to hear someone my own age say hopeful stuff like that about being a mutant, is all. . . . I've been . . . sort of getting more or less the same sort of 'pep talks' from either my mom, or Professor Lin within the last two weeks, basically," Will mindfully revealed with a faint smile, uncharacteristically choosing to take a chance to let her . . . possible new friend at least know that she certainly wasn't one of the more 'seasoned mutants,' whom she was quite sure were undoubtedly roaming about on campus. ". . . . That's when I, um . . . actually first found out that I was a mutant to begin with . . . and when Professor Lin came to meet with me and my mom about coming to this school to . . . to learn how to better control my powers. . . ."

Will swiftly shut down any chance of images of that fateful day to naturally flash within her mind just then, while it was Irma's turn to raise both eyebrows within surprise.

"Oh, wow, only two weeks ago? Man! I mean, I had a strong feeling that you might have been squarely within the 'I-never-knew-I-had-mutant-powers-until-they-suddenly-sprang-up-out-of-nowhere' category, but I had no idea you were that wet behind the ears," she remarked lightheartedly, before quickly apologizing upon catching sight of Will's embarrassed, and slightly offended facial expression. "I-I'm sorry, Will, really! I wasn't trying to make light of your situation – Well, I mean I was, but not within a dismissive, 'it doesn't matter' kind of way. . . . Anyway, so . . . I take it, then, that your folks never told you about any of this, then, huh, or. . . .?"

"No, Irma . . . no one did," Will automatically replied with another scowl, looking away from Irma, who now felt all the more guilty for having clearly touched upon a sore subject.

Biting down onto her rose colored lip, Irma slowly nodded her head before freely stating, "Hey, it's cool, Will. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do, you know? But . . . don't feel too bad, though. I mean, for example I . . . came from the completely opposite spectrum in that. That is, I've always known growing up that there was a chance I could be a mutant like my mom was, God rest, thanks to my dad never wanting to hide away that part of whom she was – Who I am – from me. . . . Still, even though I knew all of this and was so totally ready for whatever powers I'd possess to finally manifest, once they had three years ago, I was anything but prepared. . . . Thankfully, though, I've come a longgg way since then, although I'm still very much a work in progress, I'll admit it!"

Admittedly still rather curious as to why Irma apparently felt the need to convey her entire inspirational message within Will's new, fanciful bathroom, she slowly cleared her throat before finally inquiring.

". . . . O-Okay . . . thanks, Irma, really, for this. . . . I do mean it, since it's honestly really not been easy for me at all to fully wrap my head around this entire situation, but . . . why'd you need to . . . 'use' my bathroom to do it?" Will asked with a tilt of her crimson head, slowly lowering her arms back to her side as both girls then shared a timid smile of mutual appreciation.

Again, Irma quickly held up a finger into the air at this, her smile rapidly growing as she proudly reached for the clear, small drinking glass Will only just then noticed was set upon the corner of the granite sink, and carefully turned on the faucet.

Momentarily believing that the naturally comedic girl simply needed to quench her thirst before proceeding within the admittedly forthcoming conversation, Will's brown eyes nonetheless slowly widened within justifiable apprehension at the sight, feeling her heart beginning to race.

As though she'd needed another reason to thoroughly detest her mutant abilities, one of the biggest Will had for doing so currently was the fact that it had effectively taken away her love of the water, namely, swimming, perhaps for good.

Her mother had attempted, rather fruitlessly at that, to reassure Will that all was not lost, and that there would always be a spot upon any new swim team the previously avid swimmer would have wished to join within the future.

". . . . This isn't the end of everything, sweetie. It really isn't. . . . It simply means that, for now, and until we figure this all out and you've gotten a better handle over your powers, it would probably be very smart to avoid actively using them whenever around any water, that's all," her mother had weakly advised the day after Will's mutation had awakened, having unknowingly triggered a whole other level of mental anguish for the redhead, where her powers were concerned.

Will had honestly been so focused simply trying to keep them under control at all, while also trying to cope with them existing within the first place that she hadn't before yet realized that water was now her greatest adversary, effectively ceasing her normal personal hygiene routine, to say the least. . . .

