[ I Turn To You ] by Todd Fan

Chapter One: Arrival

The cloaked figure climbed the steps of the Xavier institute for gifted youngsters. She paused at the door and took a deep breath, she had traveled a long way for this place, she just hoped it was worth it.

"Here goes nothing", she said to herself as she rang the bell.

She waited for an answer, shifting her suitcase to another hand for comfort, it wasn't long before the door was answered, she looked up to see a boy of her age standing at the door, he had blond hair and looked like he had just come in from some sort of outdoor activity, for he had knee and elbow pads on.

"Hi can I help you?" he said with a smile.

The cloaked figure nodded, being sure to keep herself well hidden.

"Yes, my name is Sidney Cagney", she said, "professor Charles Xavier is expecting me".

The boy looked in thought for a second before nodding as if  replying to something in his head. Sidney had heard the professor was a telepath, was that who this boy seemed to be listening to. 

Suddenly the boy stepped aside and smiled.

"Yeah, the professor's ready to see you. Come on in".

Sidney nodded and stepped inside, immediately awed by the size of the place. This was much larger than the farmhouse she had been living in for the past 6 years. She was brought out of her trance by the boy, who was walking towards a door.

"This way, the professor wants to see you in his study", he said, opening the door for her to enter.

As she stepped in she saw the man who could only be Charles Xavier.  Bald and in a wheelchair, he was exactly how her mother had described him to her.

"Thank you Evan, you may go now", he addressed to the boy that had let her in.

Evan nodded and left, closing the door behind him. The professor turned around to face Sidney.

"Hello Sidney", he said with a smile holding out his hand for Sidney to shake, "your mother told me of your coming, I'm professor Charles Xavier".

Sidney looked at his hand but didn't shake it, keeping her hands hidden in the sleeves of her cloak. The professor nodded, as if he understood.

"Ah yes, your fear for your appearance", he said calmly, "well I can assure you here that you are not alone Sidney. We have another student here, with an equally as unusual appearance as yourself. In fact, he's blue".

"Really?", said Sidney, with a sigh, "well okay then, just don't get freaked out".

She pulled back the hood of her cloak to reveal a girl of 15 who looked more like a cat than a human. Her green feline eyes shone out under her glasses. Her hair was long and wild, black with a white streak running from top to bottom. Whiskers protruded from either side of her flattened nose. She had tabby-patterned fur that covered her body. Her ears were rounded, just like that of a cats. A long tail swished out from under the cloak.

Sidney smiled and took the professors hand, her own hand had long cat-like claws for nails.

"I'm pleased to meet you professor", she said with a smile, "my mother said I would be happy here. Or at least she thought so in her will".

Xavier nodded.

"Yes, I am awfully sorry about your mother. But she was right, you will be happy here. You can learn to control your powers and will be able to make friends with others like yourself".

Sidney nodded.

"Well it about time I made some friends, I've only ever had one REAL friend, but right now, I don't know where he is", she said with a sigh, "is it okay if I go to my room professor, this bag is kinda heavy."

The professor smiled.

"Yes of course, it must have been quite a journey from Wales to here, i can understand why you would want to get yourself settled in".

Sidney stared at her room in disbelief. It was huge, she had never had such a big room in her life. There were French windows and even a balcony, with a beautiful view of Bayville.

"Do you like it?", asked the professor.

"I love it, thank you professor", she said with a grin and sat on her bed.

"I'm glad", he said, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch, "this is for you".

Sidney walked over to the professor and looked at the watch for a second before putting it on. Suddenly her arm seemed to frizzle and her fur disappeared, becoming normal human skin. Sidney gasped in shock and looked up at the mirror. Her reflection was not the one she was used to, she looked . . human. Her eyes, though still green now took a more human look to them, he ears were normal too. She smiled and turned to the professor.

"Wow", she said, amazed, "what on earth is this thing?".

"It is a holographic image inducer", said the professor with a smile, "it covers your own image with a holographic one. People will still feel your fur if they are to touch you, but this means you can go to the local high school. I trust you are happy with it?".

Sidney almost cried with delight and ran up to the professor giving him a hug.

"Oh thank you so much professor", she said happily, "this is one of the best things anyone has ever given me. I mean, school will be a new thing for me, I've had private tutors all of my life, but I think I can get used to it".

"I'm glad you like it", said the professor with a chuckle, "I'll leave you to get unpacked. Dinner is six, you can meet the other students then".

