Home Sweet Home...?

[Ash Addams]

It was evening when the police transport van arrived at Cullen's Institute for the Gifted. It wasn't as inconspicuous as the driver had hoped. Curtains twitched in windows, lights blinking on here and there. The engine cut out and a pair of policemen, dressed in full body armor, stepped out onto the gravel driveway. One lifted a helmeted head, trying to take in the full expanse of the Cullen estate in a single glance.

“So this is where they keep 'em,” he muttered. His co-worker elbowed him in the side, grunting something indistinct as he paced up towards the mansion's front-doors. An intercom had buzzed the van in, but there didn't seem to be anyone around to accept the delivery. He rapped a gloved hand against one huge wooden door, then took a step back to where the other officer was still straining his neck to see the rest of the mansion.

[Batdude]

Marty was on his way back from Vermont, fresh pancakes, and Canadian green when he echolocated the van rumbling up the driveway to the Institute. He didn't think anything of it until he heard the unmistakeable chatter of a police band radio.

"Damn, the fuzz!"

Giving a few energetic flaps, Marty increased his altitude and kept his distance, still a good mile off campus, and decided to find someplace where he could sit this little visit out. It was easy to distrust authority when you were high, but much more so when you were also literally high and also a demi-bat.

[Dragon]

John Rhee was at work in his first-floor office reviewing the rosters and syllabi for his self-defense classes. When teaching phys ed to a group as diverse as the students at Cullen's, it was impossible to design a one-size-fits-all curriculum. Some students, like Bernard Bass, required weight machines usually reserved for testing engine power; others, like Damien Dervish, simply weren't the right size to use conventional equipment. In some cases, the only way to challenge everyone to the same degree was to design a separate training program for each member of the class. Sometimes John felt as though drafting the lesson plans was more exercise than teaching the course.

Somewhere among the scattered piles of folders and papers on his desk, his phone rang. John swept aside a stack of student profiles and snagged the receiver. The caller ID was from the security post on the front gate. "Hello, John Rhee speaking."

"Professor Rhee, there's a police van on its way to the front entrance. Said they're dropping off a student."

John rose immediately. "Did they say who?"

"I'm afraid not. Their ID was legit."

"I'm on my way." The Korean mutant dropped the wireless receiver in his back pocket and hurried out into the main corridor.

As he neared the front entrance, he could see the van was idling in the roundabout, and there was a uniformed officer in body armor at the door. John swung the massive door open and found himself looking up a good six inches.

Instinctively, he positioned himself in the center of the open doorway like a shepherd standing before his fold. "Good evening, officer. I'm Professor John Rhee. What can I do for you?"

[Ash Addams]

The officer lifted the visor on his helmet to reveal a middle-aged face, perpetually etched with a frown.

“Professor,” he said, sounding the word as if it was a little bitter to taste.

“I'm Officer Jenkins, Major Case Squad, NYPD. We've got a... boy in the back of the van here for you. Kid was on the news this afternoon, would have been going down for manslaughter if the Commissioner wasn't so soft on...”

Mutants. He didn't need to speak the word for John to understand. The other, thus far silent, officer gave a knock on the back of the truck. Though there was no response from inside, he removed the locks on the door and beckoned whoever was inside to come out.

What emerged from the back of the van was just as Jenkins had described – a boy. He was in his late teens, handcuffed and looked as if he seen better days. As he was nudged forwards into the light, John could see a fresh bruise blooming just above his left eye.

“He's in your custody now. Keep him off the streets, 'cause one more slip up and this one is going down for life. You hear that, Addams?”

Ash didn't look up. His eyes were fixed on the cuffs binding his hands together.

[Dragon]

The staff at Cullen's had always made it a practice to keep tabs on breaking stories about mutant activity, especially local ones, and Maxine had programmed several search bots to scan for relevant content online. Every member of the faculty received a full report each morning. John had heard something about an accidental killing that afternoon, but he hadn't yet had the chance to check the details.

The professor glanced past Officer Jenkins at the teenager in handcuffs. He could feel the Dragon stirring at the sight of the bruise, but he also noted a certain look of intention on the boy's downcast face, something subtler than the sullen defiance of a delinquent.