As Will's cheeks grew rosy upon briefly wondering if all of the baby wipes she'd stocked up on before leaving, and had been using within secret ever since her powers had manifested, would continue to do its job of cleanliness now that she was once again actively among the adolescent populace, she'd quickly opened her now terribly parched lips to possibly excuse herself from the area until Irma was completely done with her drink.

"U-Um, Irma? D-Do you think you could -" was all Will was able to get out, before the next several moments had become an honest blur.

Before either girl could possibly stop the other, Will watched helplessly as Irma eagerly raised her right hand over the filled glass of water still being gingerly held within her left, before the clear liquid suddenly began to lift itself straight out of it and into the air . . . at the same time that Will's Electrokinesis effortlessly sprang up to the surface, completely engulfing her entire body.

"And I'm even able to make different shapes with it, too, kinda, and –!" Irma began to explain with esteemed pride, her cyan eyes completely trained upon the current manipulations she was making with her glass of water, before gazing momentarily at her new friend to see her hopefully pleased reaction.

Instead, however, upon suddenly witnessing Will generating what the redhead could now only assume to be one of Irma's own personal weaknesses, the brunette's previous confidence effortlessly disintegrated as she then let out a sharp cry of understanding alarm, before jumping back completely away from her.

Unfortunately for both girls, however, doing so only did far more harm than good, as the glass previously secure within Irma's hand shattered into several pieces as it unceremoniously hit the bathroom floor, causing whatever leftover amount of water which had still been inside of it, as well as that which had been previously levitating within the air under Irma's now broken concentration to directly drench Will within the process. . . .

"Ahhhh!" the redhead let out a bone chilling scream of immense pain, her partially soaked, still very much electrified and convulsing body then turning completely rigid a few moments, before her eyes alarmingly rolled straight into the back of her head . . . and she collapsed down onto the cold floor within dangerously immediate unconsciousness.

"Oh, my God, Will! Shit! Shit, shit, shit! I'm so sorry!" Irma swiftly sprang into action, seemingly not at all phased by the fact that her bare feet were now ruthlessly cut open and bleeding as a result of carelessly stepping onto the various bits of broken glass upon closing the distance between Will, and herself.

Although she had lost consciousness, Will's body was still crackling and emitting random sparks of electricity for a few more moments, causing Irma to bite down hard onto her lower lip within her own physical pain, now that she was gently attempting to lift the other girl up onto her lap while it was still occurring.

"Mmmph! T-Thank . . . God for my . . . e-endurance training!" Irma hissed in between lingering waves of agony, which certainly stung far more than she would have liked, considering that her still bleeding feet were now lightly moist with her discarded water. "Oh, Will, wake up, please! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you were Electrokinetic! Shit, what I wouldn't give to have healing powers right n -!"

"- What happened? We heard screaming in here, and -! I-Irma? What did you do?"

As though on cue, or perhaps even sensing somehow that her particular powers would be of great need, Irma only just managed to suppress a sharp exhale of immediate aggravation upon hearing the unfortunately very familiar, very stern voice of her . . . 'frenemy,' at best, Cornelia Hale.

"Oh, you know me, Corny! I was feeling bored today so thought I'd try a bit of attempted murder with one of the new students!" Irma snapped angrily as she whirled her head around in time to watch a statuesque, blue eyed blonde sprint into Will's now reopened dormitory, and promptly crouched down to their side. "J-Just shut up and use your preciously new healing powers on her, already, will you?"

"Oh, my God! Are you guys okay?" both Irma and the still very visibly perturbed Cornelia could then hear a very terrified sounding Hay Lin shout from the wide open doorway, rushing to her best friend's side as another, much older woman with long, elegantly braided salt and pepper colored hair appeared and followed suit. "I-I came back inside to see if I couldn't find Will again and help her settle into her dorm when the three of us heard the screaming! Thank God you were nearby, Professor Starlighter!"

Yeah . . . good thing for Will, but not so good for me. Between 'Miss Stick in the Mud,' here, and now her idol, Professor Starlighter thrown into the mix, I know that I'll never hear the end of all this, Irma thought acrimoniously with slightly gritted teeth a moment, shifting a bit away and out of the bathroom altogether before gingerly setting Will's still, comatose form onto the wooden floor of the bedroom area.