With that he left the room. Sidney sighed happily, looking at the image the inducer had created for her before switching it off, bring back her true form. She walked over to her bad and started to unpack. It didn't take her long, she had very few possessions, a few clothes, a walkman and her beloved guitar among other things. She finally came to the bottom of her suitcase and brought out two photographs in  frames.

The first had a picture of her parents on their wedding day. Her mother had given this to Sidney before she had died. He father had died 6 years before while she still lived in Bayville. When he had died, her mother moved them to Wales, to get away from the memories. Now with her mother gone, Sidney need this Xavier guy more than her knew.

She put the photo on her bedside table and looked at the other one. This had a picture of Sidney at the age of nine. With her was a boy the same age as her. They had their arms around each others shoulders and were laughing about something. The boy was Sidney's best friend. The ONLY person she had befriended growing up. They were both considered outcasts, shunned by the other children, so forming a friendship together seemed the most natural thing to do. The picture had been taken a year before her father died, before she had to leave. She hadn't been able to keep in touch with him, her mother didn't want Sidney to have contact with anyone outside her house.

Sidney sighed and put her photo on her dresser.

"Where the heck are ya buddy?", she said to the boy in the photo.

She glanced at the clock to see that it was almost six.

"Well girl, it's now or never. Time to impress your peers. Wish me luck", she said to the picture as she walked out of her room.

"So what's the new girl like?", asked Kitty Pryde, sitting on the fireplace mantle piece, swinging her legs.

"I only saw her with a cloak on", said Evan, "but, she seemed nice enough".

"I heard she looks like a catgirl", said Kitty, jumping off her perch, "like completely covered in fur".

"Not ANOTHER fuzzball", said Rogue, looking up from her book, "isn't one enough?".

"Hey!", came the reply of Kurt, who was currently hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"She's coming", interrupted Jean, her hands to her temples.

"Okay people, lets try and be nice", said Scott, starting to talk in what was affectionately known as his 'leader voice', "she's had quite a trip and isn't used to other mutants".

Before the others could reply, Sidney walked into the room.

"Hey Sidney, welcome to the institute, I'm Scott. And this is Jean, Kurt, Kitty, Evan and Rogue", said Scott with a smile, motioning to each mutant in turn.

"Pleased to meet you", said Sidney.

"So, like, what's your gift Sidney?", asked Kitty.

"You can call me Sid", said Sidney then grinned, "I can show you if you like".

The young mutant's green eyes glowed for a brief second, and in time it took to blink, in her place stood a leopard, with curious ringed markings around it's eyes.

"Wow", came the response from the other students.

The leopard seemed to grin before changing once again, this time into a normal domestic cat, still with the rings around the eyes. The cat mewed once and changed back, revealing Sidney once again.

"Wicked!", said Evan.

Sidney smiled.

"Thank you", she said, "i can change into any member of the cat family i want, big or small. I can also communicate with any cat, but only once I've taken it's form".

"Vhats vith the rings around your eyes?", asked Kurt, still hanging upside down.

Sidney hadn't noticed him yet and looked up.

"Woah, you are blue and furry, and I thought the professor was just trying to make me feel better. The rings around my eyes are because of my glasses", she said, motioning to her glasses, "I've never been able to morph them right, I have no problem with clothes, but my glasses just wont change with me, so they stay as markings on the cat I change to".

She looked around the room.

"So what can you guys do?".

"You want a demonstration?", asked Kitty, "okay, watch this".

She grabbed the book Rogue still had in her hand.

"Hey ah was readin' that!", shouted Rogue.

"You'll, like, get it back in a second Rogue, take a chill pill".

Kitty knocked on the book, showing Sidney it was solid, she then passed her hand straight though it.

"Cool", said Sidney, impressed.

"I can phase people through things too", said Kitty, pleased with Sidney’s reaction, "and if I phase through machinery, it, like, totally shorts it out".

Kurt chose this moment to teleport from the ceiling to the ground in front of Sidney.

"Guess vhat I can do", he said, grinning.

"That’s useful", said Sidney with a grin, "what about the rest of you.

Jean closed her eyes and  suddenly the book Kitty was still holding lifted out of the girls hands. It floated across the room and landed back in Rogue lap.

"I'm telekinetic", said Jean with a smile, "and telepathic".

"Like the professor?", asked Sidney.

"Kinda, but I'm not as powerful as he is".

"Look what I can do", said Evan, waving his hands to get Sidney's attention.

He held out his arm and produced a long bony spike from it.

"Wow, now that could poke somebody’s eye out", said Sidney, chuckling.

