"Yawn!" Barely managing to cover my mouth with my hand, I couldn't hold back a sweet yawn. A few seconds later, Ororo mirrored my behavior. The car she was driving swerved slightly to the side, but the girl quickly pulled herself together and gripped the wheel tighter.
"Didn't you guys get enough sleep?" Jubilee asked with disgustingly cheerful energy, moving closer by grabbing the backs of the front seats. "I feel like I slept for three days straight!"
"No surprise," I muttered gloomily.
Last night was incredibly eventful. Honestly, Blade and I had gone to bed just two or three hours ago. We had a very productive and intense time, but we were a bit careless, considering that there was another girl sleeping in the next room. Thankfully, we didn't wake her up during the act, or it would have been extremely awkward.
I think if Lee hadn't suspected anything, it was only because she didn't fully understand my new abilities yet. Either way, she woke up before the rest of us and unintentionally roused us while trying to sneak to the bathroom unnoticed. Never buy apartments with walk-through rooms! We had to get up, though our eyes were begging to close again. What was worse was that Blade's kitchen was a barren wasteland. No point even mentioning the lack of food—there wasn't a trace of the crappiest coffee to be found!
After we all woke up and somewhat came to our senses, with coffee delivered from the same café as yesterday, I decided to have a serious talk with Jubilee. Surprisingly, it went much smoother than I had hoped. Lee took the changes to her body rather stoically, even joyfully. Once she learned that in a few days, she might become like Blade, her eyes quite literally lit up with excitement.
"How can you be so happy about this?" Ororo had asked in a somewhat horrified tone. The blonde seemed more worried about it than Lee herself.
"Why should I be upset?" Lee asked pragmatically. "Miss Monroe, my abilities are only good for putting on a show, nothing more. They're enough to fend off some low-life scumbags, but for a serious fight against monsters like vampires, they're worthless. Twice now, I've felt useless while Marius risked his own skin. So how can I not be happy about becoming stronger?"
"You're wrong, kid," I said. "Strength isn't everything, and it doesn't solve all problems. And remember, when we met that vampire chick, you did a pretty good job of scorching her face!"
"That was just luck," Jubilee remained stubborn in her opinion. "All I did was distract her so you could kill her. Now, I'll be as strong and fast as vampires! That means I won't let that kind of situation happen again! From now on, I'll protect you, not the other way around."
"I'm worried about the thirst you'll develop. Blade has spent her entire life learning to live with it, but for you, it could be a real challenge."
"Don't worry! Your friend gave me her serum, so everything will be fine!"
Jubilee's optimism was impossible to shake. The conversation quieted down, and the girl pulled out a pack of chewing gum that Ororo had gifted her. She spent the rest of the trip practicing her balloon-blowing skills. I was glad that now I knew a guaranteed way to not only silence her but also distract her for at least a couple of hours. However, I was worried that those balloons were being blown dangerously close to my hair! I'm not really keen on the idea of going bald!
My heart also felt a bit heavy over parting with Erika, but the vampire hunter was adamant about staying in her place. Her life priorities hadn't changed; she still felt responsible for the thorough and decisive extermination of all vampires. Yesterday, it was as if she sensed that our time living together was coming to an end, and that's why she indulged in all the mischief we got up to.
Oh, Kami-sama, it's so painful to say goodbye to friends…
A couple of hours later, we arrived at Charlene Xavier's mansion, which served as an elite private school. It was located a little outside the city but not too far. I wasn't exactly an expert on architecture, but I'd say it had a distinctly English school style of construction. It's surprising that Charlene decided to give up such a luxurious, aristocratic house to a bunch of kids and not-so-kids. If I were her, I'd have built a separate building for the school nearby—there was more than enough space here!
Yes, I decided not to delay and to start actively moving toward solving the problem of the voice in my head. If there's anyone in this world more qualified in these matters than Charlene Xavier, I don't know them. Sure, there are plenty of strong telepaths out there, but Charlene is the only one I have any connections with.
So, after we all woke up and got ourselves ready, I firmly said goodbye to Blade and asked Ororo to drive Jubilee and me to the school of magic and wizardry—wait, sorry, wrong story. Ororo called ahead to let the school know we were coming, so we were expected at the main entrance. Jean Grey greeted us politely, and while Ororo went to park her car in the garage, Jean led me to the headmaster's office. Well, just me—on the way, we dropped Jubilee off at the medical wing. The school staff wanted to run their own tests and make sure everything was okay with her. I don't think they'll tell me anything I don't already know, but their efforts are commendable.
The headmaster's office was spacious and brightly lit. It didn't feel overly formal, though there were plenty of tall bookshelves packed with volumes. Apparently, Charlene held her classes here, as half of the room was occupied by a long, large table with chairs on both sides. It seemed too big for a meeting table but just right for a small class of students. In the other corner was Charlene's beautiful and undoubtedly expensive desk. When we knocked and entered, she was just wheeling herself from behind it to greet us.
The wheelchair immediately caught the eye with its futuristic and technological design. For the early 2000s, the time period this world seemed to inhabit, it looked like the pinnacle of engineering, even though it didn't yet fly on its own like in some cartoon series.