Temporarily clearing her mind of any mounting negativity and natural guilt as best she could, Irma inhaled slowly and unknowingly held it as she closed her eyes, blindly extending her right hand over Will's damp body and focusing her Hydrokinetic abilities onto every last droplet which had penetrated the girl's formerly dry clothing and bobbed red hair.

After only a few moments of continued concentration, Irma softly smiled knowingly as she successfully used her dominion over water by intricately evaporating all which had been upon Will's body, before reopening her eyes and finally releasing her breath within a sharp exhale of relief.

Knowing what was to come next, Irma then automatically cleared out of the way, allowing the austere looking woman to freely pass and swiftly descend upon the injured redhead, who was now carefully being looked over by a still very much scowling Cornelia.

Wincing a bit as she gingerly applied her full body weight onto both feet, looking down a moment to notice the few, blood soaked footprints glaring back at her upon the previously unmarred and smooth, hardwood floor, Irma did not hesitate to promptly relay the previous chain of events to her educator.

"I-It . . . It was my fault, ultimately, Professor Starlighter. I was . . . doing what Hay Lin apparently came to do, helping Will get settled into her room when I decided to . . . show her my Hydrokinesis," she explained grievously, forcing herself to maintain steady eye contact toward the oldest woman within the room, whose caramel tanned hands began to glow within a strong, consistent emerald illumination as she looked over the other girl in question.

"Are you kidding me? You couldn't resist clowning around for two seconds of your life, that you ended up endangering a fellow student by nearly drowning her?" Cornelia suddenly snapped before she could stop herself, glaring daggers at the now fuming brunette, who was secretly wishing that they were within the middle of one of their training sessions so that she'd have the excuse to use her powers on her, instead. . . .

"E-Excuse me? My mutant powers don't involve Telepathy, thank you, so I didn't know upfront that Will was Electrokinetic before I used them, Cornelia! So why don't y -"

"- That is enough! It does not matter the circumstances, at present! Right now, we must focus our attention onto healing this poor girl, before she might sustain any lingering injuries," the older woman known as Professor Starlighter impatiently interrupted, her gray eyes shifting coolly away from a visibly bothered Irma, then onto an immediately apologetic looking Cornelia, whose peaches and cream complexion suddenly became lightly dusted a deep fuchsia. "Now . . . Cornelia, you shall do the healing, while I will tend to the apparent wounds of Miss Lair's. . . ."

"W-Wait, what?" both Irma and Cornelia asked at the same time within mutually unexpected surprise, while an ever silent Hay Lin, who had gently seized her best friend's left arm within comforting support during the previous outburst, abruptly gasped sharply at the news.

Her warm, chocolate eyes then widened within shock upon apparently having at last taken notice of the otherwise obvious, bloodied foot marks left by the wounded brunette moments prior, and now delicately wrapped both of her arms protectively around Irma's shoulders.

"You're bleeding, Irma! I-I didn't even see it until now, because of all the chaos, I'm sorry! H-How did it happen? Sit, sit! Listen to Professor Starlighter and let her heal you!" she pleaded within overwhelming concern as she began to apply gentle pressure upon Irma's body in order to prompt her to sit upon the floor as requested.

Irma couldn't help but feel thankful that the naturally compassionate girl was there with her for that entire ordeal as she faintly smiled at her, though she chose not to respond to her inquiry, knowing that it would most probably only garner more unwanted drama from the ridiculously serious blonde before her.

Professor Starlighter did not need, nor want any sort of explanation, herself, apparently, as she merely extended a still glowing hand out to Irma to help her sit next to her, before momentarily returning her attention back onto a now silent, and very troubled looking Cornelia.

". . . . You have been training to better harness your new 'Geokinetic Regeneration' for the last two months, now, and have already progressed quite splendidly," the dark haired woman declared within a surprisingly sudden, soothing tone, her previously uptight demeanor visibly calming as her luminescent hands then began to intensify within brightness. ". . . Just do it as we've been practicing, Cornelia. . . . Clear your mind, calm your senses, and focus upon channeling that same warmth you feel whenever utilizing your other Geokinetic abilities into healing this young girl. . . ."

Although she still appeared to be quite apprehensive, a characteristic which both Irma and Hay Lin knew all too well not to be among the tall blonde's personal traits, Cornelia said nothing more as she instead slowly closed her crisp, blue eyes and began to concentrate.

