"Do you know that girl?" At one point during the conversation between Gwen, MJ, and Peter, Seol Hwa suddenly asked, her finger pointing across the cafeteria.
She had been comfortable watching the dynamics between the three.
There was something she wanted to know.
How could she not be curious when she had just had some playful interaction with an interesting fella?
The three paused their conversation, briefly looking at Seol Hwa before following the line of her gaze.
Seol Hwa was pointing at a beautiful girl with dark red hair.
Her back was facing them, and she shared a table with two other teenagers, a petite girl and a bespectacled boy.
"Oh? Are you curious about her?" MJ grinned knowingly. "The drop-dead, gorgeous redhead? Isn't she a beauty?"
"Is Seol Hwa interested in her?"
Gwen clicked her tongue in annoyance. "She never said she was interested in her."
"Is that jealousy, Miss Stacy?" MJ smirked.
"Jealousy my ass. Seol Hwa, that's Jean Grey. She's the untouchable queen bee of our school," Gwen rolled her eyes at MJ before answering.
"More like dethroned queen. Our new girl is hands down the hottest girl in the universe," MJ added with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Oh, how she loved gossip and drama.
She was drama.
"Please stop with the over-glazing. It's cringey," Gwen rebuked her. Inwardly, she wished she had been the one to do the glazing instead.
'Why did you have to steal my thunder?' she grumbled.
"Doesn't Jean also go to Xavier's institute for the gifted?" Peter entered the conversation, seeing Gwen and MJ not helping at all.
"Gifted kids?" Seol Hwa raised a brow.
"Yeah. People who are a bit different from us. Though I don't know how special," Peter explained, his eyes looking everywhere but Seol Hwa.
He knew he was also…different. After all, he got his current powers from a spider's bite.
'A genetically engineered spider, as ridiculous as it sounds.'
"She doesn't talk much about it," Gwen quipped.
"She's an elite. How can we common plebs understand her world?" MJ shrugged lightly.
"So…why are you asking about Jean?" Gwen tentatively asked, biting her bottom lip.
She hoped it was just a Seol Hwa thingy.
"I was just curious. She seemed interesting just like Parker here," Seol Hwa replied bluntly.
Peter Parker didn't expect such evaluation from her.
His heart palpitated furiously.
'She thinks I'm interesting?'
'Statistically, the probability of her seeing me that way is zero.'
'She's entirely in a different league. I simply don't compare.'
'But…'
'But…what if? What if there is a 0.0000001% chance?'
'Peter Parker, it doesn't work that way. Not even in your wildest dreams.'
Peter couldn't help but overthink, even running mathematical calculations to reach a conjecture.
"Earth to Peter," Gwen snapped her fingers in front of his dazed face.
MJ laughed. "I think I know what he might be thinking."
"Me too," Gwen winked at her.
"It's JUST…" Gwen began.
"…not possible." MJ finished.
"C'mon guys. Am I that predictable?" Peter nervously rubbed the back of his neck, a mortified expression on his face.
The two girls chuckled.
Seol Hwa faintly smiled.
'School life isn't that bad with these brats,' she thought, humor hidden in her eyes.
'And that Jean…she's still an unpolished jade. I hope she can overcome the mental hurdle.'
'Only then can she hope to improve her psychic powers.'
'Hmm, her potential seems to have been tampered with. Anyway, I have a feeling she can work through her own problems.' Seol Hwa gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
'And there's that THING inside her…'
'It was a good measure to show restraint.'
Seol Hwa felt even more urgency to quickly grow stronger.
She also felt strangely excited. While she didn't know the exact nature of IT, her instincts warned her not to poke the hornet's nest.
Her current universe became more mysterious.
Anyway, lunch break passed uneventfully.
The afternoon lessons were a breeze for Seol Hwa, but the same couldn't be said for Jean Grey.
She couldn't concentrate even if she forced herself.
She just wanted the day to end.
She was mentally exhausted and needed time to process whatever had happened.
Process that experience? Again? To relive that horror?
She hoped it would all disappear except for the image of HER.
---<>---
Soon, the last bell rang, signifying the first day of school had ended.
"Jean...Jean!" Someone called her before they gently shook her shoulder.
"Huh? What is it, Kitty?" Jean Grey subtly frowned before her expression softened.
"You have been very absent-minded since lunchtime. Is there something bothering you? Kitty is here for you," Kitty Pryde said softly.
"You can lean on me but don't lean too much. I'm a small girl after all," she smiled while rubbing Jean's back.
"You didn't have to speak in third person," Jean forced a smile as they made their way home.
"You don't have to worry about me. I think some sleep at the mansion is what I need."
