don't you ever tame your demons

“That’s okay, I can help you out as long as you need.” Scott set the notepad he was writing in down on the small coffee table between them. He turned in his chair and got up to walk over to his bookcase. He had a ton of books on it, mostly school books, but he reached for the one with GED on it. “Here, this might help too.” He brought it over and set it on the coffee table as well. Scott sat down again and picked up his notebook.

“The test just has the general stuff. Like math, reading, science, and social studies. You’ll probably recognize some stuff once you look at the practice tests in that book.”

Reyna stepped further into the room, feeling awkward as she did. Out of place. That summed up a lot of her experience here in this house-turned-school. But no one here yet had told her she didn’t belong, and she knew it was safer here... So she stayed. She picked up the textbook, examining it.

“Well, Reyna,” he smiled, “I can help with that.” Scott turned to his desk and dug around in the top drawer for a notepad and pen. When he found both, he scribbled her name down and what she needed help with. “So, which subjects do you want to focus on the most? Basically,” he tapped his pen against the pad, “I can help tutor you until you’re ready to take it.”

***

Reyna hesitated before shrugging. She really wasn’t sure what subjects she needed more help in. “I haven’t really done school in four years,” she told him. “And before now I never really looked into the GED.” To be quite honest, she wasn’t 100% sure what subjects it would need. 

“Yeah, yeah.” he nodded, feeling a little silly for not introducing himself as soon as he opened the door. “Sorry, honestly I should have been awake already. Don’t worry about it.” Scott took a seat in his computer chair and offered her one on the small couch on the other side of a coffee table. Since Scott had become a teacher’s assistant, he got a bigger room for himself.

“Normally, I’m more prepared. Oh! What’s your name? Good place to start.”

***

Reyna shrugged. She wasn’t offended by his sleepiness or his being unprepared. She wasn’t even really sure if she should be here. It was all... new. For four years, her whole life had just been keeping one step ahead of the cops. Now she was here and they wanted her to do high school things. Think about a future she hadn’t imagined having. 

“Reyna. Miles. The, uh, professor guy said you could help with getting my GED?”

The sun was already high in the sky when a hand slapped on a dresser next to the bed. Scott fumbled around until he touched the edges of his glasses and secured them on his face. The knock had woken him up. He wasn’t in class because he didn’t have classes today since he was taking the college courses and chose his days to go. “I’m coming…” he grumbled toward the door before he sat up and pulled a random shirt from his closet on. Feeling like he was presentable enough in pajama pants and a shirt, Scott flung open his door to greet the student.

“Hey, sorry I wasn’t awake yet. Did the Professor send you?” Scott dropped his arm from the door and walked into his room to allow Reyna to enter. Normally, the Professor would warn him ahead of time if someone was going to study under him, but he didn’t mind. Scott was always around to help anyone in need because he did whatever the Professor wanted. He didn’t realize it, but he was blindingly loyal to the Professor.

Oh shit. Reyna hadn’t considered that he might not even be awake. But when the young man she assumed must be Scott Summers opened the door in what are clearly pyjamas, she realised he must have been even before he said anything. “Sorry. I didn’t-- Yeah. Kind of.” Reyna didn’t think the Professor expected her to take up the offer so quickly, but he had told her to seek the man out anyway. “Scott. Right?”

Charles understood that, the desire to keep one’s history a secret. He sighed, “You don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t want to. It’s your choice. If they ask, just say you’d like to keep it to yourself. Most students are the same way.” It was true because unfortunately, a lot of students here had difficult pasts. Powers commonly manifested during times of stress, and with powers came consequences, unfortunately.

“I know Mr. Belmont won’t ask personal questions, I cannot say the same for Scott. I’ll just give you their locations and you can decide which one to talk with.“ Charles pulled out a piece of paper and drew a map of the building. He marked down Belmont’s classroom and sleeping quarters, then marked down Scott’s room. “My office is always open too, but that’s all I had for you today. Do you have anything you’d like to discuss before we go our separate ways?”

***

Reyna nodded. For once, it seemed, perhaps people wouldn’t question who she was too much. Where she’d been. And at least this time she wouldn’t be trying to hide fresh bruises. This place still seemed far too good to be true, like a mirage that would disappear the second she tried to trust it, but for now it was a relief.

She took the map, looking at the places marked out on it. “No. No, I think that’s it.” She nodded and stood. “Thanks.”

Charles understood that, the desire to keep one’s history a secret. He sighed, “You don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t want to. It’s your choice. If they ask, just say you’d like to keep it to yourself. Most students are the same way.” It was true because unfortunately, a lot of students here had difficult pasts. Powers commonly manifested during times of stress, and with powers came consequences, unfortunately.

“I know Mr. Belmont won’t ask personal questions, I cannot say the same for Scott. I’ll just give you their locations and you can decide which one to talk with.“ Charles pulled out a piece of paper and drew a map of the building. He marked down Belmont’s classroom and sleeping quarters, then marked down Scott’s room. “My office is always open too, but that’s all I had for you today. Do you have anything you’d like to discuss before we go our separate ways?”