Within nearly an instant, both of Cornelia's svelte hands were now also glowing the same, green hue as her mentor, although notably much weaker within magnitude, by comparison.

Regardless, Professor Starlighter smiled within obvious approval and slight nod, as both women began to simultaneously mimic one another within their dual curative ministrations.

Irma couldn't help but let out a deep sigh of immediate relief, already feeling the familiar sensations of her instructor's healing abilities washing over her entire body as Professor Starlighter delicately hovered her powerfully radiating hands over both cut open, and red stained feet.

As the wounds rapidly began to close and the bleeding ceased, Cornelia continued on with her own healing, her eyes remaining firmly closed as she appeared to instinctively glide her glowing palms across the redhead's unconscious body.

Despite their obvious differences, Irma was secretly well aware of just how capable the serious-minded blonde was regarding her mutant powers, admittedly more so than she presently was with her own, and so was currently silently rooting for her to succeed.

Come on, Corny . . . I know you wouldn't want to miss your chance to openly show me up with your powers, and in front of The Prof, so . . . do it, already. Wake Will up . . . please, Irma thought anxiously as she managed to smile appreciatively at Professor Starlighter, whose hands had just then finished glowing once her previous remedying had been successfully completed.

After another few moments had passed without any apparent change within progress, Irma was about to openly suggest that perhaps their obviously more proficient professor should take over, when Will's eyes abruptly snapped open as she thankfully regained consciousness . . . at the same time that it appeared as though Cornelia was about to lose hers.

"W-Will, you're okay!"

"Cornelia, are you okay?" both Irma and Hay Lin cried out simultaneously, each moving over to the girl they'd called out to, with contrasting emotions presently running through them.

Professor Starlighter, as well, quickly moved to be in between both the blonde and redhead, as Will then let out a sharp gasp as she promptly bolted upright, just as Cornelia was about to weakly topple over and into Hay Lin's ready arms.

". . . . W-What . . . What happened?" Will asked in between shaky breaths, looking about the dormitory at each new and unexpected face, before settling her gaze onto a tremendously shamefaced looking Irma.

". . . . You are going to be just fine, now, child. From what I have gathered from this situation, your fellow student, Irma, had accidentally doused you with some water, and . . . 'shorted you out' within the process," Professor Starlighter thankfully explained before Irma could have, although she certainly did not wish to . . . not again. "It is a particular occurrence not at all uncommon with mutants who possess electricity based abilities such as yourself, especially during the earlier stages of their mutation. . . . With time, however, you can easily learn to successfully suppress, or at least greatly minimize the backlash whenever wet. Until then, Cornelia, here, was able to heal you to better speed up your recovery, although . . . it would appear that it might have been too great a task for her to handle. . . ."

"N-No, P . . . Professor Starlighter! I-I'm f . . . fine! It was just . . . I'd never before healed multiple wounds at once until now, especially not internal, but . . . I-I did it," Cornelia relayed breathlessly as she gingerly pushed herself away from Hay Lin's physical support and firmly nodded at the now visibly concerned older woman, whose focus was beginning to dart back and forth onto all four of her pupils with extreme care.

She almost looked very much like a motherly figure to Irma within that moment, witnessing the more elusive, tender side to her otherwise disciplinary personality, as the brunette continued watching Professor Starlighter carry on within her attentive surveillance of each student.

Will, now beyond utterly bewildered, slowly shook her now throbbing head as she shakily attempted to stand up.

". . . .'S-Shorted Out?' I-I don't. . . ." she weakly trailed off, her mind still honestly a complete haze as both Irma and Hay Lin, whom Will had just then realized to curiously be inside of the dormitory with them both, immediately rushed to help her onto her feet. "I-I'm sorry, I . . . I'm just still feeling pretty . . . drained, to be honest. . . ."

"Also another downside, I'm afraid. I'd imagine that you will find attempting to generate even a simple spark to be quite the struggle, at least for a little while. Nothing that some ample rest could not remedy," Will turned her now timid, guilt ridden gaze away from Hay Lin, whose own expression was undeniably riddled with worry, onto the unfamiliar woman whom she assumed to be yet another teacher at the school.

As though apparently having read her thoughts, a feat which Will was slowly beginning to believe was highly possible at such an establishment, the black and white haired female lightly smiled at her as she stood, stepping closer to her before extending her left hand out.

