Marvel One Shots

Caged - Charles Xavier

Hey! I hope you're enjoying all of this so far! This story is centered around young Charles Xavier and his encounter with a winged and tortured mutant named Ellie. Feel free to comment below and let me know what you think :)
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"Are you sure we're in the right location, Charles?" Erik muttered under his breath.

His eyes darted around the room nervously as he took in the surroundings of the circus that they had entered. For a circus that claimed to be very famous, it was not very well-kept. It was falling to pieces. Charles didn't have to read anyone's mind to know that there was something off about the place.

"I'm afraid so, my friend." Charles said softly. "I fear that this recruitment could be harder than I thought."

The two men followed the crowd and made their way through the tent. People were flocking in, shoving their way through the crowd to come to center, where the main attraction was. Charles prayed that the girl that they were looking for wasn't the main attraction, however the crying and wimpering coming from the center of the tent only confirmed his fears.

There was a cage in the middle of the tent, no bigger than a prison cell. And chained to the bars by a chained leash and collar was a young woman with wings.

She looked to be about Raven's age, just a little bit younger than Charles. She had a petit figure, reminiscent of a fairys. Her dirty-blonde hair was matted, and in some patches, Charles could see dried blood- a sight that made him cringe. The only thing on her body was a rotting hospital gown, ripped and clawed at until there was barely any material left.

She was a beautiful woman, not just externally but internally too from what Charles could tell. As soon as he saw her, he could feel her kindness and warmth.
But with that kindness and warmth was pain and loneliness- feelings that Charles was all too familiar with. She was terrified and always kept herself guarded. He didn't even have to read her mind. As soon as their eyes met, he knew. Her eyes were green and glassy with tears; stained glass windows to a kind soul that just wanted to feel loved.

Charles and Erik were frozen right where they stood, staring at the poor girl in horror. They were at a loss for words for a moment, however once they were brought back to earth, Erik was the first to clear his throat.

"I've seen some pretty fucked up things in my time..." Erik growled. "However this is one of the worst I've seen yet.. And you know what I've been through." He shuddered to himself and glanced over at his friend. "I-Is she-"

"If she isn't the girl we're looking for, she is now." Charles interrupted, shoving his way through the hundreds of people. "There is no way in hell I'm leaving her behind."

He placed two fingers to his temple and gazed around the crowd. With a nod of his head, everyone froze right where they stood. No one noticed as he and Erik made their way to the front of the pack towards the cage.

"W-Who are you?" A female voice murmured.

Charles jumped at the sound of another voice in his head other then his own. Immediately, he scanned around the tent, trying to find the source of the telepathic voice. Immediately, he was drawn to the cage. It was as if he were being dragged by an invisible tether.

"I could feel your presence." she said shakily. Her voice reminded him of a lullaby. It had a gentle lilt like a melody. "It has a similar feeling to mine. Are you a telepath?"

He gazed into the cage. It was at that moment that he realized that the winged women inside had been staring at him desperately ever since he had entered the room.

"I am. My name is Charles Xavier. And this is Erik. I've come to get you out of here." Charles gave the girl a sympathetic smile. For her, it was a ray of sunshine in such a dark place. The kindness in his eyes caught her off guard. Immediately, she sat up and leaned against the bars of the cage. She curled up into a ball and wrapped her arms around her knees protectively, not keeping her eyes off of his. "What's yours?" He asked.

"My name is Ellie, but you probably already know that."

Charles glanced at Erik, who just looked incredibly confused since he couldn't hear their conversation. Charles let out a soft laugh to himself.

"For most people, I don't read their minds unless I get their permission. I wanted to see if you trust me enough to tell me yourself."

Ellie's eye brows furrowed and she gave Charles a calculating look. "I'm not entirely convinced. Bad things happen when you trust people before you even know them. I can't fall into another trap like this.."

"I don't blame you for that. Clearly you've been through a lot." Charles said gently. "But if you don't come with us now, you could die here. You don't deserve this kind of treatment."

The girl shakily stood up from the position she was curled up in and unfolded her wings to stretch them. The two men stared at her in awe as the fluorescent lights reflected off of the wings, causing colours to dance around the walls of the tent. There were iridescent, the scales changing colour depending on what angles the light was shining on.

Charles was right. Ellie knew she wouldn't be able to handle this much longer.

"If you come with us, you'll get to meet young mutants like yourself. I'll help you control your powers so that you can use them for good. If you come with me, you'll be free."

"Come closer, Charles. I-I can't move." Ellie whispered, speaking out loud for the first time. Erik glanced at Charles nervously, but he didn't care. Immediately, he rushed to her side. "Would it be okay if I read your mind? I'm still afraid.."

The professor smiled reassuringly and nodded as he moved closer to her. "Be my guest. I'm all yours."

Ellie's eyes fluttered shut as she placed two fingers lightly on Charles' forhead.

Never before had she read someone so internally beautiful and complex. Charles' mind was a marvel, filled with facts and knowledge and hope for a better world. She could see his dreams of opening a school for young mutants and his fears of not being able to keep his companions safe. She saw Erik, and how much Charles cared for him despite his potential for disaster.

Charles, she realized, was a complicated man, but also unfalteringly kind. Charles was her savior, and she would finally be free. Charles could keep her safe.

"Please Ellie... I won't let them hurt you anymore, I promise. Please let me help you."

Ellie paused for a moment, and then slowly took her fingers away from his temple. Charles' bright blue eyes stared at her intently as she started to sever the connection between them.

Erik sauntered closer to the cage and grasped two of the bars, ready to rip them out of place so Ellie could escape.

"Well?" He asked, his voice growing more and more impatient by the second.

Ellie slowly backed away, waiting in anticipation for him to enter. "Let's get out of here."

As soon as she uttered those words, the bars of her cage started to bend over to create a space big enough for the two men to enter. Ellie's eyes widened at the sight of Erik's mutation. She was so shocked that her knees buckled from underneith her, causing her to collapse to the concrete floor below.

Charles was the first to enter, and as soon as his eye's met Ellie's he went right to her side and started to release her from her chains. After setting her free, he carressed her cheek softly and allowed his eyes to wander around her body to check for injuries.

Under other circumstances, Ellie would have spit at any man who would try to look her over and objectify her, however she could tell Charles was only accessing the situation to see the severity of her wounds. His brows were furrowed and every movement he made was calculated.

After a couple of seconds, Charles nodded himself and shifted his gaze back to Ellie's. He gave her a sweet smile and ran his fingers through her hair comfortingly. "Come on, then. Let's take you home." He whispered.