***

Reyna nodded. Hopefully in that case then, Professor Xavier wouldn’t be telling anyone either. This place might actually be alright for now. She didn’t want to hope for too much, but the Professor did say he was going to get Darcy here too. Then she’d feel more at home. Right now, she was always... worrying.

“Right. Thanks.” She took the map, examining where she ought to go. Reyna was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. “No. No, I think I’ve got it.” She had always been fiercely independent. No one had ever really given her any other choice. “Thanks.”

“The rest of the file is personnel information. It’d be a gross violation of Mr. Belmont’s privacy to provide it to students.” Charles replied as he rubbed his chin. The rest of the folder contained notes about Olivier Belmont along with various background information that employers tended to ask for. These were files usually only meant for Hank, Alex, and himself.

“You could always ask Mr. Belmont what else is in his file, but it’s mostly just medical and background information. History and the like. The only full file I can show you is your own.” He hoped she would understand, but it might seem odd that he even offered her the first page in Olivier’s file. “I just assume you haven’t met him yet, since you haven’t been here too long and neither has he.”

Charles reached for the paper to put it back in the folder and shrugged, “Though, if you’d like I’m sure Scott Summers would be happy to help you as well. I can call him in…”

***

Oh. So it wasn’t a here situation as much as a privacy one. “Right. Got it.” It was something at least. Maybe people here wouldn’t know about the arrest record and accusations no doubt on Reyna’s file somewhere. She wondered if it had the whole troubled child shit her school files always did. Her step-father loved that.

Still, she shook her head when he mentioned her own file. She didn’t want to see right now. “No, I haven’t. Haven’t met many people.” Partly because she’d been skipping classes really. Or was it the other way around? Bit of both.

Reyna shrugged. “I don’t know either of them. But if it means I can take the GED and that... yeah, okay. I just--” She paused. “I don’t want to go around telling everyone. About before,” she admitted. 

Without reading her mind, Charles could feel her skepticism. Not many powerful people in the world cared about anyone other than themselves. The ones that did care were probably second guessed as well. Charles shrugged, “Maybe it seems that way, but it’s not like that for me.”

“I can ask another student or staff member to help you if you prefer to skip the high school classes and take the tests instead.” Charles turned in his chair and opened the top drawer of a filing cabinet. Flipping through a few folders, he pulled one out with the last name Belmont. He turned back to Reyna and chuckled in response to her statement. “I wouldn’t count that, but we just ask for that if anyone plans to enter the Danger Room. We do want to help you hone your powers.”

Charles shut the cabinet and went back to his desk to place the file on it. “I have the perfect tutor if you would like to see his file. I can only show you the first page in here though.” He takes it out and slides the resume across the desk to her. A picture of Olivier smiling in a business suit is positioned perfectly in a corner.

/

Reyna wanted to ask why. To interrogate this man’s interest in her and other mutants. It could be benign, as he claimed, but Reyna was not a trusting person. She had a long history that could point to countless reasons why that was, and it served her better than being open. It was a lonely life, but it kept her safe. Kept Darcy safe until now. Still, right now it felt unwise. She had a bed, and food, and the possibility of getting Darcy back easily. Better to play along for now.

The request for her to learn more about her powers doesn’t worry Reyna too much. She was self taught, but she could feel that there was more to her powers than she knew. The shadows seemed at times to have minds of their own, and she wanted to know more about what she was tapping into. Maybe even become stronger. So strong no one could hurt her or Darcy again.

She glanced at the first page of the file slid across to her, looking at the smiling picture. He seemed... perfectly respectable. Nothing there to catch the attention particularly. Charles’ words were more interesting. “Why only the first page here? Where do we have to be for the rest?”

Isla finally seems to acknowledge Reyna, looking up at her and then her mom. She wasn’t very good at talking to strangers who were older than her, but that’s because where she and her mom came from wasn’t a very nice place. Opi notices her hesitance and smiles, picking Isla up off the ledge and balancing her on her hip even though she was quickly becoming too tall to be carried this way. “How are you liking it so far? A bit stuffy, yeah? It’s like… Wow… But stuffy.”

Reyna gives Isla a small smile--one of the few since she’d arrived at the mansion--though the little girl seems less friendly than the elder. And Ophelia was very friendly, Reyna was discovering. “Um--” She hesitated to answer at first, until Ophelia’s comment about it being stuffy. That managed to draw a small laugh from her. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s a bit stuffy. Lavish, but... it’s a weird place.”

“I just want mutants and humans to live in peace, and I push for mutant rights. On a smaller scale, I believe helping mutants that need help is my responsibility because I have the power and resources to do it.” It made sense to him, but sometimes he knew others would be skeptical. It was difficult to believe someone would offer assistance just because they wanted to. The world would be a much better place if more people were like that. “Seeing mutants finally be able to walk around and just… live. That’s what is in it for me I guess.”