Scott walked behind, observing the two. His eyes never left Jean Grey.
It was eating him inside that Jean didn't want to confide in him.
She didn't behave like her usual self.
He clenched his hand.
'Maybe the professor would know,' he thought before relaxing his hand.
Heaven knows how much he cared for Jean.
---<>---
The mansion was quiet when the three finally arrived.
"Jean, Kitty, Scott, you arrived early today."
A huge man-beast with blue fur and a pair of small glasses walked by and greeted the three. He was effortlessly holding a thick, voluminous book in his large, clawed blue hand. He also sported a white lab coat.
"We always arrive early, Mr. McCoy. You're always holed up in your lab to notice," Kitty replied.
Scott nodded politely while Jean…well, her mind wasn't present.
Hank wasn't bothered by her behavior. Or maybe he didn't notice.
"Alright. Remember to pass by the professor's study, kids. Don't keep him waiting," Hank McCoy said hurriedly before rushing and disappearing in the hallway.
'Probably off to some hazardous experiments.' Kitty scrunched her face as they made their way to the living quarters. To reach their rooms, they had to pass the Professor's study anyway.
Unsurprisingly, a bald man in a wheelchair was already waiting for them outside the study.
He seemed to be in his mid-thirties and wore an impatient expression.
"Scott, Kitty…Jean. How was your day?" Professor Xavier smiled at them, shelving his impatience.
Jean Grey didn't answer and continued walking.
"Jean!" Xavier frowned.
"It's not a good time, prof," Jean murmured but didn't slow down.
"Jean, come back here!" Xavier commanded, clenching his jaw to curb his displeasure.
Jean was effectively deaf.
Xavier impatiently tapped his finger against the armrest.
There was only one thing left to do.
Something he was very good at.
Jean didn't look to be in the best state. Something seemed off.
He was always cautious when it came to her.
Jean, being an Omega-class mutant, was just one of the many reasons he had to be careful.
He cared for her.
Xavier sent out a telepathic probe to get a feel of her surface thoughts.
He had to know.
However…
BAM!
His intrusive digging met thick, psychic walls that completely blocked his creepy attempt.
A look of intense shock and disbelief formed on his face.
Jean's figure suddenly came to a halt.
Both of her hands were so tightly fisted that her nails nearly pricked her palms.
She then slightly turned her head, raw fury blazing in her green eyes.
"Professor, can you please STOP?" she said in a dangerous voice.
"Jean, I care about—" Professor Xavier tried to reason only for Jean to cut him off.
"I don't need that care right now. I want some alone time. Stay out of my business, okay?" She warned with finality before leaving.
Xavier raised his hand as if he wanted to add something but eventually gave up, letting his hand slip back to the armrest.
A tired yet frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he started rubbing his right temple with his fingers.
'What was that? How are her mental shields able to keep me out?'
'What happened at school?'
'She has never been that angry. And that lingering fear…'
Xavier had truly been tempted to use more force to break the walls. However, he didn't want to break their lifelong trust.
Jean would have…sigh.
An unstable telepath was the most dangerous mutant to deal with.
Scott and Kitty exchanged glances.
Kitty helplessly shrugged.
"What happened at school today? Did anything happen to Jean?" Xavier asked, before stopping his drumming fingers.
"Nothing. It was just a normal school day," Kitty answered, trying to lighten the mood. "Jean's just having a bad day. It's a female thing."
"Female thing?" Professor Xavier squinted his eyes, a questioning expression on his face.
"Yes, female thing. Moods and all. Periods," Kitty said tactfully, "So…give her the space she needs."
"Oh." Both the Professor and Scott Summers had realization on their faces.
Truthfully, Kitty didn't even believe herself.
She had already seen Jean during her M-days, and she usually didn't behave like that.
She was worried about her. She could only hope it was something temporary and Jean would return to her usual self.
She was the sanest one in the group of three.
"Professor don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Jean," Scott suddenly said in a reassuring tone.
"Okay, but do it discreetly or you may get yourself in trouble," Professor Xavier advised before dismissing them.
Left alone in the hallway, Professor Xavier deeply furrowed his brows as he returned to his study.
'Kitty's mistaken. Jean definitely experienced something at school. As for what it was…'
'I had already placed mental blocks in her mind to protect her juvenile psyche from the bad memories. It couldn't be…'
Professor Xavier interlaced his fingers with a thoughtful gaze.
'I can only continue to block the trauma. As for whatever happened in school, maybe Cerebro will offer some revelations.'
'The fear in her emotions was visceral enough. What could make her like that?'
He disliked the feeling of things slipping out of his control.
But what truly awaited him?
Some forces were just never meant to be controlled.
***
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