"Yeah, just keep away from him while he sneezes an' stretches", said Rogue, "Porcupine kinda looses control of those things after that. Ah can't really show ya'll mah power. Ah absorb the memories an' abilities of whoever Ah touch. If Ah touch a mutant, Ah get their powers too. Only problem is, Ah knock them unconscious when Ah do it".

Woah, what a power", said Sidney, "it must be hard not being able to touch anyone".

"Ya'll have no idea", said Rogue with a sigh.

Scott looked up.

"My powers aren't any good to show you indoors", he said, "I wear these shades for a reason. My eyes emit a destructive optic blast, I need to wear ruby shades all the time to filter them out".

"Cool", said Sidney with a nod.

They were interrupted by the professor wheeling in, with Ororo and Logan at his side.

"Ah, I see you have met the others", said Xavier with a smile, "this is Ororo Munroe, also known as Storm and Logan, also known as Wolverine. They are trainers here".

"Welcome to the institute Sidney", said Storm.

Logan merely gave a grunt.

"Okay Tiger, it's time fer dinner", he said as he and the other adults left the room, going towards the kitchen.

"Tiger?", asked Sidney.

"Logan likes to give people nicknames", said Kurt with a sigh, "I’m Elf, Evan's Porcupine,  Kitty's Half-pint, Jean's Red, Scott's Shades and Rogue's stripes. It looks like your Tiger".

"Great", said Sidney with a sigh, "Tiger, well it's a new one for me".

She and the other students headed off towards the kitchen for dinner.

Over dinner, Sidney learned a lot about the institute and the people living there. She learned of Storms ability to manipulate the weather and Logan’s healing factor and increased senses. She found out that each mutant had their own codename, which they used in the field. After much thought, Sidney decided to give herself the codename Octavia.

She learned about where everyone had come from and how they came to the institute.

She told them about her own past. How she had grown up in Bayville until her father died in a car crash, and her mother moved her to a farmhouse in Wales. She told them about the private tutor she had all through her years of growing up, Ms Haskney, and how she was taught how to sing and play the guitar. She told them that it had been her mothers dying wish for her to join the institute and learn to control her powers.

After dinner the students were lazing around in the common room. Sidney had been lost in thought then looked up.

"So if Kurt is from Germany, Rogue's from Mississippi and Kitty's from Chicago, how on earth did the professor find you?"

"Oh that easy", said Kitty, "he used Cerebro".

"Who's cerebro?", asked Sidney.

"Not who, what", corrected Scott, "cerebro is a mutant detection system, it picks up mutant signatures".

"So it can find Any mutant, anywhere in the world?", Sidney asked, her face lighting up.

"Pretty much", said Evan, looking up from the computer game he was playing with Kurt.

"Aww man, three fingers are no good for computer games", sighed Kurt, putting down his controller after he lost, again.

"So you admit defeat Elf-man?", said Evan with a grin, "do you admit I’m better than you?".

"Pietro had a bad influence on you", mumbled Kurt teleporting to a seat.

"Is Pietro a student I haven't met yet?", asked Sidney.

"No", said Scott, a little coldly, "Pietro is part of our enemy side, the Brotherhood of Mutants".

"The Brotherhood of Mutants?" asked Sidney.

"Yeah, a buncha delinquents that belie they can do what they like", said Logan walking into the room", ya better stay away from them if ya know what’s good for ya Tiger".

Sidney shrugged.

"Fair enough", she said, "hey is it okay if I speak to the professor?".

"Sure thing Tiger, he's in his study", said Logan, "ya know where it is?"

"Yeah, I think so", said Sidney with a nod, heading off in the direction of the professors study.

Sidney found the professors study with ease. She was about to knock on the door, but stopped, almost having second thoughts.

*Come in Sidney*

Was that voice just in her head? Sidney gave a shiver, this guy knew everything that was going on, it would be impossible to keep anything from him.

She stepped into the room and the professor looked up from his desk and smiled.

"How can I help you Sidney?", he asked.

"I have a question, about cerebro", she said, her tail twitching nervously.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if it could find a mutant I knew a long time ago. I grew up with him here in Bayville and I would really like it if I could find him again. He's my best friend, and I miss him a lot".

The professor smiled and nodded.

"Well we can try", he said, wheeling from behind his desk to a wall, which opened, revealing a huge computer in a big metal room.

"Cool", said Sidney in awe.

The professor nodded and picked up a headset next to the computer.

"Do you have a name, age mutant powers, anything like that would be useful", he said looking up at Sidney.

[ Chapter Two ]