“I know you’re only a few credits shy, so you could take the classes we suggested to finish your diploma. If not, you can take a few tests to obtain an equivalent certificate and skip to college courses.” Charles wasn’t going to force her to take those college classes though, but he did insist on mutants taking any mutant training or genetics related courses to learn about themselves. It was important to him that they understand how they came to exist, or why they have the powers they do. “After you decide what you want to do, we would like you to take the mutant related classes though. Does that sound fair?”

Reyna let Xavier talk. Let him tell her about pushing for mutant rights and peace. Helping mutants in trouble. She listened silently, trying to parse any hidden meaning beneath his words. Why he would open his home to a stranger because she was a mutant. And how he’d even gotten her off the charges being pressed. “Seems like a lot to do for a stranger.”

How much did he know about her already? Reyna frowned for a second before nodding. “Right. I see. It’s just been a while since I was in school.” And he seemed to be leaving it up to her. Except for one area. “I’ve never done mutant classes before. Unless ‘history of freaky powers’ unit in history class counts.” She shrugged. “Yeah.” It sounded fair, but also like she didn’t have a choice.

His hands were pressed together in a triangle under his chin as he waited for her to look through everything. The emotion that crossed her features was enough for him to know she understood he’d keep his promise. That made him smile even though she couldn’t trust easily, at least this was a step completed successfully.

“Good, I’ll file it as soon as possible, but then we’ll have to wait for processing. I don’t know how long that will take.” Charles reaches out of slides the folder toward him and places it in the top drawer on his desk. Now that he got the good out of the way, he was going to address her skipping classes.

“So… a couple of your teachers came to me and mentioned you hadn’t been showing up…” he offered her a half smile, one that a parent would give their child when they are trying to gently tell them they are wrong. “Is something bothering you about them?”

Reyna watched Charles with a quiet interest. Processing. Of course. That could take months. And Darcy... Darcy needed to get out now. Her father was a lot less physical with his own daughter, but Darcy still shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of his anger. Especially since he was probably annoyed that he’d lost the chance to gloat over Reyna. 

“Why are you doing this for me? For us?” she asked. Maybe it was looking a gift horse in the mouth, but Reyna would much rather know now if she needed to get out of here than get her hopes up only to have them destroyed later. She’d tried getting her hopes up a couple times when she and Darcy were on the run; it had only ever ended badly. “What’s in it for you?”

She straightened up at that, tensing every so slightly. That smile irked her. Gentle enough on the surface, she couldn’t help wonder what was below it. Nonetheless, she tried to act as though she was unbothered. It was her armour. “I’m twenty two. I don’t really need to attend high school classes, do I?” She had been a couple months off getting her diploma when Darcy’s powers showed up. Any hopes of that, or of college, had been dashed a long time ago.

The comment made him smile just a bit, but the compliment wasn’t entirely praise. Better than roughing it or jail, a lot of things were. He rubbed his chin and took both hands off his desk to wheel around and face her more closely. The file that had been on his desk was in his lap now as well. “I’d like you to take a look at this, double check the information before I submit it for processing please.” Inside were papers to get her sister under his tutelage, and he knew everything in the file was correct. This was more of a show of faith for her to trust he could keep his word.

Charles made his way back around to his side of the desk, “You can check it now, I have time to wait.” Always patient and understanding, Charles hoped this would help Reyna open up to him. If not all the way, at least it would be another stepping stone.

Reyna knew it wasn’t much of a compliment. She ought to be more grateful, but she was reluctant to open up here. Even if Charles Xavier himself had given her no reason not to trust him, she didn’t trust anyone very much. Her eyes followed him around the desk, otherwise not moving until he offered her the file. She frowned and took it, opening it up.

Her face relaxed, her shoulders falling from their defensive position, when she saw Darcy’s last school photo grinning up at her. Four years ago. God, she looked so tiny there, only twelve years old. And then the photo that the police had taken when the girls were found. Darcy looked a lot less happy in that photo, her eyes red from crying. Reyna flipped through the rest of the information, checking everything. “It’s right,” she said softly. But she knew what this was really. Proof that he was making good on his promise. She closed the file and put it back on the desk.

Ophelia hadn’t meant to make her feel uncomfortable, nor does she notice that she’s made her so because Isla immediately starts demanding Opi hold her hand as she balanced on the ledge. It didn’t bring her the sort of anxiety it normally would any other mother. Between Isla’s shielding mutation and Opi’s ability to create pathways through light, falling wasn’t a fear. Glancing at the other woman for a moment, she flashes a friendly smile. “I just haven’t seen ya yet. Nice to meet you, I’m Opi and this is Isla.”

“Slow down!” Ophelia calls after Isla with a giggle, she takes the steps two at a time after her daughter but she still isn’t able to catch up before she’s bursting onto the roof without her. Shaking her head with fond annoyance, she follows a few seconds later and is surprised to find they’re not alone. The only other person who ever came up here was Pietro and she’d passed him on the way up. She raises a brow and smiles, “Yeah, yeah she is but don’t worry she’s up here a lot. You’re new, yeah?”