A Meeting and some Reading

I sat in the same place I did at breakfast, seeing Kitty had already done the same. Kurt entered through the door like a normal person, only to immediately leap over the table and sit down across from me. Things were still a bit awkward with Kitty, which Kurt could definitely sense.

"So... What's going on with you two?" He asked

"Oh it's nothing, Kitty just had some... Interesting questions for me. Mostly about my powers."

"Oh ja, I've been meaning to ask, what are they? Something with your eyes?"

"Yeah, the long and short of it is basically hypnosis through eye contact. I learned to control it and turn it off about an hour after breakfast."

"Ohh, the sunglasses!"

I confirmed with a nod and a smile. Jean arrived with Professor Xavier, and took her seat next to me. A few minutes later Scott walked in looking tired, along with a short muscular man and an African-looking woman with white hair. Scott and the man sat down near Professor X, while the woman sat with Hank. Kitty educated me on some table manners, like when you're actually supposed to start eating. Apparently right on the dot at 8:30, 12:15, and 5:00, unless the professor is late, as it's customary to wait for him.

After some incredible Italian cuisine, Professor X showed me to his office.

"Please have a seat Connor." He smiled as he wheeled over behind his desk

I obliged, of course, sitting down across from him. He retrieved a folder and placed it atop his desk.

"I have your transcript here to aid us in..." He explained what we were doing. Blah blah blah, you don't really care about this part, do you?

My final schedule was this:

1. English at 9:15, taught by Professor Xavier
2. Physics at 10:45, taught by Hank
3. Economics at 1:00, taught by Ororo Munroe, the woman I saw with Scott
4. Gym at 2:30, taught by Logan, the short man

After scheduling my classes, I remembered to bring up my powers

"Hank told me to mention controlling my powers, but... Well I don't know if you're aware, but I had a practice session this morning with Scott and Jean, and the short version is that I can control them now."

"Really? That's incredibly fast. I'm eager to hear how you accomplished this."

"Well it was pretty simple really, mostly just theorizing. Jean told me to visualize my powers and take control of them. In order to do that, I needed to know what was actually going on when my powers activated. Since direct eye contact is necessary, I figured that it must use light as a carrier for the effect, which only activates when I look at someone else's eyes. Blocking the effect from activating was the goal, so I focused on the feeling in my eyes. There's two seemingly opposite parts: an emptiness called the void, and an energy called the spiral. The spiral affects the light, subliminally affecting the target. The void is what hypnotizes them, emptying their mind. I essentially tried to contain the spiral within my eye, rather than letting the light carry it, which worked. After a couple minutes of consciously holding it back, I basically have an on-off switch now." I explained

"So you analyzed what you knew and felt, then you intuitively applied that analysis to create a practical solution, am I correct?" He asked, seemingly impressed

"Yeah, I guess. Is that not normal?"

"Most mutants gain their abilities at a young age, so no. Even among those whose abilities manifest at a later stage in life, however, most do not have the same intuition for their powers."

"Oh, that's pretty cool, then."

"Yes, pretty cool." The professor chuckled "Though it is a unique skill. Would you be willing to try helping other mutants understand their abilities?" He inquired

"Oh I'd love to! I always thought superpowers were so amazing and diverse, helping analyze them would be awesome!" I beamed

"Well I'm glad you're interested, I'll let you know if something comes up. I believe that's everything for today then, Connor. Feel free to relax, and enjoy the rest of your day."

"You too, sir."

I decided to head to the library, since I'd spent most of my time so far in the dorms or in the dining room. I figured a little reading would be a good way to pass the time until classes ended for the day. I skimmed a few of the books until I got to the psychology section.

This might actually be helpful. Let's see, ADHD, OCD, learning, child psychology. Interesting stuff, but not really what I'm looking for. PTSD and anxiety, little closer. Aha! Classical conditioning! Just the– wait no way. 'Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy: Unlocking the Secrets of the Mind.' I can't believe it. It might not even be useful to me, but chances are slim that I'll find another book essentially about my mutant power anytime soon.

I decided to sit down with both books that had caught my attention. It was only about 1:30, so I had over two hours to kill. I looked through each table of contents, skimming a few chapters as well. Unsurprisingly, the book on hypnosis was more relevant and immediately useful. I decided to start with that one. Being a couple hundred pages, I had no expectations of finishing it, however I did get very engrossed. I didn't even realize how much time had passed until I heard a voice.

"Connor, hier bist du! Ich habe dich gesucht." Kurt's voice shook me from my trance

"Uh, you've been looking for me?" I asked, not sure what he'd said

"Ja, some of us are going to a movie, and we wanted to invite you."

"Oh thanks, I kinda lost track of time reading. Is there like, a process for checking out books?" I checked my watch. I really lost track of time

"Not really, honestly most of us don't really use the library. I'd say just make sure to return it in good condition." He shrugged

"When's the movie? I should probably ask what it is as well." I said with a laugh

"It's at 5:30, so a little over half an hour from now. From what I hear, it's sort-of half action movie, half romance."

"Could be interesting. I'll go get ready."