John returned to the officer with a stony expression and folded his hands behind his back. "Excuse me, Officer - this is a school, not a detention center. We do have an arrangement with the Commissioner, and we do offer our assistance in cases involving mutant youths. But if we're going to take custody of anyone, we're going to need family contacts, medical and legal records, notification of parental consent, and, in the case of a violent crime, we still need certification of acquittal or mitigated sentencing. If he's a criminal, he doesn't belong here. If he's not, he doesn't need to be treated like one."

John's gaze was unwavering. He wasn't intimidated by the officers, nor by their apparent eagerness to get this boy off their hands.

[Ash Addams]

Jenkins looked incredulous. “Parental consent?”

Stood apart from the group, yet clearly under the watchful eye of all present, Ash shifted uncomfortably. There was a flash of something like pain over his features. The officer paced back to the van and returned with a file containing a heavy sheaf of papers. They included the terms of a conditional acquittal and probationary period, which was to be served at Cullen's Institute, as well as a full explanation of the charges that had been leveled at Ash: two accounts of involuntary manslaughter, committed against Peter and Mandy Addams.

“Everything you need should be in here... family don't want nothing to do with him, not after what happened. Frankly, we aren't, ah, equipped to deal with the kid.”

[Dragon]

John felt the air go out of him when he read the charges, and, for the first time, his steely exterior softened. His eyes darted almost involuntarily toward Ash. He could only imagine the nightmare the boy was living right now.

"I see," he said carefully. "Well... considering the circumstances, I would be willing to look after him while we process these records. You can remove those handcuffs, Officer Jenkins."

[Ash Addams]

“If you say so...”

Jenkins was wearing heavy duty gloves. Between their over-sized fingers the key to the cuffs looked tiny, and he had to fumble a moment to fit it into the corresponding lock. The restraints fell away. Jenkins examined them suspiciously for a moment, as if expecting them to be contaminated somehow. Satisfied they were as they should be, he pocketed them and returned his attention to John Rhee.

“Don't let him touch anything, unless you want it to go poof.”

Ash lifted his head for the first time. It looked as if he was about to say something. He was looking at Jenkins, but what he saw was not the stern police officer that had driven him to the mansion. Instead he saw the emaciated face of an old man on the brink of death, flesh flaking away from his dirty skull. He blinked and the image was gone.

“We'll be keeping a close eye on you, Mr. Addams. Expect a visit from us soon.”

Ash murmured an acknowledgment and edged forwards, glancing up uncertainly at John.

[Dragon]

"We will be in close contact with your department," John assured the officer. "In the meantime..." He tucked the stack of documents under one arm and approached the boy. "Ashley, is it?"

[Ash Addams]

“...Ash.”

The officers lingered for a moment, as if expecting Addams to pull some stunt – but deciding that none was forthcoming they said their goodbyes and treaded back towards the van. Ash watched as they pulled away, now free of their burden. He turned back to John and eyed the mansion, ambivalent.

“So, what is this place? Some nut-house?”

[Dragon]

John watched the boy intently for any sign of fight or flight, but he seemed largely resigned to his unknown fate. Somehow he wasn't surprised the two cops hadn't told him exactly where he was going.

"You don't need a nut-house, Ash," he replied. "This is Dr. Cullen's Institute for the Gifted. It's a privately funded, comprehensive school for mutants. I'm Professor John Rhee."

John extended an open hand to the boy. Conscious of Jenkins's warning, he also tapped into his own mutant ability, an act that had become as natural to him as breathing. The force of his ch'i pulsed down the length of his arm and saturated his skin, forming an invisible protective barrier around his flesh.

[Ash Addams]

Ash waved a dismissive hand and paced passed John. “You don't want to do that...”

Inside, the foyer of the institute – what kind of word was that? It sure as hell sounded like some crackhouse – was empty. It looked like the stuffy old house of some millionaire, with paintings hung on the walls and everything made from gleaming wood. Why am I here?

“This is a school? What do you teach here?”

Ash wrapped his arms around himself, trying to ignore the shivers the cold outside was giving him. He had only the clothes on his back, a flimsy set of synthetic slate gray overalls and chunky boots provided by the police department, and they weren't exactly the warmest things in the world.

[Dragon]

John closed and latched the door behind them. "Physical education. Ethics. And I'm also one of the school's mutation counselors."