"Forgive me; I am Professor Kadma Starlighter, and . . . your name was Will, yes? You apparently have already met Miss Lin, here, as well as Miss Lair, obviously, but in case you two have not yet introduced yourselves, again, this is Cornelia Hale, the one who'd cured you, as I'd said," the eldest woman cordially informed as Will hesitantly took her hand and briefly shook it. "Now . . . I think we had better get all three of you down to the Infirmary for further evaluation – Especially you, Will, to make absolutely certain that you're all right. Hay Lin, if you wouldn't mind assisting me. . . ."

"Y-Yes, of course, Professor Starlighter!" Hay Lin promptly complied, stepping toward an uncharacteristically mute and rather pensive Irma, Will noticed, and gently wrapped her right arm around the brunette's waist to lend her leaning support before exiting the room.

Will was honestly far too physically depleted to readily object to her newest professor's instruction, sensing a little bit that she possibly would not appreciate her pupil having done so, and so tiredly nodded, before casting an appreciative glance toward the solemn blonde now standing next to her.

Quickly surveying the taller girl's overall appearance, noting that she looked to be as fatigued as she presently felt made Will feel an overwhelming sense of fault for apparently having been the direct cause, as she then recalled Cornelia's previous admission regarding never having healed 'multiple wounds at once' before then . . . which caused a shiver to run down her spine at the thought.

. . . . Just how badly was I messed up before she . . . fixed me? Will silently wondered with a worried frown as she allowed herself to be led out of her temporarily singles' dormitory, her mind positively swirling with darkening thoughts over the latest, literally painful discovery regarding her mutant powers. If . . . If the end result wouldn't involve me always passing out within excruciating agony, then I think I'd be tempted to always . . . 'Short Out' and keep my powers at bay on a regular basis, if it meant that I wouldn't have to go another day being like this. . . .

As the group of women quietly exited the room, so too had any remainder of the brief prospect of possessing at least a relatively normal future, something which Will had honestly been beginning to feel was still possible once more, during her emotionally exposed conversation with the unexpectedly Hydrokinetic Irma.

I wish I'd never become a mutant. . . .

- End of Chapter One

(A.N. Effity-eff this chapter, seriously, and all first chapters, really. Truly. But it's done with so whatever. =) I know I didn't show how Will's mutant powers manifested, or how/why she feels it was soooo 'OMG!' the way it had, but no worries, for I obviously will...most probably within the next chapter.

And, heyyy, Will. How'd you not burn off your clothes or belongings each time you got all sparky? "...Because reasons, that's why." ...What Will said. :p And also that Irma calls all the teachers there – not to their faces, of course – "The Prof," in case anyone cared to know...which ya didn't, I'm sure. LoL

Dunno if anyone's ever watched "X-Men: Evolution," but I'd gone ahead and modeled Will's new school after the mansion/institute within that version of the series, minus her dormitory. =)

Also a quick lil' shout out, there, to both Jubilee and Megan/Pixie. Don't expect them to be featured like so within the future, or any other canon X-Men universe character, as this story is still solely about the Guardians...but just thought I'd cameo a more physically 'shocking' mutant for Will to react to. =) Although within Jubilee's case, this incarnation is sort of more her "X-Men: Evolution" version, as brief as THAT appearance had been, rather than her comic self...and certainly not her new vampiric self, either.

Also would like to give another shout out and thanks to a friend of mine, who is also Welsh like Megan/Pixie, and helped to school me a little bit over time on a few things said over in Wales here and there, such as "butt" for "friend/mate" as Megan called Jubilee, which I'll admit I ignorantly giggled about when my friend first called me that... =/ LoL

ANYWAY! Also gotta put out there that, with regards to the actual X-Gene, since its determination, given the varying realities out there, tends to change often within the comics, at least in terms of which gender transmits it and what not, for now I am going to have it be established that both male and female mutants can/do transmit it to their offspring.

Hmm, what else…...GOD, I hate getting to end chapter A.N.s, because I always end up forgetting a lot of the things I'd wanted to touch upon before closing...Oh, well! Maybe next chapter's A.N., then! :p

'Till then, hope you all enjoyed, my Lovelies!)