Angel, You're Perfect // Warren Worthington III

i.

1983 - A Couple Months After Apocalypse

Waking up in an unknown house was not ideal for Evelina. Her head ached slightly as she sat up, but it was bearable. Sunlight streamed in through the several windows that littered the wall of the room. It filled the room with warmth and light, but also signaled that she had been out for a couple of hours.

She was inside of a bedroom. It was bare and small, but it looked homey and comfortable to live in. A thought filled her head as she silently wished to live in this room for the duration of her life. She seemed secluded and closed off from the rest of the world, which she should be. Small potted plants littered the window sills and Evelina appreciated the way that they lived around her. It almost distracted her from the fact that there were around twenty to thirty people inside of the building. Almost.

Evelina's throat began to seize as she felt every single person inside of the building. Not only did she feel their life force, but she felt their powers. It was overwhelming to her, like an avalanche on top of her shoulders. Anxiety built up inside her and her throat started to close, her body shutting down on itself. Tears roll down her cheeks and her vision starts to blur when the brown door slams open.

"Evelina," a man in a silver wheelchair rolls in, appearing at her bedside. "Breathe."

A rush of comfort fills her mind, slowing her breathing and calming her down as her chest rises up and down with the inhale and exhale of her breath. As she catches her breath, her vision clears and she can successfully see the man in front of her. He looked to be in his thirties but was lacking a head of hair. He was frowning as she stared at the odd man, but he smiled when he saw that she was finally coming back to consciousness.

"Are you alright?" he asks gently, rolling closer to the bed. "You were having a panic attack."

Evelina nods and sits up in her bed, frowning at the man who had just entered her bedroom. She silently recognized his voice from earlier when he called out to her in the field, but that time was in her head and not verbally.

"How did you find me?" she asks and stares at the man, her vision blurring slightly as she tried to envision his aura. He was bright indigo. She could see it, his strongest emotions. He wanted to help and teach, but also protect all of his students. It was kind of beautiful.

"I am a mutant, as are you. I felt you calling out for help and responded. Now you are here, at my school for mutants," he explains briefly, a comforting smile on his face as he rolls closers. He was looking around in her mind. His presence was like a weight in her head without any pain. "I want to enroll you, to help you control your powers and understand them. Your mutation is amazing, I don't think I've seen anything like it."

She frowns and stares at him, her mind racing at a million miles an hour.

"You want to experiment on me?" she asks fearfully, her anxiety creeping back like an animal and biting into her flesh. It was feasting on her like a buffet, taking apart her sanity like a salad.

"No, no, of course not. We want to help you, Evelina. To help you understand your gift," he says, reaching out to take her hand. He holds it tightly and reassuringly. "You are safe here."

She stares for a second, calming herself down as her mind is taken control of. Her anxious and panicking mind was replaced with positive and uplifting thoughts. He was truthful, or maybe she just wanted to believe that. At this point, she would believe anything that would make her heart stop beating so quickly.

"Thank you," Evelina physically relaxes, all of her fear exhausted her and depleted her energy.

"Let me show you around and introduce you, we can talk about the details later," he says, rolling out of the room as Evelina follows. She stands up from the bed, wrapping her jacket around her body as a draft blows into the room. Following the professor, she finally sees the school in all of its glory.

It did not look like a house, though it was once before. The halls were bustling with students rushing off to class and enjoying the day with all of their friends. It looked fun. Evelina longed for friends to talk with like that, to bond and experience things with them. It was a dream that was out of reach for her, she could not get close to anyone. It was dangerous for them.

Her daydreaming was broken by the professor continuing to speak. He told her about the history of the school and other things that she really did not listen to. She was simply trying to distract herself from the rush of power that seemed to surge in her veins. There were so many people at the school.

"And finally, I would like to introduce you to Jean and Jubilee. They are about your age and I think you might like them," he says as they arrive at a door. He gently knocks and an Asian-American girl opens it, smiling at the professor.

"Hi! Professor, we weren't expecting you," the young girl says as she looks back at her friend who is laying down on the bed.

"Hello, Jubilee. I just wanted to introduce Evelina to you. She is new here and I hope that you will show her around. Please make her feel at home," he says while starting to roll away. The professor turns to Evelina one last time before leaving. "You're safe here, Evelina. Don't worry."

He smiles at her before leaving to attend to his other responsibilities that come with being the professor of a school for mutants. The girl turned back to the room and waved awkwardly at Jean and Jubilee. There was a stale air of discomfort between the three of them. She looks over at the red-head, inferring that her name must be Jean.

"You are right, my name is Jean," she says, holding her hand out to introduce herself with a smile.

Evelina frowns and stares at her in shock. She instantly senses a weight in her head and silently understands what is occurring.

"I'm Evelina," she says and looks down at Jean's hand. She doesn't trust herself enough to shake it at the moment, especially because of what happened hours ago.

It all comes crashing down on Evelina at one moment when she realizes what just happened. She killed someone, passed out, and got transferred to a new school all in one day. The stress sets in when she begins to overthink the situation, afraid of what her parents would think of her and what repercussions could occur from transferring.

'Calm down, you're going to be okay,' Jean speaks gently in Evelina's mind, calming her down with her telepathic powers. Twice today did Evelina experience telepaths calming her down and she was sort of grateful for it. She did not know what she would have done if she did not have them to calm her down.

"Let's show you around the school," Jubilee says enthusiastically once she reads the uncomfortable air between the three of them.

"I think the professor got that covered, he kept telling me about the history," Evelina responds with a deflated sigh.

"Then why don't we introduce a couple of our friends to you, I'm sure you'll love them," Jubilee insists and takes Jean's arm, proceeding to pull her out of the room.

Evelina smiles at the two of them, observing their close and comfortable friendship. She could only hope for something like that, but it would never happen to someone like her.