He caught a bewildered look from the young man and smiled softly. "Every student here is a mutant, Ash. So are most of the staff. We teach all the material you'd find at any other accredited high school. We also help our students to learn about their own unique genetic gifts. To explore them. To use them. To control them."

He turned down the corridor toward the administrative office and gestured for Ash to follow.

[Ash Addams]

Ash followed when beckoned, hands pushed hard into his pockets, walking a few feet behind John. What else was there to do? He had no idea where he was. For all he knew, the 'school' could be hundreds of miles away from civilization – and even if he could get back to somewhere normal, everyone he had ever known hated him now. He felt completely numb, detached.

“What happens now... you going to do some tests on me or something?”

[Dragon]

It was a shock response - Ash's world had come crashing down in a single afternoon, and he'd withdrawn himself as far as possible, closed himself to the outside world, mistrusting everything, assuming the worst. John wished he could reassure the boy, but he knew it would take time to draw him back into the world of the living. Especially after the trauma he'd suffered.

"No," he replied. "We're going to try to get you settled in as quickly as possible. But first I need to drop off these documents, and I think we'd better get some ice for that bump on your head."

They passed several students and staff, most of whom gave Ash curious glances. As luck would have it, one of the Maxines was coming down the hall the other way, and John flagged her down. "Max, would you run these to Clara, please? Thank you."

As the red-head sauntered off to the office, John directed Ash down a side corridor toward the clinic. "This isn't a remedial center of any kind," John said as they walked. "Or a research facility, or a prison. All our students are here by choice. Your circumstances may be different, but all we want to do is help you."

He pushed open the door to the clinic, a blinding combination of white, sterile walls, stark tile floor, and stainless steel cabinature. John could see a curly-haired visage through the frosted glass windows of the clinic office.

"Oh, hi, Duncan," he said. "Could you grab us an ice pack? I can never keep track of things in here."

[Ash Addams]

The clinic smelled of disinfectant. For somewhere that wasn't supposed to be a hospital, it certainly looked like one. Ash loitered awkwardly , neither here nor there, not knowing where to stand or what to do. The last forty-eight hours had been much the same – following someone from place to place, being passed from person to person. Somehow, it was easier that way. Other people could decide what to do with him, what he needed. He sure was hell didn't know himself.

[Pan]

"Alright, Johnny. I'll be right with you."

He carefully slid a rack of blood bags into one chilled cabinet then rooted through another. Upon retrieving an ice pack, he removed his white coat and trotted out to meet them. Duncan made quite a first impression; he always wore a kilt, which was unusual enough, but it was the small horns in his head and the goat legs which caught people's eyes most. John stood with a boy who was sat on a bed against the wall. Duncan didn't recognise him.

"Aye, that's a nasty bump you've got there, lad. Here."

He handed the boy the ice pack and glanced at John, looking perplexed.

"You know, I could have that cleared up in a jiffy."

[Dragon]

John smiled apologetically. "Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to be possible. Unless you don't require direct contact...?"

He knew Duncan did - it was the most delicate way he could think to warn his fellow teacher.

"Ash, I'd like you to meet Duncan MacLaverty. He's another teacher here at Cullen's, and he's also one of the best physicians I've ever known. Duncan, this is Ash Addams. He was just dropped off about ten minutes ago, so we're trying to get him settled in."

[Ash Addams]

Though the bruise was still tender, Ash held the ice-pack hard against his forehead. The pain didn't bother him. He was feeling so dazed that he wouldn't have noticed the wound if John hadn't pointed it out. There were so many other things arresting his attention, like the goat-legged kilt-wearing man who had just spoken to him. With his head hanging low, as it had done since he had arrived, his eyes were just about level with the man-beasts hooves. Ash frowned, lifting his gaze a little.

“What's the deal with you? You have some kind of accident?”

[Pan]

"Only when walking downstairs," he answered with a warm smile. "I was born this way, lad."

He knew who the boy was now, the subtle warning about physical contact and the mention of his name reminded him of their briefing that day about local mutant affairs.

"I reckon Professor Rhee has already told you this is a school for mutants. Every student, like you, will have a mutation of their own and for some of us, it's not so subtle."

