A new place

Charles gave Laura a reassuring nod as she entered the house, following behind her but patiently giving her space as she looked around. He was as interested in her reactions as she was to taking in her new surroundings.

Most of the students Charles had taken in had come from less than ideal backgrounds. Families that didn’t understand them, abilities that inadvertently led to destruction. There were young adults in the mansion now who at some point had been homeless, jailed, or institutionalized, but none who had an upbringing as drastically different as Laura had.

The Weapon X program made Charles sick to think about. He was glad that they had been able to help even one person get away from there, but what had been done to her, and what she had lost on account of that, would not be corrected overnight.

The young girl had been quiet so long, her question surprised him. ”Is this your house?” ”Yes.” he confirmed, nodding his head. ”It’s yours now too.” He knew that was sometimes more difficult for people to wrap their heads around, but Charles tried his best to make it feel more like a home than a regular school.

At Laura’s next remark, he actually chuckled. ”I suppose it does.” In addition to it’s newness to her, Laura’s senses were of course far superior to his own. ”Come with me, I’ll show you around and we can find you a room. Are you hungry?”

”I understand,” Charles said when Laura let him know that it was different from what she was used to. ”I imagine it will be quite the adjustment for you. Feel free to ask questions, of myself or any of the other adults here. For the most part, anyone will be happy to help you.” Ever the students, with a few select exceptions, were very eager to help and get to know new mutants when they showed up. Though he imagined Laura might struggle a bit with social interactions there were people who were outgoing enough to take the initiative.

”Am I allowed to eat?” ”Yes, of course.” Charles said. ”There’s usually snacks and things that are easy to make in this cupboard.” he explained, opening it so she could see the selection. ”You’re welcome to take whatever you’d like, you don't need to ask permission. Just please refrain from touching the stove or the oven until we’ve gone over how to do so safely.” Again he gestured to them so she would know. He imagined they didn’t spend a lot of time learning how to cook in the facility nor did they cover things like how not to burn the house down.

”Thank you.” Charles said at Laura’s acknowledgement. He didn’t want her to think that the rules were made to target her specifically or that they were meant to be any kind of punishment, but it was important for everyones comfort and safety that they were cautious with some things and he appreciated that she seemed to be aware of her own knowledge. He gave her a chance to look around and take what she wanted before moving on.

”Bedrooms are upstairs.” he said, leading her up the elevator and into the nearest hall. ”Most of these are occupied by other students, so to respect their privacy we try to stay out of them unless we’re given permission to go inside.’ he explained as they passed a few closed doors. He reached one that he knew was not in use and opened it for her. ”This one here will be yours. You’re welcome to move anything around, or ask us for anything you need to be more comfortable.”

”I’m glad to hear it.” Charles said. ”I know you haven’t had a lot of freedom to make decisions in the past. Its important to me that you’re comfortable here, of course, but also that you’re able to find things you enjoy, that make you happy.” Laura had seemed to be very focused on making sure she had the necessities she would need to get by, but she deserved the opportunity to be a kid as well.

”Is there anything else you’d like to see, or I can give you some time to get settled in on your own.” he offered.