"Mrs. Storm, can you grab those clothes for me?" Ethan called out without turning around as he sorted through his things.
"If you call me 'Ms. Munroe,' I might consider it," Storm quipped, crossing her arms. "Mrs? Seriously? I'm not even married yet."
Ethan smirked. "Yeah, but I remember you and Mr. Cyclops playing house as an adopted couple for a while."
Storm rolled her eyes. "You're really something else, kid."
Still, she walked over and started helping him pack. She wasn't one to hold a grudge—especially when the faster they packed, the sooner this ordeal would be over.
Professor X had agreed to Ethan's request for formal orphanage departure procedures and an official admission letter, which meant everything had to be done properly.
It also meant delays—something Storm didn't appreciate.
Bureaucracy took time, and while she didn't mind sticking around, she wasn't thrilled about it either.
"Ethan, everything's just about ready," Ms. Emma said as she entered the room, cheeks flushed with excitement.
She handed over the finalized paperwork and the admission letter. "I'm really happy for you."
She then turned toward Storm, her expression warm. "You're Ms. Ororo Munroe from Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, right? I read the letter. Thank you for giving Ethan this opportunity."
Storm smiled and shook Ms. Emma's hand. "No thanks needed. Ethan is incredibly talented, and we need students like him."
"Free tuition, food, and housing? Plus a scholarship?" Katie, another orphanage resident, had slipped into the room at some point and was now eyeing the letter with curiosity. "I had no idea you found such a sweet deal."
Ethan smirked. "Jealous?"
"A little," Katie admitted with a shrug.
She moved closer, helping with a few stray items before casually leaning in. In a low voice, meant only for Ethan, she said, "That's a school for mutants, isn't it?"
Ethan's hands froze mid-motion. He turned to her, eyes narrowing. "What?"
"Come on, you know I don't say things without reason." Katie's voice was calm, almost amused, as if she had simply solved a math problem.
Ethan hesitated, then asked in a whisper, "How do you know?"
Katie brushed her brown hair behind her ear, flashing a confident smirk. "Don't forget—I'm a hacker."
Ethan groaned internally. "You hacked Xavier's?"
"Tried to. No luck," Katie admitted, shaking her head. "The website looks like a regular school page—full of security holes and easy to poke around in.
But when I tried to dig deeper into the core database, I ran into insane encryption. Then I cross-checked their public statements. The school's rhetoric is heavily mutant-positive, and some of their staff and affiliates have documented mutant ties."
"That's still not enough to confirm anything," Ethan countered, though his voice was tight.
"Then there's you," Katie said simply. "And you, my friend, are definitely a mutant."
Ethan went silent. His gaze flickered over Katie, studying her expression. She didn't look afraid.
She wasn't backing away or treating him any differently. If anything, she looked amused by his attempt to deny it.
"How long have you known?" he finally asked.
"You've been acting weird lately, so I checked the orphanage's surveillance footage," Katie explained. "Turns out, there's a camera in the corner where you thought no one could see you."
Ethan stiffened. "That camera's been broken for ages."
"It got fixed while you were sick." Katie's smirk widened slightly.
Ethan: "..."
He didn't know whether to curse his luck or admire her persistence.
"Relax," Katie added, pulling a small USB drive from her pocket. "I already wiped the footage. Only one copy exists."
Before Ethan could react, she shoved the USB into his hand and winked. "And now, that copy belongs to you."
Ethan gave a small salute.
"Thank you!" Ethan's lips parted as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, that was all he could manage.
"You're welcome. We're friends, after all." Katie smiled warmly.
"Ethan, the car's here. Have you got everything packed?" Storm's voice cut through the moment.
"Yeah, all set." Ethan nodded, grabbing his bag. Katie helped with the last of his things, and together, with Ms. Emma showering him with final words of advice, the four of them made their way to the orphanage entrance.
"I'm off, Ms. Emma." Ethan hugged the orphanage director tightly.
She had cared for him like a mother, and he felt a lump in his throat as he pulled away.
"Good luck, my boy." Ms. Emma pressed a kiss to his forehead, her reluctance clear in her eyes.
Ethan exhaled slowly before looking over at Katie.
"Here, take this." She handed him his bag, hesitating for a second before speaking again. "Will you come back to see me?"
"I'll find time," Ethan said, shifting his weight.
Katie's face darkened. "That's what they all said."
Ethan's expression softened. He knew exactly who she meant.
Over the years, she had made a few close friends, but as they got adopted and left, they never came back, never wrote, never called.
Now, it was his turn to leave.
"Don't worry," Ethan said with a small smile. "I keep my promises."
Katie studied him for a moment before nodding. "Then I'll wait."
As the car pulled away, she turned and walked back inside, hands tucked behind her back, pretending not to watch him go.
After an hour's drive, the towering cityscape gave way to open roads and lush greenery. Professor X's academy was clearly built far from the hustle of New York.
A grand, ivy-covered mansion appeared in the distance, its towering spires and Gothic architecture giving it the look of an old European cathedral.
It was massive, yet oddly quiet, almost too peaceful.
Storm helped Ethan unload his things and led him to a dorm room before heading off.
Apparently, the mutant school had a much simpler check-in process than regular schools.
Ethan glanced around his new room, feeling impressed.
The wooden floors and furniture had a classic charm, but everything looked brand new.
The bed—thankfully not a stiff dorm mattress—was a high-end Simmons, a luxury he hadn't expected.
As Professor X had promised, the room was spacious, complete with air conditioning and WiFi. The only downside? The two large identical beds beside his.
"Damn it," he muttered. "Why didn't I ask for a single room? Got distracted by the AC and WiFi. Rookie mistake."
Just as he was sighing, the door creaked open. Two teenagers strolled in, both around sixteen or seventeen.
One had a sharp, military-style buzz cut and carried himself with quiet confidence. The other had messy blond hair, his cocky smirk already hinting at a larger-than-life personality.
"Looks like we got a new roommate," the buzz-cut teen observed, raising an eyebrow.
The blond was already moving. "Hey, man! Name's John, but you can call me Pyro."
He grinned, whipping out a lighter. With a flick of his fingers, the tiny flame leaped into his palm, morphing into a swirling fireball.
Pyro shot a glance at the buzz-cut guy before casually tossing the fireball toward him.
The other teen sighed, raising his hand. A cold mist swirled around his fingers, instantly freezing the fireball into a solid chunk of ice before it could touch him.
Catching the ice in his palm, he finally looked at Ethan. "Hey. I'm Bobby. As you can probably tell, my thing is ice. You can call me Iceman."