To emphasise his point, his hooves clip-clopped on the tiled floor.

[Dragon]

"A big part of what we do here is help our students learn about their mutations," John explained. "To understand them, develop them, explore the implications they'll have on their lives. For instance, Duncan here is gifted at healing. And he's a lot more agile than you might think to look at him. But many people have difficulty accepting him because he looks different from them. Every gift has its own rewards and its own burdens."

[Ash Addams]

Behind a matte of now-damp scraggy hair, hurt burned in Ash's eyes.

“Rewards? Gift?”

The implications of his 'mutation' were plain to see, and the suggestion that something good could come of them made his blood boil.

[Pan]

"It's going to be difficult to see it that way, Ash. And it will remain so for a while."

He hopped up on the bed next to him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"We don't assume to know how you feel but many of us have resented our gifts in the past. You're amongst friends here, lad."

[Dragon]

"You're going to need time either way," John said gently. "It may not seem like it, but your life isn't over. You're not a monster, and you're not a criminal."

He took a deep breath. "The terms of your probation say you have to stay here until your case can be fully reviewed. That's probably going to be a fairly long time. We're not going to try to force anything on you. But isolating yourself is not going to accomplish anything. Duncan, and I, and the rest of the faculty are here to help you in any way we can."

[Ash Addams]

What should have been a comforting gesture was some how transformed, in Ash's mind, into an affront. He flinched sharply away from Duncan. Contact – that was the last thing he wanted. Images of ashes and dust were still fresh in his mind. His head was pounding.

He put down the ice-pack and pushed his damp fingertips through his hair.

“I... just need some time alone, alright? I need some sleep.”

[Pan]

"Alright then."

Duncan didn't move. He simply passed John the ice pack and nodded.

"He'll need it later."

[Dragon]

John took the ice pack with a nod of gratitude. Perhaps, he thought, he'd tried to unload too much at once on Ash - the poor boy was beyond overwhelmed. Duncan had the right idea. It was time to withdraw and give him some room.

Turning back to Ash, John said, "I can take you to one of our guest rooms. No one will bother you there. Thank you, Duncan."

He led Ash out of the clinic and further down the corridor to the guest wing. They walked in silence until they came to a room John knew to be empty. He swung open the colonial-style door, revealing a bedroom modestly but comfortably furnished.

"There's a bathroom with a shower back there," John said, pointing to a door in the corner, "and you can feel free to use the computer. I'll see about getting some fresh clothes for you in the morning. In the meantime, if you need anything, food, medicine, just ask anyone you see, or you can pick up the phone and hit 'five' to get the main office."

There was nothing else to be done. Silently, John stepped back into the hall to let Ash get acquainted with the room.

[Ash Addams]

The door clicked shut and, for the first time in what felt like forever, Ash was alone. He stood still, in the same spot that John Rhee had ushered him into. In the quiet, he could hear the muffled sounds of something somewhere else in the institute. Laughter, crying perhaps? It barely registered.

He moved, eventually, and walked to the window. A heavy wooden latch kept it locked in place. Ash touched the bolt and it crumbled, instantly, to dust. He stared for a moment, transfixed, then with his eyes still on the pile used his elbow to nudge the window open a little. He sat down on the sill and closed his eyes as a cool breeze drifted by.

[Jacinda Blake]

As soon as the resounding downstairs clock chimed ten, Jacinda appeared at the top of the stairs in a pink shirt, and half-fastend, much faded, denim overalls. She was winding the last few turns of an elastic band, around the second of a pair of long blonde braids, while she ran down the steps toward the nearest exit. Normally she would not have expected to see anyone, but tonight had been different.

She'd seen the cars pull up.

Something was going on.

It reminded her of the night she'd arrived here. It seemed a long time ago now, but she remembered. It had been awful, but it had gotten better. Starting the very next morning. Falling down the stairs, as she recalled. Jacinda grinned stupidly, crossing the foyer.

Even though she already had permission, Jacinda wasn't certain that it was alright to leave the house. She stopped short of opening the door and sighed.

Ahhh.. what's a few more minutes..

She left the doorknob untouched and started down the hall..

Jacinda may have acquired a bit of a free spirit, but she was a rule girl, deep down. Better to go make sure with one of the Professors.

