Chapter 57

Xavier called the X-Men to the sub-basement. The air was filled with anticipation as they all gathered upon his call. The soft hum of machinery and the cool, sterile scent of the sub-basement added to the sense of urgency.

"Have you found another mutant, Professor?" Jean asked, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Yes, Jean. Moments ago, I found another mutant who has recently awakened her powers." Xavier's voice was calm but carried an undertone of excitement.

Kitty's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yes! We are going to have another bestie!"

"Calm down, Kitty. It is just another girl," Rogue said, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.

"Come on, Rogue. Lighten up. We are going to have a new friend," Kitty replied, bouncing on her toes.

Scott ignored the two girls talking and turned to the professor. "Who will be going, Professor?"

"Jean, Scott, Rogue, Kitty, and Bobby will go. The girl will feel more at ease to know she has companions of her age."

Everyone nodded, and then Jean asked, "Is there anything else we know about her?"

Xavier projected the new mutant's information on the screen. "Her name is Jubilation Lee. She is an orphan adopted by a couple in Beverly Hills."

Storm's eyes softened with sympathy. "Poor girl."

"Let's move. We don't want to waste more time," Scott said, taking charge.

The assigned members boarded the Blackbird and flew to their next destination, Beverly Hills. The sleek jet cut through the sky, its engines humming softly. Rogue gazed out the window, her mind seemingly elsewhere. Kitty noticed and decided to talk to her.

"What are you thinking, Rogue?" Kitty asked, her tone gentle.

Rogue flinched. "N-Nothing."

Kitty put her hand on Rogue's shoulder with a teasing smile. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

Rogue's face turned red. "Quiet, Kitty!"

"Come on~ it's all over your face. Let's talk about it."

"Shut up…"

Bobby saw the interaction and couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. "Ace sure is popular. I wonder when I can be like him. Damnit! Is it because of his face!? It's his face, isn't it!"

Scott, in the pilot seat, overheard everything.

"Anything wrong, Scott?" Jean asked, her voice soothing.

"Nothing, Jean. Just worried this might affect the mission."

Jean turned to Scott, reminiscing. "Don't worry, she will be fine. It's kind of cute, actually. It reminds me of the time when you were chasing after me."

Scott choked a bit. "Hey, I wasn't that desperate."

Jean only smirked and chuckled. "That's not how I remember it."

Scott got embarrassed but hid it, focusing on piloting the Blackbird.

…

They arrived in Beverly Hills, landing in an open field. The Blackbird's engines roared as it touched down. They walked to Jubilee's residence and knocked on the door. The door opened, revealing Jubilee's parents, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Hello, how may I help you?" the mother asked, her voice polite but wary.

"Hello, my name is Jean. I'm from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. We would like to talk about your daughter," Jean said, her tone gentle and reassuring.

"Did she get into trouble?" the mother asked, her worry evident.

"No, of course not. May we talk about it inside?"

The mother agreed and led the X-Men inside. They sat down on the plush sofa, the tension in the room palpable.

The father's face hardened. "What is it you want to talk about our daughter?"

"Please, sir. We are not here to trouble you. You must have noticed your daughter has a certain 'gift' and we want to help her," Jean explained, her eyes sincere.

The mother's reaction was immediate. "No! She doesn't have any of these 'gifts'. She is only a normal girl."

Jean remained calm. "I know this may be shocking to you, ma'am, but this is quite natural for her. There is no reason to be afraid."

The father held his trembling wife. "I don't know what you are talking about, but our daughter is an ordinary girl."

Jean could see the parents were bewildered and decided not to push too much. "I understand. May we speak with her?"

"She is not here. She is probably at the mall again," the father replied, his tone dismissive.

"Thank you. I hope to meet you again under better circumstances," Jean said, standing up.

The X-Men left, leaving the distressed parents behind.

Scott crossed his arms. "That went well."

"You need to be patient with them, Scott," Jean advised, her voice calm.

"It is always like this, Jean. They can't accept she is a mutant," Scott replied, his frustration evident.

"I know, but this is why we are here, right?" Jean said, her eyes meeting his.

Scott didn't answer but nodded to Jean.

Kitty jumped in, her enthusiasm unwavering. "So what should we do now? We heard she's at the mall. Maybe we can find her there."

Scott nodded. "We go there and find her ourselves. Then maybe we can talk to her parents again."

Kitty saluted. "Aye-aye, leader."

Jubilee was at the arcade in the mall, playing vigorously, trying to release her frustration. The colorful lights and loud sounds of the arcade filled the air, but she was lost in her thoughts.

"I thought they loved me. How could they say that," she muttered to herself.

(Flashback)

When she woke up, she heard her parents talking downstairs, their voices hushed but intense.

"What do we do, Mike? Look what she did to the TV," her mother said, her voice trembling.

"I don't know, Martha. I heard there is an agency for mutants. We could send her there," her father replied, his tone strained.

"How could you say that as if she were some sort of criminal," her mother protested, her voice breaking.

"It is not like that, Martha. You know I love her. We both do. The agency is to help these unfortunate people. It is for her own good," her father said, trying to reassure her.

Martha was distraught. "But what will happen to her?"

"I don't know. I just hope the neighbors don't find out," her father replied, his voice heavy with worry.

Jubilee felt betrayed and ran to her room, tears streaming down her face. "Why is this happening to me? It is not my fault."

