After being greeted by the professor along with Ororo and a man with large sideburns, hair styled in two pointed peaks, and a grumpy appearance, Velariel, along with her mother and uncle, entered the mansion following the first group.
"This is the foyer. If you go up the stairs, you'll find my office, the teachers' offices, and some classrooms. On this floor, we have the cafeteria that serves three meals a day, the infirmary, the indoor gym connected to the field, and the rest of the classrooms. Oh, and I almost forgot, this gentleman to my left is Logan, the gym and history teacher," said Professor Xavier, while the man known as Logan responded with just a grunt.
"The dorms are split into two wings: right for boys and left for girls. If you'd like, we can go drop off Velariel's things in her room," Ororo suggested.
"Yes, please," Gideon said, carrying two large suitcases.
They headed toward the female dorms while discussing how the academic plan would work, continuing a conversation where Professor Xavier answered most of the questions from Cassandra, with a few from Gideon, and Ororo adding some comments. Meanwhile, Logan and Velariel remained silent.
"So, this is your new little room," said the professor.
"Wow… it's big," said the little demon.
"Chuckles Yes, the school didn't skimp on space," Ororo laughed lightly.
They left Velariel's things in the room, but as they closed the door, the neighboring door opened, revealing a young red-haired girl about thirteen years old.
"Hello, Professor. Hello, Ororo. Hello, Logan," she greeted her teachers and then looked curiously at Cassandra and Gideon before focusing on Velariel, widening her eyes and saying, "You must be the new student the professor told me about! I'm Jean, nice to meet you."
"Ah… H-hello, I'm Velariel," the girl responded, feeling a bit shy and embarrassed.
"She's Jean Grey, one of our most outstanding students. Jean, I understand there's an age difference between you two, but please be kind to little Velariel," the professor said.
"Of course, Professor, don't worry," Jean replied.
"If you don't mind, could you show the little one around? We still have a few things to discuss regarding her enrollment."
"Of course, professor. Let's go, Velariel," said Jean, taking the little girl's hand and leading her around the mansion.
"This is the auditorium."
"These are the classrooms."
"These are the courts."
"This is…"
…
"And this is the cafeteria. It's lunchtime, so everyone should be eating now. Do you want something to eat?"
"…Yes, please."
Jean patted her head, saying, "How polite you are." They entered the cafeteria, where, as Jean said, six people were present, including one who resembled a blue beast more than a man.
"Hey, guys!" Jean greeted energetically. "This is Velariel, the girl the professor talked about."
"H-hello," the little demon said, hiding behind Jean.
"Ohh, she's so cute!" said a young girl who stood up and walked through the table, as well as a few people, before crouching in front of Velariel. Although, she didn't have to crouch much since the child was small, and the girl herself wasn't very tall.
"Easy, Kitty, give the kid some space," said the blue beast man in a calm voice.
"And we already told you, don't walk through people! It's weird," said a young man with tan skin and blonde hair, shivering slightly at the last part.
"Ah, sorry, I got a little excited," Kitty said as she stood up and apologized to everyone.
"Come on, get some food, and we'll introduce ourselves afterward," said a brown-haired boy wearing red glasses, with an authoritative tone.
"Let's go, Velariel," said Jean, guiding the little one to the buffet. After serving some food, Jean looked at her small companion and was surprised to see her piling piece after piece of meat onto her plate.
"Are you really going to eat all of that?"
"Is there something wrong?" she asked, tilting her head.
"…No, there's no problem at all."
After that, they went to sit at the table with the others, who raised an eyebrow at the plate full of meat but didn't say anything.
As they sat down, the little demon began eating the meat with manners and etiquette, though it was still surprising to see such a small girl eat so much. No one spoke until Kitty noticed something and couldn't help but comment.
"Ah, look at her tail! She's wagging it like a little puppy." This caught everyone's attention, making them turn to see her tail moving back and forth. Velariel, realizing everyone was watching her tail, and noticing it was indeed wagging, felt embarrassed and hid her tail under the table.
"Don't be embarrassed, little one, it's natural to draw a little attention," started the beastly man. "By the way, where are my manners? I'm Dr. Henry Hank McCoy, but everyone calls me Beast. What's your name, little one?"
"…My name is Velariel."
"Velariel? That's a strange name."
"Bobby! Don't say that about someone's name,"
A boy with light brown hair spoke first, only to be reprimanded by another blonde boy with wings that resembled an angel's.
"Apologies for the idiot. He's Bobby Drake, and I'm Warren Kenneth Worthington III. Nice to meet you," said the blonde boy with a smile that, while not fake, seemed… professional from Velariel's perspective.
"My mom said my name fits with who I am…" she responded, a little disheartened.
"I didn't mean your name was ugly! It's just… a bit… unique?"
"You're an idiot, Bobby," the energetic girl who had phased through the table chimed in. "I'm Kitty Pryde, and just ignore the idiot; he doesn't think before he speaks."
"I'm not an idiot!" Bobby retorted.
"Yes, you are, Bobby," said the blonde boy with dark skin. "By the way, I'm Evan, but everyone calls me Spyke."
"And I'm Scott Summers. Let me officially welcome you to the X-Men."
(X-Men 90s theme music plays)
…
After the introductions, they continued eating and chatting, mainly about topics related to Velariel. When they learned she had spent five years locked in her house, there were various reactions ranging from pity to anger, mixed with understanding. But the most notable was Kitty's, who practically jumped on the girl and started hugging her, saying, "Poor little thing, it must have been so hard for you."
Velariel, not used to these kinds of situations, could only freeze in place and look at Jean for help, who just smiled at the whole scene.
At that moment, the doors opened, and the unmistakable sound of a wheelchair caught everyone's attention, making them turn around. There, they saw the professor and the two other teachers along with Velariel's family.
"I told you they'd be in the cafeteria," said the professor.
Velariel's siblings, who had small smiles on their faces seeing the girl being part of a group, also looked at the others at the table. They were surprised to see a blue beast-man, but after living with Velariel for five years, it didn't seem that strange anymore.
"Velariel, can you come over for a moment with mom?"
"Yes," she replied as she got up from the table. "See you all!" she said as she waved goodbye to everyone at the table, following only her mom and uncle.
…
At the entrance of the school
"Honey," started Cassandra, trying to hold back tears. "Since you were born, I knew that you weren't just different but also special," she began to cry as she remembered that day, which brought her both happiness and pain.
"But I know not everyone sees it that way, which is why I hid you all this time," she cried harder as she hugged her daughter.
"But I know there are people here who think like I do, but unlike me, they can help you show your full potential," she cried even more, but after composing herself, she said, "But remember, I love you, and nothing in this world is going to change that. So shine, shine, my little star."
…
That same day, but at night
"What did you think of our new student, Jean?" asked the professor to his student in his office.
"She's shy, but you can tell she would like to talk to more people. She's definitely going to fit in well," she said happily about her little friend.
"And anything else?"
"And… it's weird, it's like I can't feel part of her mind, as if there's a curtain over some of her thoughts that won't let me see. Did you notice it too, professor?"
"Yes… I noticed it as well a week ago when I met her. She's not the first person I've met whose mind I can't access, but what's strange is that I can't access certain parts that seem very specific."
The professor stopped speaking and looked out the window, saying, "Let's see what other secrets our little student holds."