"Welcome, Mr. Carlisle," a voice spoke in my head, and I involuntarily jerked, only belatedly realizing that it didn't belong to Masquerade.
"Quite a creepy greeting, Miss Xavier," I managed to force out a smile.
"Sorry," Charlene said, visibly frustrated. "Old habit. Recently, I've been spending so much time communicating this way that it's become second nature to me, like breathing."
"I'll leave you two for now," Jean said. "I'll go help Scott with Lee's check-up."
Scott, as I understood it, was the girl with the opaque red glasses we handed Jubilee over to in the medical office. Scott Summers, or Cyclops. We were in such a hurry we didn't have time to properly introduce ourselves.
"Of course," Charlene nodded, and as soon as Jean left, she gestured to a small leather couch to the left of the door. "Please, have a seat. Tea or coffee?"
Honestly, I wouldn't mind wetting my throat, but I didn't want to make the woman in the wheelchair do anything extra. Better to get straight to the point and not drag it out.
"No, thank you," I politely declined. "Ororo mentioned that you offered me a spot at your school."
"Of course, we're always happy to welcome new friends," the bald woman smiled. "But honestly, I didn't expect you to accept the offer so quickly."
Charlene looked no older than forty, maybe forty-five. Even though her head was completely devoid of hair except for her eyebrows and eyelashes, it didn't detract from her natural beauty. She still seemed attractive, even in a nearly formal black business suit. Hmm, I thought she should be a little older.
"Your intuition hasn't failed you. I really don't feel ready to go back to school," I said.
"So what brings you here, Marius?" she asked thoughtfully. "Does this have to do with Jubilee Lee?"
It was nice that she immediately backed off and didn't try to probe my mind. Well, I hoped that was the case. A mutant like Xavier could easily bypass my mental blocks without me even noticing.
"Oh, I actually wanted to thank you and the school staff for your kindness and care toward my friend. I really appreciate you taking her in off the streets. But that's not the main reason I'm here," I continued as Charlene raised an eyebrow. "Monroe called you yesterday, right? She told you what happened last night?"
"Yes," Charlene grimaced. "I'm really sorry that Miss Lee, our dear student, was hurt, especially by the actions of one of our instructors."
"Ororo's being too hard on herself. What happened wasn't only her fault. Believe me, I'm not here to blame the school or, Kami forbid, demand compensation!"
"Really?" Charlene asked curiously.
"One of the reasons I'm here is to officially notify you that Jubilee has changed. I helped her yesterday, but at the cost of her humanity. For the first while, Lee will have a tough time adjusting to the new version of herself, and all I ask is that the school approach this with understanding."
Charlene nodded sadly.
"Monroe mentioned it this morning. But as far as I understand, Jubilee won't pose a threat to the safety of the other students?"
"No."
"That's the most important thing," Charlene smiled. "As for everything else, you can rely on us, Marius. The school knows how to handle the individual traits of our students. We have all the necessary experience."
"Then I'll trust in your professionalism," I smiled gently, and Charlene seemed to understand me. At least I hoped she did.
In a short amount of time, Lee had become very dear to me, and if anything were to happen to her, I'd be deeply saddened and angry.
"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" she asked after a brief pause.
"Actually, yes," I sighed heavily. "I have a request. It seems my power has some negative effects, negative for me personally. Perhaps a telepath as skilled as you could help resolve this."
"I… try not to overuse my abilities, but as soon as you walked in, I immediately sensed something unusual," Charlene nodded. "If you don't mind, I can look deeper?"
"Just don't drown," I smiled.
Charlene was extremely tactful, and as she made her way into my mind, she invited me along. For the first time since Archie tossed me here, I found myself back in my inner world.
It wasn't particularly strange or unusual. In fact, when I first arrived here, back in my previous world, I was quite surprised by how it appeared. It was like my childhood home, and that's always been, and always will be, inside me. No matter how much I love adventures, new acquaintances, and travel, my home is forever in my heart. The place I want to return to, sooner or later.
Of course, the home that represented my inner world was far larger than what I remembered of its original form. I think it grew and expanded as I lived longer, adding new rooms as time passed.
"Do you know where we are?" the telepath asked.
Unlike in reality, here, she didn't need a wheelchair and looked even younger. It was a shame she hadn't grown her hair back—she must have grown used to the bald look. Startled, I glanced at my hands and ruffled my long, light bangs.
Phew! I could have easily ended up in my original, mental form here. That happened in the Naruto world, but there, I navigated my inner world by myself, and no one else saw that disaster. Here, I expected something similar, so I had mentally prepared for the necessary image.
In our inner worlds, we're incredibly powerful, but the problem is most of us can't realize, can't believe that we are gaining near-divine powers here and now. It's the inertia of thinking. Even I'm not some strong exception to this rule, which is why I got scared.
"Yes, this is my home," I nodded.
Charlene snorted. The architecture of the house didn't resemble what's built in the U.S., but she refrained from commenting.
"Problems tend to hide from sight. We can go blindly, or we can follow a trail," she said, giving me time to observe.
"What do you mean?" I asked, curious.
"I need you to listen to yourself and try to sense what's wrong here. There must be something you can pick up, something intangible but unmistakable."