[Dragon]

Now that Ash was on his own, John let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. As a teacher and a counselor, he reveled in every one of his students' triumphs, but things like this always made him feel woefully inadequate. Sometimes there were no right answers - only painful ones. He would be sure to light a candle for Ash's parents and say a prayer for the boy when he returned to his quarters.

Lost in thought, he didn't even see Jacinda as the she came toward him the other way.

[Jacinda Blake]

Professor Rhee! Perfect..

Jacinda started forward optimistic, but slowed as she neared. "Professor? Everything ok..?" Disappointed was the only word she could think of to describe how the normally tranquil teacher seemed to her.

She stopped in the hall when she was close enough to talk quietly. "I was going to go up for a while.." She knew that the professor would understand 'up where' and didn't elaborate. "..but I saw the cars a little while ago. If tonight is not good, I'll just go back upstairs."

[Dragon]

Jacinda's voice shook him out of his contemplations. "Oh... well, they're gone now," he said. "They were just dropping someone off. It should be all clear now."

[Jacinda Blake]

"Ok, just checking.. Good night, Professor." She felt as though she were being too nosy. If there was a new student she'd find out at class, along with everybody else. She parted company with the teacher and made her way outside and around back to the grounds.

There was a slight wind in the night air. Perfect conditions.

Directly behind the main house, she followed along one of the gravel garden paths, walking to the side of the house that had the least lights on. The guest wing. The whole point of practicing at night was that she would have both fresh air and less crowds. She was still learning after all and prone to mishaps.

Along the side of the guest wing, there was a rectangular fountain. She sprinted, jumped up and ran along it's rim, then simply jumped when she ran out of marble beneath her, taking to the air. She couldn't quite keep the grin off her face. Her abilities were no fun when she was emotionally out of control, but when she knew what she was doing...

A blur of blonde braids, and a pink shirt, zoomed past the guest wing windows.

[Ash Addams]

Ash opened his eyes and looked up into the night sky. It was a strange thing, to see the stars. He was so used to the city skyline, the bright lights outshining the stars above. The stillness was calming and Ash was just beginning to feel some sense of calm when something too big to be a bird rushed past his window. Startled, he was on his feet in seconds and stumbled back away from the open window. His heart was thumping in his ears.

“What the hell?!”

[Jacinda Blake]

There was a surprised girlish squeal, and then a sudden thud followed by silence.

Jacinda sat. Soooo grateful that she'd landed on a patch of the manicured lawn and not on the pavement. That would have been so messy. The sudden fright had shorted her concentration and she'd just dropped out of the air, onto her backside. More embarassed than hurt, she grumbled a bit and then climbed up to her feet, brushing off. Curious, she walked back toward where the startled voice had come from.

"Hello...? Umm.. I'm sorry about that."

[Ash Addams]

A figure appeared in one of the mansion windows, looking down towards Jacinda. The look of confusion on Ash's face was hidden by shadow.

“What was that?”

[Jacinda Blake]

She winced, sounding totally apologetic. "That was.. me."

Jacinda stepped into view, before one of the illuminated circles from the garden lights, marked off along the path beside the building. She held up a hand to keep the light out of her eyes, and looked up toward the window.

"I didn't mean to disturb you."

[Ash Addams]

“You scared the crap out of me!” Ash called back down.

The fear was exhilarating. It was the first time that he had really felt anything all day.

“You can fly?”

[Jacinda Blake]

"Yeah.. Well... sort of. I'm getting the hang of it."

Jacinda was having a hard time seeing who it was she was speaking to, but wasn't quite sure that flying back up to the window for a better look was the thing to do at this point. She'd already given the poor guy a fright..

"I was just practicing." She explained, still peering up curiously.

[Ash Addams]

Just practicing. If I went around doing that...

Ash felt a sudden knot in his stomach.

“Maybe you should do it somewhere else, huh?” he shouted.

[Jacinda Blake]

Her mouth popped open in shock. She'd been here for more than half a year and that was the first time someone had been straight-up rude to her. Jacinda told herself it was probably just some new student who'd just been through hell, like she had and that she should just let it go..

Still...

"Yeah, I'll do that.." She lifted up off the ground, window level. Then smirked at him and flew off into the night.