(End Flashback)

Just remembering the conversation angered Jubilee. Unknowingly, her powers activated, and the arcade game she was playing fried and sparked.

"Uh oh…" she muttered, her eyes wide with panic.

The manager heard the commotion and rushed over, his face red with anger. "What the hell, kid! You're going to pay for that!"

Jubilee ran away to escape. "Sorry!" she called over her shoulder, her heart pounding.

Watching the interaction from a distance was a group of people.

"Is that her?" Pietro asked, his voice filled with excitement.

"Yes, Pietro, it should be," Wanda replied calmly.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go get her," Pietro said, impatience clear in his voice.

"Patience, brother. We will meet her soon enough," Wanda said, her tone soothing.

Jubilee ran and stopped to catch her breath, her chest heaving. "Huff-huff, damn it, not again."

Jubilee looked at her hands, feeling a mix of fear and frustration. "What's wrong with being a mutant anyway?" she muttered, her voice filled with sorrow.

She walked away, not looking where she was going, and bumped into someone. "Hey! Watch where you're going, will ya," she snapped, her temper flaring.

"You're the one who bumped into me," Rogue retorted, her voice cold.

"Come on, Rogue. Relax, she only bumped into you," Kitty said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Quiet, Kitty," Rogue snapped back, her eyes flashing.

"I'm leaving," Jubilee said, turning to walk away, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.

"Wait, can we talk with you?" Jean called out, stepping forward.

Jubilee turned back, her guard up. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jean. You're Jubilation Lee, am I right?" Jean asked, her voice gentle.

Jubilee took a step back, her eyes wary. "How do you know me?"

"Don't be afraid. We just want to talk. We are mutants, just like you," Jean explained, her tone reassuring.

"Mutants?" Jubilee echoed, her voice filled with confusion.

Storm walked toward Jubilee, her presence calm and soothing. "Please, child, let us talk."

They all went to the food court, and the X-Men explained why they had come.

"So~ let me get this straight. You want me to join your school for 'gifted children'. And what do you call yourselves, X-Men? Sounds weird to me," Jubilee said, her tone skeptical.

"It is a place where we can protect mutant children, and we can help you control your powers," Jean explained, her eyes earnest.

Jubilee took a sip of the cola she ordered. "Hmm~"

Kitty jumped in and wrapped her arm around Jubilee. "Come on, join us. There will be cookies when we get back."

Things were moving too fast for Jubilee. She had just found out she was a mutant, and now a group had suddenly appeared asking her to join their school.

"This is all pretty confusing," Jubilee admitted, her voice uncertain.

Storm smiled kindly. "Don't worry, child. We have all been in the same situation you are in now. Take your time to think about it."

A gust of wind suddenly blew, and a man with white hair appeared beside the group.

"You think twice before joining their little school," Pietro said, his voice filled with disdain.

Scott instantly became on guard, and his visor sparked a little. "Quicksilver."

Quicksilver didn't mind Scott's hostility and grabbed a chip on the table. "Relax, Cyclops, unless you want your lasers to hurt somebody."

Scott sat down, but the X-Men kept a wary eye on him. "What are you doing here?" Scott asked, his voice tense.

"We're here to invite our sister to the cause," Pietro replied casually.

"We?" Jean asked, her voice wary.

"You shouldn't rush, Pietro. It will startle our little friend," Wanda said, her voice calm and composed.

A woman with auburn hair and green eyes wearing a red dress walked toward the group. All the men in the food court looked at her, mesmerized by her beauty.

"It's fine, Wanda. I was just trying to stop them from misleading our sister over here," Pietro said, his tone light.

Wanda sat down beside Pietro and looked at the X-Men, her eyes calm but alert. "Wanda," Scott said, his voice filled with tension.

"Scott," Wanda replied, her tone equally tense.

Jubilee could feel the tension rising. "Uh, you guys know each other?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Just a group of maniacs," Rogue replied, her voice dripping with disdain.

"We're the maniacs? We are just fighting for what our kind deserves," Pietro shot back, his eyes flashing with anger.

Jubilee still didn't know who the newcomers were. "Seriously, who are you guys?"

"Apologies, I'm Wanda Maximoff, and this is my brother Pietro. We want to recruit you to the Brotherhood," Wanda explained, her voice calm and composed.

"Brotherhood!? That mutant terrorist group?" Jubilee asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

"We are not terrorists. We are just helping our mutant brothers and sisters," Wanda said, her tone earnest.

Jean didn't like how hypocritical Wanda sounded. "Your actions certainly look like terrorism."

"We are just doing what is necessary to protect mutant kind," Wanda harshly rebutted, her eyes flashing with determination.

Wanda turned to Jubilee, her voice softening. "You must not listen to their lies, Jubilee. The X-Men are nothing more than human bootlickers. They preach equality between humans and mutants, but we know the truth. There can never be true equality. Humans will only trample us if we don't fight back."

Scott denied Wanda's claims. "That is not true. It is because of people like you that the professor's dream is being hindered, and more people are hating mutants."

"That bald man refuses to accept the reality of mutants and can only cling to his ideal. He is nothing but a fool," Wanda retorted, her voice filled with disdain.

Jubilee watched the two sides argue, feeling overwhelmed. "Oh boy…" she muttered, unsure of what to do.

***

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