Author's note: Hey, y'all! My first X Men story, whoohoo! It's starts out being about my O/C, but don't worry, lots of familiar faces will be brought in soon! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: Anyone you recognize from the movies is not mine!

When she got bored in school, Anya skimmed lightly over the surface of her classmates's brains, looking for something interesting-- a weird fantasy, a nice brooding worry, maybe a note they were composing to someone. It was like channel surfing, with the added benefit of the satisfaction of getting away with something, never getting caught. No one noticed as she rifled through the contents of their minds and psyches, searching for weaknesses, loves, secrets, as easily as someone else would dig through their backpack for missing homework.

When she was little, she had assumed that everyone knew what everyone else was thinking. She still remembered plunging into her mother's mind, sliding past layers of words she didn't understand yet until she reached the deeper core of emotions. It was easy to avoid fights, to keep people happy, to drive them insane when you wanted to, if you could see just what they wanted, what they hated, what they felt. She'd lived that way forever, and finding out that her abilities were special was even better. She loved knowing that no one else was rummaging through her thoughts-- they were locked up securely, and she had an unusual power. Deep inside her core, she nourished a flourishing pride; she wouldn't have trouble keeping her advantage a secret.

The bell rang, jerking her out of the daydream she'd been perusing from Ben Miller's rather twisted brain. She gathered her books and papers and chatted with her friends just like everyone else, a non-descript part of the crowd. Sometimes even she forgot that she was special... almost.

A/N: Sorry it was so short, the next part will be much longer. And don't worry, Anya will get nicer, too, LOL. Her development is a big part of the story. :)